How do you Dig a Mono-pour

[vasman]

I would like to find out how everybody else digs a mono pour? How you set your strings and how you dig it with your mini. Then do you prep the interior first. Then do you pull string line to grade it all. and if there is anything im missing just fill it in please.
The reason im posting this is I had a guy come in and dig one for a builder that I do work for and It looked like sombody cut it out an lifted it out. I mean it was so clean that they were able to pour the concrete right up to the grass. This guy only does it on the side and is a truck driver during the day.

Thankyou
Paul

[Scag48]

I've done them, they're not my favorite. I level the whole pad perfectly before I do any digging. Compaction of the sub-base is key, the better it's compacted, the cleaner the dig. We string it out and spray down paint. Just gotta take it easy with the mini walking over the pad area, going straight you're fine if the sub-base is compacted well enough, no turning though.

[vasman]

that is the same way I have beeen doing it. I was told to leave my strings up and dig next to the lines. Thankyou so much for your imput.
Paul

[Gravel Rat]

I never seen a mono pour I actually don't know what it is maybe because it isn't something done here.

With any foundation dig is try keep it clean as possible and if you have troubles with access once the hole is dug do that area first.

[bobcat_ron]

I poured (with a Bobcat) a 100 foot long, 4 foot high wall with a 32" x 8" thick footing using a mono pour, the trick is sealing everything up so the concrete doesn't ooze out everywhere and doing the lower portions of the footings with stiffer concrete so it dries faster and holds back the wetter stuff.

Even the addition on my Ma & Pa's house was all done in one pour, 3 walls, 3 footings and the 4" thick floor for the crawl space, that guy had talent and brains.

[ma5tr]

can someone explain what a mono pour is? Sounds interesting

[vasman]

A mono pour is where you prep the site then dig a 12" or 6" trench around your pad for the footings. Then the concrete guy will come and pour the floor and the footings in one pour. it saves the concrete guy from pouring the footings then coming back and pour the stem wall then coming back and pouring the floor. They come in one time.

[mhilton]

Yeah the way you dig a mono is level the floor grade first then paint out your footing this way if the footing is 1 foot you can gage it off the floor grade but be sure to compact the floor first

[Dave Maher]

I've done a ton of monolithic pours when I was working in Orlando. Once the surveyor set all of the points (corners), we worked off the blueprints and railed (formed) the entire slab.Once all the rails were set and level we brought a mini excavator inside the frame to dig the footers. Then you spray the ground for termites, lay your plastic, set your rebar, call for inspections and start pouring. All of the grading was done by the sitework contractor before we got the ticket to start the slab. Hope this helped

[cantoo]

It's usually called a slab on grade here.

[Dirty Water]

We call it a MonoSlab here.

[ksss]

We call it a MonoSlab here.


Our term here is Monolithic.

Welcome back Dirty Water long time, no read.:weightlifter:

[Gravel Rat]

Now that slab on grade term was brough up yes it is done here but we don't dig down too deep. Scrape the organic material off down to the rock then the center where the slab is going to be compacted sand to fill and level it out. Then the forming is done where you form a footing and short knee wall is formed.

The only time slab on grade is used is for a garage where you have just 4 walls and a roof.

Most of the time the house foundation footings and garage footing are poured that takes 2 loads (14 yards) then foundation walls formed the cement trucks are back. Some foundations take 50 yards or more of concrete. Then once the walls are done the basement floor is poured.

These guys that can do forming and placing are in demand. It is hard job especially if your working on a odd shaped rock and you have to conform to it. Then you have some sites where the foundation walls are 15 feet tall and depending on the conditions 10 to 12 inches thick.

I know of one project a concrete retaining wall 100 feet long 14 feet tall with concrete buttresses formed into it took 44 yards of concrete. The engineers spec'ed the wall. The total house with all its other concrete parts I bet it is 200 yards maybe more.