I am forming a foundation wall approx 6 ft. high by 24 ft with two 4 ft walls perpendicular to it (for basement stairs). The six foot wall will drop to 4 ft at the perpendicular walls to accomadate the door. Can this be poured in one shot without the concrete flowing out of the lower walls, maybe by pouring the low walls first with a fairly dry mix and giving them a little time while pouring the rest of the wall, or do they need to be capped in some way? Thanks much for any help.
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There are a lot of guys here with more concrete experience that may have a better solution but I would fill and vibrate to 4 feet to insure there are no voids, cap the stair walls and fill 'er to the rim.
For the cap, I would prepare for the critical moment by screwing or nailing 2x4's, from inside the forms, around the outside perimeter of the top edge of the stair wall forms. To cap it during the pour, lay a wide 2x or a piece of 3/4" plywood over the top, screw it down into the 2x's you attached to the form earlier, run a couple of straps over the top of the cap for insurance and nail them into the 2x's as well.
That should be plenty strong to give you peace of mind through the rest of the pour.
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
That works for me too.
Oh, be sure and use piffin screws.hehehe
SamT