Our First Basement Flood

On Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, it rained causing the first basement (and hopefully the last ever!) flood in the basement.

AND, I discovered another reason why basement floors are poured AFTER the entire house is closed in.

Here is the story! After a long day framing, and a beautiful day weather wise, I procrastinated in putting the tarp back over the floor and to cover the hole for the stairwell. My fault - but tired and with supper cooking on the BBQ, I took a chance...

Of course it rained. And it rained very hard, not once but twice.

The result was about 3 inches of water in the middle portion of the basement.

The problem is that although the plumbing has been put in the floor, all the drain pipes are sticking out of the concrete and above the level of the water, waiting to be cut and be glued to a drain. Even if the drains were in the sewage basin doesn't yet have a pump.

I pushed the water our of the basement and out the space where the patio door is to go with a makeshift squeegee. An hour later the floor was dry - but I had wasted time that could have been devoted to framing.

A lesson learned for the next time... ;-)

Houston, We have a Concrete basement Floor...

When I arrived on This past Friday I was pleased to see that the contractor have poured the concrete basement floor.

The basement floor is usually poured well after the roof is on and the building closed in. This is so the concrete is not rained on or otherwise compromised by materials destroying the nice finish the concrete contractor puts on the floor.

It was kind of a nice feeling having the basement floor in - sort of a milestone of sorts... I could imagine what was to be built in the basement - two bedrooms, a workshop, bathroom and a laundry room, plus another living room area.

The floor is given a nice smooth finish and the concrete sloped, ever so gradually towards the drains that I install earlier. There are two drains. Can you determine where they are in the above picture? A clue -- there are a few water marks that give it away.

In a previous post (see "How to Make Sh#t Flow up Hill"") I described the process of putting in the plumbing under the basement floor. In the above and next two pictures you can see the almost finished product.

The first picture at the left shows, starting in the foreground, the water intake from the lake (with the wires taped to it), the sewage basin, the shower drain and the toilet waste pipe.

Of course these fixtures are not yet finished in that they need to be connected. each will have a specific adapter glued to it. For instance the toilet waste pipe will have something called a closet flange.

In the picture to the left, you see, from left to right, one of two floor drains and the wastes and vent pipe that will be used to drain the laundry tub and the washer.

The pictures don't quite do it justice but the floors are really smooth!

Bringing Water to the Cottage

I have chosen to pump my water up from the Lake. The water in the lake is quite good and I already had installed a temporary pumping system.

I am using a submersible pump - so it is sitting at the bottom of the lake about 20 feet off the shore line. The supply line runs up the hill to the cottage. The height, or head as it is called in pumping lingo, is about 70 feet. The cable tied to the supply line is the power for the pump.

To protect the combination of water supply pipe and the power wires the entire length of the pipe from the lake to the entry point at the cottage is encased in 4" plastic weeping tile pipe (the stuff with no holes in it).

The supply pipe and the power line enter a 4" sleeve that was put in pace before the foundation was back filled. The sleeve enters the basement through the footing. We of course threaded the supply pipe and wire through the sleeve after the foundation was poured. This was a tough feat requiring all the strength of my son and I to pull the pipe/wire combination through the sleeve after fishing a pull line from inside the basement.

This is a picture of the supply line entering the basement through the sleeve in the footing. We had not yet pulled though the entire length required hence the wires are not visible yet. Once the package was though I cut the supply line and clamped on a 90 degree elbow and pipe extension. The exit point on the basement side of the footing was further protected by more tile pipe and the whole area supported and buried in crushed stone.

The combination of water supply pipe and power wires encased in the 4" tile pipe runs on the ground beside the stair from the top to the lake. The tile pipe was threaded over the supply pipe and wires. This turned out to be more difficult than expected. One of the obstacles to slipping the tile pipe over the supply line was the cable ties holding the wires tot he supply line.

The solution was to slip the tile pipe on in sections of 20 - 30 feet, and using tile connectors at each joint.

How to make Sh#t Flow Up Hill!

Yes it can be done!
You can indeed make the ugly stuff of toilets, showers and sinks flow up hill.

