We've NEVER Done THIS Before... Concrete Tube Forms & Piers

[@ninabooker2904]

Sam, you probably already know this but the fact that Angela is not only okay with the occasional tool purchase but the instigator of said purchase. Is just ONE of the many reasons why she is a very special wife. Seriously, though you guys have come a long way since moving to Tennessee. I’m proud of y’all.

[@samday9328]

Here's a tip for you Sam. When you have filled a tube with concrete, take any electric power tool that vibrates and place it against the side of the tube (whilst it is turned in - obviously) and that way you vibrate the concrete and get air out of it and the water floats to the top. I really enjoy your videos - carry on carrying in!

[@Hagar2670]

Set your brackets for the posts, then adjust the length of the posts... problem solved. Great work you guys.

[@sharonromer6606]

I think Doug and Ashley need to get one of these👍

[@crinkle2649]

The boys were doing "Work Experience" and a construction class at Vocational School. 🙂 they should get home school credit for it.

[@DevaultFamilyLiving]

A concreate vibrator would have been ideal, but in the future you can take a Sawzall without a blade in it and hold it up against the sonotube and vibrate it that way. Go around the whole tube while pulling the trigger on the Sawzall, holding the pivot against the tube. Not quite as good as a concreate vibrator, but is works pretty decent.

[@jcyran]

I must have missed that you passed 100K on this channel. Congrats!

[@colleenscottcarmello5103]

** The fan idea works pretty good.. I can see the dust blowing away in a hot second. I agree with you, that concrete dust hardens once moistened, and our lungs are moist, so do the math as you say.. Stay healthy guys, Super idea with the fan! (was that Angela's idea hahaha.. kidding lol) You guys really work hard for your family.. You are building and amazing homestead and life for your family. We learn right along with you.. My favorite is you always give your children opportunity to help and learn. That is priceless, just priceless ❤❤❤

[@garyhunter6030]

If you use concrete brackets to attach your post to the concrete pillars, you can use steel washer to level the the brackets.

[@steveferguson1232]

When you go to install post brackets into concrete, they make an adjustable bracket just for this situation

[@stevenhicks-pl8nq]

If you’re using post. Cut the post to correct height adjust for variables. If you’re putting down frame use shims. Do not skim coat the integrity will not be there with a skim coat. Keep up the good work.

[@michaelhuffer9966]

Good to see that everyone was working together, kids and all 😊😊😊😊

[@barryedwards1336]

Sam & Angela I think you got this right in the end except for not leaving the concrete a little proud in the tubes, it may have left you with your level right, maybe not, but realy that does not matter, I would not add a skim coat to level it, most likely it will probably crack and become loose and cause you more trouble and problems than its worth, just shim to get your levels back.

[@pawsnazzy01]

Another use of the mixer is you can mix compost and potting soil, and Peat Moss, Vermiculite, and Worm Organics together for some killer soil for the green house or raised beds.

[@sam-and-angela]

So creative! We would not have thought of that one.

[@LLjean-qz7sb]

Also, some people who have animals blend their own feed, and mix it in a clean cement mixer, bought specifically for non-concrete jobs! Also mix grass seed with fertilizer for even spreadability! Just some thoughts! God Bless!

[@danielheartsill4269]

My wife and I learned many years ago that any time you buy a tool it pays for itself the first time you use it. Compare the tool price to having to pay for a concrete truck delivery and you are ahead there. Also you have the tool for the next project.

[@sam-and-angela]

Great point!

[@sbkhider]

I just love seeing how your family works together on these projects! Elijah is such a wonderful helper! Great things come to those willing to do the work! Great ethics you are teaching those ferrel children of yours 😂. Great job and I look forward to the next part of this series!

[@MDPrice-el3uz]

The Wasp that your boys found is called a Cicada Killer .. sometimes mistaken for Sand Wasp. Love you all channel , always look forward to next episodes. Keep up the great work

[@meanqkie2240]

I love the way mama looks at papa! That’s the way a relationship should be! God bless!

[@user-Richie23sis]

That was a Big hornet!! Be careful,they are very powerful!! I Love watching you & Angela. I've been with you since the beginning.

[@everettvancampen3315]

You can shot grade on each column find the lowest and call it zero. Then cut each post to the proper height. Do not skin coat!

[@2MorMor]

LOVE the outside fan! and the common sense to take a siesta. use a "funnel" to pour into piers

[@laurencarleton236]

It'll be interesting to see how this all comes together. And while this was a lot of work, I just keep remembering when you were having to dig a trench from the street to the house! THAT was a crazy lot of work! You guys just keep going and tackle so much. It's inspiring.

[@sam-and-angela]

Gaaaa!!! Those memories!! LOL This was so much better than that! :)

[@mrs.c9174]

Ha! Nothing will be as bad as that trench!

