Structural (Load-Bearing) Concrete Tie Beam Removal.
Welcome! This is the very first video blog entry. In the past we have only created before and after galleries for our projects. We filmed this on a cell phone and watched it over and over again. Then we showed it to others. We were surprised how many people wanted to watch it. Then we had the idea to make it available to everyone. Afterward, we decided that it would be fun to create a video documentary of our progress on the project. We still are not sure of the format of this video blog. Our construction sequence is divided into 6 phases. Our initial thought is to produce at least one video per phase. We will figure it out as we go!
Unfortunately, we don’t have video from before this event. Further, this video does not have sound. Sorry. Future videos will have sound though.
In the video, the contractor removes the tie beam from the old exterior wall. This tie beam was very large. It was fun waiting to see it fall. It weighed several tons!
It was 2′ T x 1′ W x 40′ L with several pieces of rebar inside. That is 80 cubic feet of concrete. Google says 1 cubic foot weighs 150 pounds. If that is correct, this tie beam weighed 6 tons!
This beam was not removed in Phase 1 (Prepare) because it was load bearing. Phase 1 (Prepare) concludes with demolition. Now, in Phase 2, the contractor has moved the load point out to the new exterior block (CBS) wall. That new load point now holds the roof up, and we can finally remove this structure.
In the next video, we will do the rough plumbing under the house and pour the new concrete slabs!