Project LLCER Building

Once the foam block walls are in place, the interior is filled with concrete. No wheel barrows and garden trowels for this job. We need a real live concrete pumper truck. Yep, one that pumps concrete up in the air about a hundred feet or so and then lets the mud free fall down a hose that must be guided to the holes to be filled. The concrete pumper is a rather majestic looking beast with a long, graceful neck that reminds me of a swan. The truck was only moved once and from those two positions the boom was able to fill the entire perimeter of the building. The truck driver and pump operator controlled the movement of the boom and the flow of the concrete from a wireless remote that was belted around his waist.   Mark Vonada slalomed the hose around the protruding rebar trying to put as much as possible inside the blocks while dumping as little as possible on the outside. Mark seemed to think it was important that he not let go of the hose when it was full of concrete and under pre...

A necessary tool, the rebar shortener, was repaired in a timely manner so the project can continue. I was thinking maybe some duct tape and a couple of splints would do the job. Fortunately, a little sterner repair was implemented. Once repaired so sturdily it likely will cut all the rebar needed for this job, and maybe many more. The blocks - The foam blocks lock together with a collection of grooves and tabs that nest snugly, both on the top and bottom as they are stacked vertically but also on the ends as they are laid one adjacent to the next. Squirt on a little foam adhesive and build a wall like you might with Lego blocks or tinker toys. Inside the block are plastic webs that hold the sides together. These webs also have  slots into which rebar is inserted for stability. Amber Moll show off her strength, carrying two building blocks. Looking down into the block as it sets on the footing. The holes for the rebar had to be placed so they would not conflict with the web in the b...

For a guy that grew up watching traditional wood and masonry construction, ICF (insulated concrete form) construction is as baffling as Common Core math. Forming and pouring a concrete footing makes a lot of sense. Building  church walls out of foam, tinker toy type blocks is nothing short of amazing. Measure, drill and plant rebar - The footing is marked for the outside of the foam block and a center line along which the holes are drilled for the rebar to be planted. A ring cut from a length of pvc pipe is then dropped over each vertical rebar. Mark and Brent are indicating where to put a hole in the wall that does not yet exist. A length of plastic tube, about 6  inches in diameter, will allow for wires and pipes to get into or out of the building. Mark Hillukka drills holes in the the concrete. Tim Sturos uses compressed air to blow dirt from the holes. Dustin and Spencer strike a pose with their tools.. Dustin Parks squirts in the epoxy and Spencer Karvonen plants the...

Construction is a marvelous thing to behold. First the dirt is dug out so wooden forms can be built. Then the forms get filled with concrete. When the concrete hardens, the wooden forms are taken down. The walls can then be started and when they are high enough, the dirt will be put back from whence it came. The net effect of all this work is walls begun on a secure foundation. Removing the forms - Lyle Makela removes a wooden form from the footing. Nate Loukusa, the chief for crew number two, noted that when all the wood is removed, the footings will then be deformed. Eric Wuollet pulled out the stakes which were attached to the forms. Lyle urged Eric to work carefully so there would not be any 'missed stakes'. Laying out the walls -  Nate and his assistant, Mark Vonada, measure and lay out chalk lines for the walls. The chalk line on the footing marks the outside of the wall. The orange string above marks a plane 28 inches above floor level. Mr. Vonada added more lines assur...

The footings got poured. And then the rain came. Fortunately, the rain came after all the concrete was in the forms and the spacer bars were removed. With the rain starting and the last truckload of cement maybe not quite hard enough, it was decided to put poly over the last truckload poured. Then the rain descended and the workmen scattered. But not before they removed the plastic tarp covering the break room and put it in the storeroom in order that it remain in the same county when the storm arrived. The Pour -  When the mud is coming down the chute, everyone is in action. The concrete mix oozes into the forms. It made me think of lava flowing from a non-violent volcano but not quite as hot. Sam directs the truck and controls the chute. The consolidators use shovels to work the mix to completely fill the form and not leave any voids. Screed operators then use a board across the top of the form to level it. The trowlers then smooth the top surface with trowels.  Sam uses a w...

The sun is low in the sky and the scene is peaceful. The day's activity has not yet started. The workman have not yet arrived. Soon the day's work and another burst of activity as the workman return to the scene to further advance the project towards the goal of a church building for the Laestadian Lutheran Church of Elk River. A few short days ago, a completely green field. Now the green carpet has been ruptured, and the first visible signs of the building that will be, have appeared. Soon more activity, concrete poured, and walls erected. But for this morning, serenity. Photo by Randy Forstie

I stopped at the building site on Thursday to take a few more pictures and get some scoop about the project and get some inside info for the blog. Shortly after I arrived I was on my way to Elk River to get a spool of 'tie wire' from the hardware. Although I am something of a construction expert, I had never heard of tie wire and thought it might be located next to the board stretcher in the dehydrated water department. I was surprised, however, that even though the first person I asked did not have a clue and made me a bit wary, I then asked a more mature and experienced looking gentleman and he assured me that they do have it, but it is in the far corner of the store. So after a lengthy walk inside and a drive back to Nowthen I delivered the goods. This event reminded of a previous experience when my son Tony and I were doing a remodeling project on my house. Although I was the elder, I deferred to him on the project due to his slightly greater experience with construction. W...