between here and there

Tag Archives: concrete


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Sunny Saturday

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Saturday afternoon was stunningly beautiful and warm. Warm for the mountains in Montana. A great time for being outside to work on the new studio. This object of work was to install the tubing for the radiant heat concrete floor. This is the last step before the slab pour and getting the frame up! Yay!

I hadn’t installed one of these for several years. The work was quick and smooth . The best new add to the method was the spinner for the Pex tubing which kept in from unfurling out of control. The greatest assistant ever…Noel who patiently watched and waited for me to throw the ball for her.


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A Few More Steps

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The concrete blankets have come off. The giant hole has been back filled with gravel and dirt and leveled…and the plumber has roughed in the drains and pipes that will soon be buried in the concrete slab.

Rigid insulation has been set on top of the gravel, along with wire mesh. And tomorrow it will be my turn for some work. I will be adding the tubes on top of the wire mesh that will serve as the loops that will be buried in the concrete slab to create a radiant floor.

There will be no selfies made of this process. So if you want to see the action you can come on out and take pictures . And maybe tie a little wire. If you are a past Remote Studio student you probably had a similar experience when we formed concrete for your project!


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Dressed for Winter

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The crew arrived after all the warm spring like days we have had. Winter has returned up the canyon. Form work for foundation walls were set and poured while I sat inside nursing the flu that invaded my body.

These foundation walls now poured and shrouded in wrap for warmth during curing makes explicit why it costs more to build in the cold climate of the north vs the warmth of the south. Warmth means more shallow frost depth , means no foundation walls, just a simple poured slab.

But we get snow flakes, and ski days, and a reason for hot chocolate.


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Building Up

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The longer the winter the deeper the ground freezes, the deeper the hole for the foundation. It’s a simple correlation, all in an effort to keep the building from shifting and cracking during the freeze and thaw of the seasons.

The “footing” for the studio foundation was poured not long ago. Step one in a very stout foundation yet to come. Built nothing like a farmer or rancher would have built a cabin or barn a hundred years ago. Building codes make all the difference.