Day 29: We have a SLAB

(Photo courtesy of Carlton United Breweries)

For people like me who only knows that a slab is a carton of beer or a box of 24 stubbies or cans, I have to consult my two friends - G and W (Google and Wikipedia) for the true meaning of a slab or concrete slab in building terms.

So, according to Wikipedia ...

"A concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings. Horizontal slabs of steel reinforced concrete, typically between 10 and 50 centimetres thick, are most often used to construct floors and ceilings, while thinner slabs are also used for exterior paving. In many domestic and industrial buildings a thick concrete slab, supported on foundations or directly on the subsoil, is used to construct the ground floor of a building."

For our case, we were recommended a "waffle raft slab" (or a waffle footing system) suitable to an "H" site reactivity (385mm overall depth ... 300mm boxes + 85mm slab).



Again, we have to ask G, for when I heard waffle, I was thinking of something edible and yummy.

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

But after looking at the picture of a waffle and a slab of beer, it kinda all makes sense when I have to understand when G told me what a "waffle raft slab" is ...

"The waffle raft is a concrete slab with a close grid of stiffening ribs supporting it. The slab and ribs are formed on top of the ground using a grid of polystyrene void forms which are laid out in a levelled, area, the waffle raft is ideally suited to very reactive clay sites and does not have the problems associated with stiffened raft slabs which have their beams embedded in the reactive clays."

(Source: www.ruralbuilding.com.au)

Aha! Now we know why it's called a waffle slab or waffle raft slab or waffle pod slab or ...


BTW, here's the finished product of our own waffle raft slab ...

Double garage on your left; entrance foyer in the middle; guest bedroom on your right. Temporary electrical box on the far right. Not sure if they already have put in an electrical or power pit.  Underground electrical cabling for new buildings is now the norm.

Next stop ... FRAME Stage