The problem is that the basement of the Cottage is below the septic system. This is a problem because I intend to build a bathroom down in the basement, complete with a toilet, shower and sink. Furthermore, the laundry room will be in the basement. I think we all realize that our modern sanitation systems make heavy use of Newton's discover of gravity to take our waste away. (BTW - that is the hole in the concrete wall that will eventually lead tot he septic tank.)

The problem is solved by burying a sewage basin under the concrete floor of the basement, into which all the sources of water, both black and grey water, in the basement are piped to. A special macerating pump is installed in the sewage basin which pumps the evil mixture up into the sewage pipe leading to the septic tank.

6 Steps to making Sh#t flow up hill:

STEP 1: Plan
You need to know exactly where your bathroom fixtures are going to be right down to the center of the holes (where the pipes go) for the toilet (usually about 16 inches from the side and 12 inches from the back), and the shower (this one is trick because every manufacturer does it differently - so pick out your shower and get its dimensions ahead of time.

STEP 2: Dig
...and I mean lots of digging!
After planning out the rough locations of the toilet, the shower (or bathtub), and where the other fixtures go, like the laundry tub, the washing machine, you will need to dig a trench for all the waste (sewer) lines and in the case of the sewage basin what seems to be a gigantic HOLE. The picture to the right shows the sewage basin and that hole, as well as the trench to the toilet.

Step 3: layout and Dry fit
It is very important that you get all the angles and lengths of pipe right before you glue all the pipes together. I found it important to lay it all out, fitting all the pipes together, and making sure it is all level and plumb. There is one rule! the pipes must all flow down hill at a grade of at least one quarter inch per foot of length. Sh#t really does only flow down hill after all...

These two pictures illustrate a few stages in Step 3 and 4.

Step 4: Level and Support
OK! I am going to tell you to do something again... Now that it is all together in a dry fit configuration, you need to keep for level and that quarter inch flow rule. THEN move the soil under the pipes to support the structure in the exact position it needs to be.

I found that the dry fit isn't as easy as it seems. When the pipes are dry (that means NOT glued), they don't really go all the way into their sockets, so this part is a bit of an art. You have to estimate the lengths.

Step 5: Gluing, and Final Leveling
Gluing is kind of neat. You put the glue on both parts: the pipe and the connector it is going into. Then move REALLY fast, because the glue sets very quickly. I quick back and forth twisting action makes the pipes go to get together really well.

TIP 1: Be sure to mark the place of each joint with a big long line on both parts so you know where and how they are to join. Also make sure mark goes beyond the area where the glue is going or you will loose the mark as it disappears into the connector.

TIP 2: Every structure is different but I found that creating logical assemblies and them putting the assemblies together really helped

Step 6: Bury your work.
Painful as it may be to bury your work of art you need to cover the whole works to maintain the level, stabilize it and to protect it from the weight of the concrete. And yes! Be sure to make sure all that burying hasn't put the structure our of level - so check constantly!

The next two pictures illustrate the finished structure with the crushed stone supporting and covering most of the pipes.

The first picture shows, in order from the front to the back, the pipes sticking up for the following: a floor drain, the waste and vent stack for the laundry room, another floor drain, the sewage basin which will eventually also have coming out from its top a vent stack, and the pipe to pump the water up to the septic tank line, the shower pipe and finally the toilet.

The second picture gives a closer view, going left to right, of the top of the sewage basin, the shower pipe, and the toilet pipe.

NEXT POST: I have so much to tell you I don't know what will be next - only to say there will be lots of next...

5 Criteria for Sizing a Septic System

A prerequisite to getting a building permit is a septic systems study and report undertaken by an engineer (see "The Septic System Report" - April 30).

Well Peter MacIntosh, the engineer that conducted the study provided a report about two weeks ago. Turns out that I have the perfect location for a septic system - enough area and the right soil.

