I need to level up for a footer, and concrete pad, what tool do I need ?
 

Transit? Rotary lazer level? This is not my wheelhouse, but I'm going to give it hell anyhow .

yes and yes. You could use either.

With a transit or builders level you need another person with a stick or tape measure

Need more info.

House footing? Laser or good transit.

A/C pad? 2' level.

Pour the footing loose enough, and it's self levelling. ;)

Um you don't need anything fancy or expensive..

And if you need to turn corners... simple math and trig....

https://www.johnsonlevel.com/News/LineLevels

some 3 4 5 maths... and hey you can build pyramids!

The old way was to dig a sealed trench and measure up from water.

Make a water level? Bucket and a length of clear hose. And a tape measure of course.

This. Unless you have a laser level to make life a little simpler.

get it close enough, fill it with rebar and let the concrete find it's level.

make sure the j bolts are high enough.

just a pad ? why level water will pond slope to drain away

if for something that needs level string level should work at mini cost

Don’t over water the concrete mix. The higher the water:cement ratio, the weaker the final product. That why high strength mixes has water reduction agents to give you a workable mix and a strong final product.

I use a rotary laser level. First shoot the road, then shoot the lot, then determine where I want the foundation. Hopefully the two readings allow me to have the floor of the building above the road. If you were closer I'd pop by and do a few readings for ya!

+1
What are you actually doing?

A cheap builders level will work. A laser level is overkill, but doing it by yourself, it’s handy.

For quick work, I use this. It’s a handheld level.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590447461.jpg

I rented a transit, tripod and stick for a day from a tool rental location. I think it might have been $25. Well worth the money to do the job right.

FRED, if you need one of these, i'll mail you one.

in my opinion they are are just okay. i just used one an hour or so ago, and i got anywhere from 24-30 inches elevation between two spots 25 feet apart. good enough for government work, but not for what you want.

i'm better with a string line and a 4 foot level, but it requires a friend. that isnt a knucklehead.

A hundred years ago, I was using a transit to set elevations of sole plates for a large brown boveri steam turbine-generator.
The tolerance was +- .005" which is about as good as I could hit it with that tool. I used a 12" starrett 98 level to nail the actual level once I got the elevation dialed in.

The pipe fitter foreman asked if I could shoot in the elevation on a pipe support next to the foundation.
I said sure, and checked his print for the elevation and did the basic maths. But it didn't list the tolerance. So I says to him, how close does it have to be?
He said it has to be dead nutz, within a quarter inch. ;)

I'm, sorry what were we talking about again?

Thanks for the replies, and offers guys, I am building a 20x40 quonset hut garage at my house . Im going to try to do it all myself . Dig , form, and pour the footer, pour the pads, and erect the building Im thinking about doing the floor in 4 smaller pours .
I did some smaller pads this spring to get a feel for how much concrete I think I could handle single handed.
I have string and a 4 foot level, but a friend who is not a knucklehead, could be a tough one . Im using my 14 year old for cheap labor .

You know the saying - you get what you pay for! :)

So you are doing basically a two wall foundation for a quonset hut? Pouring the footer and the wall at once? No forming above ground level? What?

I'm not familiar with code quonset hut construction. Do you pour a footer and build up/pour a wall to above ground level and bolt your quonset structure to it, or just pour a footer, bold the structure to it, and back fill over the steel?

Apologies for the knucklehead comment. I have a coworker that will pull the end of the tape measure out Leaving me with the end to read the length. I can ask him, “well what do you have?’” He will without fail look down at the tape measure in his hands and ponder it.

When measuring something, we always say do you want the smart end or the dumb end.

The biggest problem with quonset huts seems to be making the metal to concrete joint water tight.

Dont rely on silicon sealant (I wouldn't use it at all). Instead, look into roofing or window flashing materials and sealants.
I would squish something like butyl flashing in between as a gasket.

I live in snow country. If you do too I'd also do the same where the wall meets the sill plate

Consider the phrase stolen. :)

And if you are holding the dumb end, pull the end a few inches past the point and watch the games begin....SmileWavy

Lookup monolithic foundation. Then get a few friends that like to drink when the job is done and have at it!

