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Peter L.

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This is part 3 of an on-going series. For part one click here. For part two click here.
So, in the last series I went through prepping the floor for a concrete delivery. Just to catch you up, this is how it looked:
hbt-brewbarn-1036.jpg

The guy from the concrete company came over and had a look at the room. He also brought a laser leveler which is a really useful tool for getting a straight floor.
The funniest part of that story is that after going on somewhat of a tirade about how uneven the floor was, turns out that his uncle delivered the original concrete back in 1970.
Anyway, it turned out that the floor was even more uneven than I thought originally, so I carted down about 30 more wheelbarrows of sand to raise some of the lower areas. The layer of concrete varies between about 6 inches and 2 inches, which gives you an idea of how uneven it was.
Since the room is pretty big, I decided to slope it in two different ways. The area where I'm going to do most of my brewing and cleaning is sloped towards the drain, and the area near the door has a slight slope towards the door. This makes the room easy to clean as the floor and walls can be hosed down.
hbt-brewbarn-2-1037.jpg

Some of the readers of the previous articles commented on the state of the floor, and just to give you an idea of how high the concrete had to come to make it level, I thought I'd add this.
hbt-brewbarn-3-1038.jpg

That's a piece of 2x6.
After the floor was put in, I watered it (with some help from my family) about twice a day for 3 days. This is to keep the concrete from drying too quickly and cracking.
I combined the watering with having a few brew days where me and my brother did an IPA, an amber ale, a saison and a 90 IBU IPA.
Putting up the wall
As some of you may know from the forum thread where I posted a rough sketch of how I wanted the room, the divider wall was supposed to have a couple of corners. However, I decided to build it straight across the room. Because it's easier, and it would make it easier to add a walk-in cooler at a later date. It also makes it possible to change the door from roughly 5.5 feet to a full 6.5.
As I now have some space not included in the brew room, I may add a bar or fermentation chamber, but I'm haven't decided what would be the best choice.
I'm not entirely up to date on my English carpentry terminology so if you have any questions ask and I'll try to explain.
I used 2x3 for the framing and 8mm x 90mm expansion nails to attach the bottom board to the concrete. I went with treated water-resistant pine for the bottom since it's the most likely to be exposed to water. I also used some foundation "paper" underneath it to make sure that it's as water resistant as possible.
hbt-brewbarn-4-1039.jpg

I used regular pine for the rest, as it's cheaper and if water ends up above the 3 inches covered by the foundation paper, I have bigger problems anyway.
I mounted the "stands" (the pillars between the bottom and top) with 23.5 inch spacing using wood screws, I tried using deck screws but they kept bending on me. A tip here, is to cut a piece of 2x4 to the exact length you need between each pillar, so that you are sure to get the right distance between them.
hbt-brewbarn-5-1040.jpg

Note to self 3: The benefits of a battery operated drill are outdone by the fact that it's always out of battery when you need it not to be out of battery.
We also got the water hooked up, and a temporary drain put in so that I no longer have to get water from the garden hose during my brew days.
Before:
hbt-brewbarn-6-1041.jpg

After:
hbt-brewbarn-7-1042.jpg

The next article will cover finishing the wall and installing the electrical outlets.
If you have a project you've been working on, be it a brew room, a new beer, a new technique we want to know about it! Contact TxBrew for more details.
hbt-brewbarn-7-1042.jpg
 
ok, so here's a stupid question. how do you "slope" a concrete floor? it seems to me if you make one side higher that the concrete would slowly just move down to the lower side and self level? or is concrete to thick to do that.
 
you wont be getting inspected for this, but for it to pass code you would have needed to space the studs either 12" or 16". most items that would be mount on or in a wall are already spaced for this distance.
here is a nice little picture for your terminology :p
https://www.creativehomeowner.com/Images/chwal104fig1.gif
it looks really nice though! I wish I had the space to do something like that.
 
@itsratso
Its thick like pudding, you can angle it, within reason, to just about any slope you like. plus it sets up pretty quick. depending on the additives as quickly as 1/2 hour.
 
Actually some locals allow 24" on center. They call it advanced framing it is used so that you get a greater insulation to wood ratio and save wood.
One thing is I would have done the rough plumbing and electrical work before putting the drywall up.
 
Looking great! Nice finish on the slab.
@itsratso
Concrete is derived of three main components: Aggregate, water, and cementitious material. Being that concrete is mostly aggregate (rocks) it doesn't tend to settle out like a fluid might. Also as Minbari said depending on the additives it can set up (harden) rather quickly. It is possible to make concrete more fluid by adding water or additives.
 
@Minbari
I'm not American and here the code is 60cm (22.8 inches) from the middle of one trimmer stud to the middle of the next trimmer stud. If you space it differently your insulation, boards etc won't fit.
Thanks for that picture, explaining what do you in a field you're not entirely comfortable in is challenging at times.
 
@Minbari, I was a general contractor in California for years, and I've never heard of a code requirement that studs be placed 12" or 16" on center. For most one or two story houses, studs 24" on center will provide plenty of strength - and strength is what building codes require, not convenience.
That said, I do generally space studs 16" on center, simply because drywall and most plywood sheathing here comes in 4'x8' sheets. Dividing 48" into three bays instead of two means you don't have to throw away pieces that wind up just a little short of 24".... it also gives you more studs to fasten things like switches, electrical outlets and cabinets to.
Add: it also gives a little extra wood, to help your structural integrity survive attacks by plumbers and electricians with drills and Sawzalls... :)
 
Yeah, 16" centers are very common around here as well. It's just the way we've always done it. Coming along nicely though!
 
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