The report covers the following considerations:

1. Size of the Cottage
The size of the required septic system is directly related to the size of the Cottage. More precisely is the number of people regularly using the cottage, hence, the volume of waste generated. The engineer uses the number of bedrooms as a proxy for the number of people. In our case we will have three bedrooms which is a proxy for four to six people on a regular basis.

This is a save number given the cottage will mostly be used on weekends and primarily three months of the year. Thus the weekends that boost the number beyond six - those when the whole (extended) family is there for a get together, sons, grandchildren, cousins and their friends - averages out with the weeks there is no one at the Cottage.

2. Topography of the site
It is important that there be a reasonably level area the right size for the septic tank and the seepage bed. While there are system designs for a slope, they start to be a bit more pricey. It is also better that the location of the septic system be a bit lower than the cottage.

3. Soil & Percolation
The type of soil that the seepage bed will be placed in is very important. The fluids coming out of the of the septic tank need a place to go and disperse. So it is important the that soil have a high percolation rate - that is the rate at which water flows through the soil. Certain kinds of soil are great and others are verybad for septic systems. Other than solid rock, clay soils are the worst - water just pools and doesn't drain away very well. Sand is the holy grail. We are fortunate as the soil up at the lot is a gravely sand. The engineer indicates that the percolation rate for this type of soil is less that 4 min/cm and considered to be very permeable.

4. Water supply
The septic system must be positioned as to not foul your source of drinking water. I intend to draw my water from the lake which is more than 75 feet from the septic system. In the future I may consider a well. The engineer indicated the best place for the well. Any source of water must be at least 50 feet from the seepage bed.

5. Choice of System
The choice of system is determined by the engineer from the above requirements. Our system is a 850G NQ approved prefabricated concrete septic tank and a modified seepage bed utilizing a new higher efficiency infiltration chamber system. This system allows for a seepage bed that is up to 30% smaller that the classic tile and stone system. I will describe this new system in a future post.

Bottomline is that with the septic engineering report I was able to secure the building permit. In fact I had the permit the next day.

Coming up in the next few posts:\

• Getting the building permit
• Investigating the infiltration chamber system

The Septic Engineering Report

The third reason I was up at the Cottage Lot this Past weekend was to meet with the engineer who will be providing the engineering report for the septic system that I require to get the building permit.

Background: The province (Quebec) put in new legislation about a year or two ago requiring a formal engineering report to establish the requirements for a septic system in order to get a building permit. I know this to be a change because four years ago in my previous but aborted attempt to build the cottage I was able to get the permit without the engineering report. The engineering report specifies what kind of septic system, size and allowed location - this is all based on the expected use of the cottage to be built - generally determined by the number of bedrooms (a proxy for the number of people using the cottage).

Peter Macintosh, the engineer, arrived about five minutes after Doug Zacharias, the foundation contractor (see previous post), so it took some juggling. After another round of introductions and chatting among the three of us, I first dealt with Doug and them Peter.

Peter's adult son came to assist him. So as Doug and I were discussing the foundation quote, the two set out to do their measurements.

Fortunately all the lot markers are visible, and had marked out approximately where the cottage was to go, so Peter was able to quickly assess the location.

I was surprised but very pleased that Peter determined that there is enough space for a complete septic system, tank and bed. He also indicated the best location for the well if I choose to put one in (I currently draw water from the lake).

In about half an hour Peter and team were done. He indicated the report would be completed next week (this week) and he would send a copy to Rick, the building inspector in Otter Lake.

The bottom-line:

• A full septic system can be installed
• The report will be done in five days or less
• I should be able to get the building permit during the week of May 6th. Previously the building inspector stated that he can issue the permit one day after receiving the engineering report

So the reality of my dream cottage is happening! I sometimes have to pinch myself...

NEXT: I discuss a neat way to store the furniture that is eventually destined for the cottage.

And the Foundation Contract goes to...

Another reason I was up to the Cottage Lot this past week end was to meet with one of the two contractors I asked for a quote to build the foundation.

