Cement work

1. I have a cement cattle feeding platform in an 'L' shape. The water tank is near the inside corner of the 'L', and I'd like to fill in part of the corner, a triangle. How do I anchor the new to the old, or do I need to? New triangle of 'crete will be 10' or less on the sides.

2. I have a barn foundation of large rocks & old 'crete that is crumbling. Dad fixed one side years ago by putting up a form & pouring 3-4" thick along the side 3 feet high, spackling in the rest. I'd like to do that on this wall, but can't dig out the bottom - the wall meets the feeding platform. How do I anchor the new 'crete to the feeding platform/wall? (I realize this may not be the best fix, but appears the cheapest and I'd like to save the barn until I can afford real repairs. Worked well for dad for 20 years on his wall, open to other ideas...)

--->Paul

#2- I'm going to hesitate to answer this one until I know a bit more. Do you get freezing temps? Does the pad (feeding platform) have a solid base that does not shift with the ground under it from freezing/thawing? Once you tell me this, I'll give you my suggestions.

Oh, yea, we always forget a detail or 2 that's important with these questions. :)

I live in Minnesota - 4 foot frost line.

The platform & wall seem quite stable to each other, but that is the concern I have. There is lots of water around here, barn built into a hillside.... I expect the platform has a deep footing on all sides, dad liked deep foundations... So, do I need to bust out the feeding platform & start below ground, or can I just go up? I suspect your advise will just be a guess too, but I'd like to hear it. :) Hum, I guess I can dig down on the 2 ends & see for sure if there is a footing uner the platform - if the ends have it, can assume the middle does too - probably.

--->Paul

Go ahead and dig down on each end of the platform and check the footer on it. If it is below that deep frost line, I don't think you should have any problem going right on top of it with the wall.

If it is not below the frost line, I strongly suggest you saw cut the platform about 15" away from the wall and remove that part of it. This will allow you to dig down between the wall and platform and pour a solid wall alongside the existing one that will not move with the frost.

If that's what you need to do, you can make a plywood form for the wall and put the shoring above the platform level and let the plywood extend below the platform. This will allow to make one pour at the same time (the more you buy the cheaper it gets by the cubic yard). Pour the lower section of the wall to about the same level as the platform, then pour the filler piece back in the platform (this will secure the lower section of the wall form). Finish pouring the wall and then cut the plywood wall form at the top of the platform, the plywood will then act as the expansion joint between the two concrete sections.

If the platform has a solid footer, drill 1/2" holes about 4" to 5" deep in the top of the pad where the center of the wall will be located about every 16" to 18" along the length, then drive 1/2" re-bar into the holes leaving about 6" to 8" extending into the wall itself. This will prevent the wall from being able to kick out away from the existing wall on the surface of the platform.

I would also put some ties into the existing wall as well using the hole and re-bar as like where it joins with the platform.

Without seeing the application and existing structures, it's hard to make a full call on how to go about this but I hope I have been able to give you enough info to make a complete choice on your own. If you're still unsure of doing the job correctly, you may be better off getting a pro mason to do it but it sounds like you have a good handle on it from what you said in the last post.

Need anything else, feel free to holler, email me if you wish welder@epix.net