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<blockquote data-quote="upfrombottom" data-source="post: 736835" data-attributes="member: 13088"><p>I built houses for thirty years so I will try and give some honest advice. The biggest mistake people make is under estimating their physical ability. And when you do that, your mental ability fades soon after. Some say, I can do that and they can for an hour or two, but on a project that will take all day to do right it usually don't end on a good note. The foundation of anything is the absolute beginning, and will reflect on everything from there on up. </p><p></p><p>If you are insistent on doing it yourself, here is what I would do which is what any knowledgeable contractor would do. If I were not able to shoot the grades ( get the exact level of the foundation) find a subcontractor that will dig the basement and footings and put them on grade. Get this same guy to shoot the grades on some "batter boards" that you can pull strings from to set the forms. If you get the strings at the right height (top of the foundation) and get them square everything can be layed out from them. Supply stores, lumber yards,or concrete plants, can help you find a reputable person to do this.</p><p></p><p>A decent set of plans will show you the sizes and where the re-bar should be located. You can install the re-bar in the footings and possibly pour them yourself. They don't have to be pretty, just flat. If you can't shoot grades yourself, you can measure down from the strings on the batter boards and set some stakes in the footings( if your not a experienced finisher the closer together the better) to get the top of the concrete level. You can also plumb down from the strings to set the dowels, for the foundation walls, in the footings.</p><p></p><p>Once you get the footings in you can (using a plumb bob) plumb down from the strings to get the bottom line of the foundation walls and then you can build the forms for the basement walls. When you get the forms in, this is where I would seriously consider a professional finisher. Your local mixing plant can help you find one. It takes a great deal of labor and experience pouring foundation walls and vibrating them down so they will be uniform and free of voids. The same goes for the floor. There is alot more to finishing a concrete floor than just pouring the concrete and it can get away from you in a hurry. A professional finisher will be money well spent. The odds are stacked way against you on the finishing. And always ask for references! Any good contractor will be proud of his work and will offer many. By all means write them down and check them. It never bothered me for people to check my references as a matter of fact, it will help build trust, which makes it alot easier to work together.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="upfrombottom, post: 736835, member: 13088"] I built houses for thirty years so I will try and give some honest advice. The biggest mistake people make is under estimating their physical ability. And when you do that, your mental ability fades soon after. Some say, I can do that and they can for an hour or two, but on a project that will take all day to do right it usually don't end on a good note. The foundation of anything is the absolute beginning, and will reflect on everything from there on up. If you are insistent on doing it yourself, here is what I would do which is what any knowledgeable contractor would do. If I were not able to shoot the grades ( get the exact level of the foundation) find a subcontractor that will dig the basement and footings and put them on grade. Get this same guy to shoot the grades on some "batter boards" that you can pull strings from to set the forms. If you get the strings at the right height (top of the foundation) and get them square everything can be layed out from them. Supply stores, lumber yards,or concrete plants, can help you find a reputable person to do this. A decent set of plans will show you the sizes and where the re-bar should be located. You can install the re-bar in the footings and possibly pour them yourself. They don't have to be pretty, just flat. If you can't shoot grades yourself, you can measure down from the strings on the batter boards and set some stakes in the footings( if your not a experienced finisher the closer together the better) to get the top of the concrete level. You can also plumb down from the strings to set the dowels, for the foundation walls, in the footings. Once you get the footings in you can (using a plumb bob) plumb down from the strings to get the bottom line of the foundation walls and then you can build the forms for the basement walls. When you get the forms in, this is where I would seriously consider a professional finisher. Your local mixing plant can help you find one. It takes a great deal of labor and experience pouring foundation walls and vibrating them down so they will be uniform and free of voids. The same goes for the floor. There is alot more to finishing a concrete floor than just pouring the concrete and it can get away from you in a hurry. A professional finisher will be money well spent. The odds are stacked way against you on the finishing. And always ask for references! Any good contractor will be proud of his work and will offer many. By all means write them down and check them. It never bothered me for people to check my references as a matter of fact, it will help build trust, which makes it alot easier to work together. [/QUOTE]
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