In the request for quote each were asked to bid on the following:

• Excavate
  
• Install forms & pour concrete footings and walls per the supplier plans
• Install drainage tile
  
• Install water entrance sleeve (so I can bring in the water line from the lake)
• Install and pour 16 piers for the surround deck
• Pour the basement floor
• Backfill with stone and overburden as required

I met Saturday with Doug Zacharias. He has a company called Doug Zacharias Trucking Ltd and operates out of Otter Lake. I have used Doug previously to clear the lot and put in a driveway from the road. He also installs septic systems but I haven't contracted for that yet as I am waiting for the septic engineer's report.

Doug arrived around noon, and after a chat we got down to discussing the location of the cottage. Doug had some good suggests and recommendations on where the cottage should be placed. The changes were not dramatic if fact his suggest was to pull it away from the lake and towards the road about 15 feet. In doing so the lakeside knee-wall would not need to be as deep and/or high thus saving a lot of concrete.

We discussed the distance of the cottage from the east lot line, about 12 feet, and the potential location for the septic system. As for the septic system, that still needed to be confirmed by the engineer's report, however, having done a few I was sure Doug was right on in his prediction.

One final element was the window in the concrete wall. Doug offered to put these in at an additional $200. I liked the idea - one less thing for me to do - and it is better to embed them at pouring time anyway.

Bottom-line was the quoted price was good, and my past experience with Doug cemented (sorry for the pun) the deal.

To round out some of the logistics we discussed:

• Basement Floor: When I needed to put in the rough plumbing for the basement. This needs to be done prior to pouring the basement floor. His primary concern was that it be done when the cottage was built so the concrete is not affected by any rain and wreak the 'polished' floor. I suggested that right after the floor was put it would work as I intended to cover the floor with a tarp AND that the cutout in the floor for the stairwell would be perfect for access to the basement.
• Timing: I need the foundation to be completed before June 6th, excluding the basement floor. Doug agreed that target would be easily reached.
• Payment: This is still I'll get back to you on, as I suspect he needs to discuss it with his subs. But the last time it was pay at the end of the job. Give the size of the amount I would be prepared to pay in two installments, one up front and one after the job is complete.

So the first phase of the project, planning, is coming to an end, and execution is starting with the foundation going in by the end of May.

Doug can be reached at (819) ) 453-7830 or by eMail.

Finding a Backhoe, is becoming a problem...

The plan is to do as much of the construction as possible to keep the out of pocket cost for labour as low as possible. I am fortunate to have three strapping adult sons, two of which have significant experience in construction.

My eldest in fact is a heavy equipment operator. So I thought I had the perfect solution for excavating for the foundation and the septic system. However, I am encountering some obstacles.

1. All equipment like backhoes must have a vehicle license and plate in Quebec - so I can't bring one from Ottawa, Ontario
   
2. The distance from Ottawa to Otter Lake (where the cottage lot is) is about 125 km
3. I can't find a local backhoe that doesn't come with an operator (hence labour cost)

So it looks like bringing a backhoe up from Ottawa is not going to happen, and getting a local backhoe without and operator is looking to be difficult. I can get a backhoe (sans operator) in Hull, Quebec and have it delivered but the cost of renting the backhoe and the transportation to get it up to the lot is turning out to be more than the cost to get a local backhoe and operator.

So it looks like if I wish to keep close to the budget then I will likely have to use a local backhoe and operator.

Stay tuned I am still investigating.
;-)

Is the snow going to end?

I am in the planning stages! The preliminary schedule is based on breaking ground on May 10th. However, with over 350 cm of snow on the ground and as much as 40 cm more to come this weekend, I am beginning to be concerned that the start date may be in jeopardy.

The reason is there are some critical requirements. The key one is getting the building permit... and that is dependent on getting an engineering report for the type and placement of the septic system. Each of these steps requires time... anywhere from two to 4 weeks for each. Working back from May 10th, let's assume best case for each... say 2 weeks for each. Then that means the engineer needs to survey the cottage lot the first week of April.

It gets ugly... With near 400 cm of snow so far (to March 9th) - right now there is well over four feet of snow on the ground up at the cottage lot, is that snow going to disappear? ...and the ground frost be out by the first week of April?

If I was a betting man... I would say not!