Make sure there is a a water drainage slope to it. Somewhere to a side area or a pit.
Always a sloped drain for that ice in the middle of winter.
If there are chemicals and grease involved, you will want to install an "easy to clean" grease trap/more and not poison the neighbor's ground water or your own family.
You could spray off those really nasty vehicles first quickly and be able to work on clean material.

Before any big pour you might consider some sort of in-floor heating. Maybe electric and/or antifreeze lines powered by solar panels+.

Also a few sloped PVC conduits with capped up-spouts located a foot away from the foundation.
Good for power washer water hose, air hose, more electric lines for night lighting, or additional communication lines.

Fred, a string level is notoriously inaccurate. The longer the string is, the more it bows, and the level will tilt if it isn't exactly in the middle of the string. I prefer a self leveling lazer, which can be had for less than 100 bucks. It works like a rotary, but you have to position the beam by hand.

If you use a string level, just put it in the middle of the string, and follow up with a 4 foot level on the deck to verify you aren't way off. Decks don't have to be perfectly level to build off of, as long as they are flat.

okay FASTfred. you're pouring a big pad. i get it.

i think you can do it with your 4-foot level and a long ass straight edge. you are gonna have to form up the pad anyways. you wont pour 20x40 in one big pad. you are limited by the length of your screed. say it is a 12 footer. you would set intermediate forms (batter boards?) at 10 feet that way your screed has a board it can ride on. these boards are what need to be level. get those perfect with a good long straight edge, (we have aluminum ones in the office) with your regular bubble level on it, and pour it in 10 foot wide sections. then you pull the intermediate batter boards and level off the seam.

boom!

you are not doing it solo by the way. pulling a screed needs a few people. one guy with a shovel dumping extra mud in the dips, and two guys pulling the screed. minimum.

i seen guys pour 7 lane wide bridge decks. it is an event and a half. huge teams of laborers. awesome one. one day, i am gonna kidnap a group of them and make them do my driveway. :)

Yes, I was going to do the pad in 4 pours, as I think 10 x20 is just about as much as I can handle in one shot. . I will have my son, and a helper for the pours .
I was going to do the footers, erect the building, then pour the pads . I have to be able to work around Pa weather, and reality is, that Ill be lucky be done by fall, most likely , Ill still be doing concrete in the spring .
I am going to need about 4 guys to stand up the first few arches. I honestly , believe that I can do the rest from there solo or with my sons help
Good thing is, I declined on that house that I looked at, so my free time is still wide open .
Thanks for all the advice . I think I am going to grab up a lazer level anyhow, cool tool to add to the stash ...
Tell me if I am wrong though. I am assuming , I should have the floor of the ditches as level as possible before I start dumping stone in , correct?
This one is all you tube universtiy , and Ill probably ask lots of questions here .
And Vash, you are all good . One of the coolest guys on the forums . I don't think you've ever offended anyone here . I took zero offense to the knucklehead comment. It was funny
Really appreciate the advice . I am going to try and obtain a permit in the next few weeks, and its game on .

Have you tried to get a price for a crew just to place the concrete for the pad? Do the footings and forms yourself, level and put in vapour barrier and rebar+heating tubes( if using) Slugging concrete is hard work, and you will prob need to rent a power trowel. Labour is expensive out here and I think they charged me about $1k ($600us) for about the same surface area. You will probably get hit with a fee for less than full truckload, (check that) do that four times and will pay for part of the crew.

Fred,
You can rent a rotary laser for your job. Just get it and the MINI Excavator at the same time. I have a friend in Mt Pleasant PA that I could talk to about making you a deal on the rental of the mini!

Thank you for the offer. I have a big old MF backhoe, Actually 2 of them. And an operator to go with it ! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590782919.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590782930.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590782939.jpg

Its one of the best tools I have ever purchased. I have done so much work with it over the years. Probably saved me twice its cost in equipment rentals

What kind of finish are you looking for on the floor?

If looking for anything close to smooth you better have at least one guy that can finish concrete. This was the crew that placed and finished my workshop slab.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590784056.jpg

I was actually planning on purchasing a power trowel . I see them used all the time for around 500.00
I was kind of surprised how well the few pads I hand troweled turned out. I think I could pull off a decent job by hand if wanted to , but man, that is a lot of work when you are talking about that much area .

NICE! Teach em' right on the old 4 handle stuff! That's what I learned on too. SmileWavy