PREPPING FOR A SLAB

Another week n the dirt... forming up to pour the slab and cistern cap.  We'll also be pouring a back wall.  Initially this was going to be but out of blocks on top of the slab but the success Dan had with the cistern pour has encouraged us to try the faster and more rugged option.  We have also grown the footprint from 24' deep to 30'.  The initial excavation created plenty of space and Dan was looking for more room for mechanicals- batteries, pumps, etc..  Growing the footprint seemed pretty straightforward and cost effective.  We are playing with different floor plans to best take advantage of the change.

Dan is also working with DPNR regarding best barge landing location.

Cistern capped and ready to pour.  There will be a 4" step down from the main building on to the porch (top of the cistern).

40' wide and 30' deep main cottage area will be built on a slab.

Trying to determine the height of the back (poured) wall.  8', 10', and 12' heights for reference.

We've created a flat lawn area to the east of the footpint.

BACK TO DIRT MOVING

The trac hoe arrived back on Lovango this morning to backfill the cistern and begin grading for the slab.  Dan also brought over the aerobic septic system that will be laid in place, as well.

The trac hoe and Dan's truck (R) loaded with the septic system arrive on Lovango this morning.

Trac hoe moving into position.

The cistern backfilled.

STRIPPING DOWN

After letting the concrete cure for a week the crew returned to pull the forms.  Dan was pleased with what he found.  The vibrating worked to settle everything tight so there were no honeycombs.  Once all forms are stripped, the inside of the cistern will be made water-tight with multiple coats of sealant.  The outside walls will also be sealed and drain pipe installed around the perimeter before we back-fill and grade for the slab that will connect the cistern to the rest of the cottage and cap it.  The aerobic septic system will also be installed at that point.   Prevailing winds from the east dictate placement on the west/downwind side.  Aerobic systems are efficient and compact and don't require leach fields.  The sterilized effluent is great for fertilizing gardens or crops.  We hope to grow great crops of dental floss.

The big reveal.  Pulling off the forms.

Inside the west cistern.  The reservoir is more than 8' deep which you can see bythe seam that was left at the top of the 8' forms.  Multiple coats of sealant will be applied before pouring the cop.

IF IT WERE EASY...

 ... everyone would be doing it.

There aren't many buildings on Lovango Cay and today helps explain why.  The logistics involved in getting concrete to the site were incredible.  Not to mention the forms!  Thanks to neighbor and contractor Dan Boyd for pulling it together so gracefully.

Showers in the morning were a nuisance but didn't slow the progress.  The texts started at 8:30 am with the photo below confirming the first concrete truck had made the beach.  By 2:00 pm the final text and a photo of the General packed up with the pumper and concrete trucks casting off from the beach, headed home to St Thomas.

Not sure how you pour the footings, floor, and walls in one session but that was the plan and it appears to have worked flawlessly.  Next steps once the walls cure and are stripped will be to back-fill the cistern and form the first floor slab including the cap for the cistern.  No word on timing... still basking in the glow of this progress after so long a wait.

On a side note- based on the evidence that we might actually have a place to visit someday, we've ordered the dinghy from Harald Tapp at  Offshore Marine, based in St. Thomas.  It's a 15' Walker Bay Generation 450 inflatable with 70 hp Yamaha that should show up in early April.  Though small, it's exceptionally seaworthy and Coast Guard certified to carry up to 8 people... about the same as the cottage.  Also, beginning April 1, we have secured rack space through Ben Beer at the aptly named East End Boat Services in Red Hook- a very convenient location on the east end of St Thomas, as close as possible to St John and Lovango, and right across from the only/biggest supermarket in Red Hook.

8:30 am - concrete truck is backed off the barge and on to the beach, ready to feed the pumper truck.

The barge backed to beach with concrete truck on the deck and the pipe up from the pumper truck.  Romans have nothing on Dan Boyd.

Finishing off the floor of the cistern which will hold over 20,000 gallons of rainwater captured from the roof in two compartments.  One hurricane season should fill this and provide more than enough water for a year (assuming cold Navy showers!).

Back wall filled (Capt. Phil's place in background).  Once forms are stripped, this wall will be back-filled and the first floor slab will cover the cistern and connect it to the area to the left.

Front wall filled.  This will be the forward edge of the downstairs deck/porch.

2:00 pm - pumper and concrete trucks packed up on the General and headed home to St. Thomas.

READY FOR THE FIRST POUR

The forms and pumper truck are ready for tomorrow's pour.

After more than six months of waiting for hurricanes, barge repairs and coast guard certifications we are ready to pour tomorrow morning- Monday, February 23.  If you look closely, above, the pumper truck has already been brought over to Lovango and parked on the beach to the left of the Love Shack.  The white hose is laid up up the hill to reach the formed cistern/foundation which is about halfway up the hillside.  Dan is looking to bring 5 concrete trucks over in two runs which will keep the barge light enough to ride right up to the beach (within reach of the pumper truck) and also give the concrete in the footers a chance to activate and set a bit before pouring the 9' walls on top of them.  It'll be a juggling act and interesting to see how it all plays out.  More tomorrow.

Pumper truck brought on to the beach today and ready for action tomorrow.

SITE VISIT

View from the water. The site and the neighbors.

Two months ago we were about to pour when hurricane/tropical storm Gonzalos came through and put everything on hold.  Since then various combinations of Boyson's barges have been pulled for service and there has not been a window when we could get concrete and barges on the same page.  The first +/- 40 yard cistern pour will be exceptionally complicated:  the barge will need to first bring the pumper truck over and leave it on the beach.  Hoses will be rolled from there 150' up the hill (60' vertical) to the site while the barge goes back and picks up 5 concrete trucks that will be shuffled around the deck to allow each to feed the pumper truck from the barge.  Somehow the footers and 10' walls of the cistern will be poured at the same time.  Dan Boyd's baby.  Beyond me.

View from the site.  No change in the last 2 months, but looking good.  St John in the distance.

So, after rebooking the plane ticket twice in hopes of being there for the pour I stuck with the November 17-19 visit even though the barge was not available.  I got a chance to walk the site with Dan, review prints and plans, and open a bank account on island.  Also figured out what we'd need for a boat, and a place to buy it and store it on St Thomas.

Running the roads with Dan.

Boat of choice for Lovango: 15' Caribe inflatable with 70 hp motor-  light weight and will carry up to 8 people.

STILL TAKING FORM

Forms for foundation/cistern await concrete.

Dan is back from vacation and things are beginning to move again.  Steel that will reinforce the walls and cistern floors has been put in place, as have the external forms.  Things are basically ready for the pour which in and of itself will be an enormous challenge.  We need to get about 40 yds of concrete on a barge from St. Thomas and then from the barge +/- 250' up the hillside and into the forms.  We are looking to come up the learning curve that left 12 yds of concrete on the beach when the pumper hose failed on our neighbor's pour 10 years ago.

Re-bar laid out for the cistern floor.

 
Good news- the site survived 4" of rain on Friday with no major sloughs or slides.