Rip and pour

I tweeted a picture yesterday of workers tearing all the concrete out of the brewhouse area. Why would I do such a thing? (Hint: I like to keep everyone up to date.)

Well, I also need to install floor drains in the brewery, but why not follow the lead of Jackalope (and Yazoo, if I recall correctly) and only cut out and slope the floor right around the trenches? Certainly that would meet my needs and cost less.

Well, the architect discovered (after the lease was signed, obviously) that the floor in the brewery area was only about two inches of very old concrete over bare soil. That isn't nearly strong enough to support the equipment, tanks and all the beer Fat Bottom is going to make. We really need 4 inches of concrete over another four inches of packed gravel.

Since the whole floor has to be re-poured, we have the opportunity to slope the entire surface towards the drains, just like the big boys. All this work, demolition included, is just a few dollars per square foot and will be a big help once we start brewing, so I'm happy to have it done. We also ended up with some savings in other areas: the same pour will create a required ADA ramp from the sidewalk up about 8 inches to the taproom and we get to include curbs (as a water barrier) between the brewery space and public walkway.

Seeing the work done was neat. The crew just drove the loader you see in the pictures right through the front door of the building. The driver had it down to an art, cruising through with about three inches of clearance on each side. The crew around the machine was pretty casual too...the driver would back up and swinging the bucket around, with just a few inches of space between their legs and the bucket, and nobody seemed to notice.

(Side note: If you ever have a chance to rent or drive a landscaper like this one, do it. I rented one while building a driveway a few years ago, and it is probably the most fun I've ever had with a tool. Just don't stand to close when your buddy takes it for a spin.)

The demolition was done on Saturday and rough grading of the soil should happen Monday. Then the plumber can place the drains and pipes and the concrete team can come in to lay gravel and concrete later this week, and we'll be one step closer to opening.