formwork, p.2

Two weeks ago, our team started putting up wood formwork for the concrete slab and grade beam. The first round of formwork was necessary for the plumber, electrician and air conditioning contractor to use as a point of reference when laying the underslab utilities. This week, they've been completing the formwork in preparation for the big concrete pour next week.

The wood formwork needs to be braced against the weight of the wet concrete, hence all the temporary steel braces on the exterior side of the forms. The formwork also needs to be perfectly aligned.

In the next couple of days, the contractor will have the compacted soil sprayed with an insecticide to prevent termites from coming into the house from below. A layer of plastic will act as a vapor barrier (and additional termite protection). The steel reinforcement bars at the grade beam and the welded wire fabric reinforcement of the slab will follow, along with a set of templates that will hold the steel anchor bolts in place while the concrete sets.