[@paulinesmith61]

Hi Sam and Angela, the cement mixer was a great idea. I’m sure it will be useful for more projects on the homestead. 😊

[@sam-and-angela]

We think so too... Angela has already come up with a use for the left over concrete. :)

[@darrylmcleman6456]

I flipped out of my chair when you mentioned mixing in the wheelbarrow! I put a mobile home on cement foundation 12 ft at a time paycheck to paycheck without a power mixer.Mixing in the barrow is great for the abs.I was not going to bring it up till I heard you say you were going to do it without the machine.The machine does save on the blistered hands! CHEERS fron Westcoast Canada! P.S.We can see when you spill the mix into the wheelbarrow that your mix has a good slump!

[@bradykincaid9095]

I agree with Everett. That's your best bet. I helped put up high-rises in Myrtle and North Myrtle Beach for years. The way that they did it was to over pour and come back with jack hammers and cut them back. Good luck 👍🇺🇸👍 GBA

[@samd.2207]

That ‘biggest wasp he’d ever seen’ was a cicada killer

[@donnap587]

Dang, I remember when you were needing money to move to Tennessee and now look at you, you’ve come a long way.

[@memecats5698]

I think you did a great job and that’s a lot, a lot of cement. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🖖🏼🖖🏼🖖🏼

[@katherineking1361]

You two did great! I think for the amount of posts you installed, it was Wise to get the mixer. Doing by hand in a wheelbarrow is hard enough for just a few posts. It's looking good so far and your boy is learning so much. He seems to be a big help. 😊😊😊😊 PS. The decking around your pool looks great....your giving me some new ideas for ours...lol

[@leslietinyhousebuilderwann3851]

I agree with the peeps about not skimming the tops of the low posts. It’s easier to fix with the length of the studs.

[@armidaperez5360]

Sam your getting down to business now...more projects ahead with cement I'm guessing. It's exciting to see how much you guys have accomplished through the years.

[@jasoneckhart1997]

If you're doing post and beam I wouldn't worry about the shrunken piers just cut your posts so that they are level at the top. Other wise I'd just use shims, or plates.

[@hollyhasegawa6095]

Oh goodness Sam that cement mixer is really great at mixing cement rather than mixing it in the wheelbarrow. I also loved that Elijah is so good at helping and so sorry that when the concrete dried it shrunk in those tubes, that seems to happen when we are just not sure if it will do that or not. I am excited to see this structure finally get there to house things and keep them safe. I sure always have fun watching all of the videos that you post, and thanks for sharing. I wish you all a beautiful and blessed day, sending love and hugs, bye! 😂😍🤗😻👋🙏👍💜💜

[@masunshine2970]

I always love watching yous family because your not afraid to do something even if you haven't done it before and you show people even if it doesn't work to help everybody else. I am very proud of you guys for trying hard and working hard. I call you true homesteaders. Congratulations.

[@masunshine2970]

If my typing is messed up I had a stroke and an recovering. Sometimes I spell things wrong.

[@ChristianandFamily]

When using sono tube forms, after pouring in the concrete take your trowel and firmly, but lightly tap up and down the tube and around it. That will help the cement settle in the tube and reduce air bubbles in the concrete. Although if you have a concrete vibrator even better.

[@kristineolver3268]

I thought this through the whole video but knew it was too late to tell them that. Lol

[@sam-and-angela]

Adding that to our "learn list" for the next time. :) Thanks!

[@MrDmorgan52]

​@@sam-and-angelaa Sawzall without the blade makes a great concrete vibrator . Just push the nose up against the form and pull the trigger

[@cheesegrits196]

Sawzall works great for this!

[@jljohnson9438]

I think your wasp was a Cicada Killer wasp. I have had several of those burrowing around my house in NW Illinois for the past several summers. They are huge and sting a cicada and then carry it down a pre-excavated hole where they bury it with their eggs which feed on the cicada carcass.

[@bigtom1948]

No to the skim coat just use the leveling brackets you would need to keep wood directly off the piers anyways.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

Hope the brackets are xlint-quality zinc coated, etc. That's wonderful to have the broad eaves (and easy gutters in wet climates).

[@e3672222]

Great job guys! Find which ever tube is lowest. That becomes zero, trim down the others. Skim coating WILL fil

[@mattsara2802]

Wow three bags in that thing 😮. I would have guessed 2 at most. That’s awesome

[@wendyburston3132]

I posted a comment but it appeared under someone else's. So I'll just say it again although a little differently. Great job Sam and Angela. You have raised Elijah to be a confident young man who recognizes his limitations and is secure enough in your family to admit it.

[@papsmear666]

Ive been watching since u moved ur house to this property...Youre family is great ! Thanks for sharing.

[@sam-and-angela]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@kathyhennigan7807]

This building will be such a great addition for you to keep your equipment/vehicles out of the weather. You always tackle everything with such a great attitude. It is fun to watch your homestead grow and improve.😀

[@sallymoffit3751]

I am never going to mix concrete but you look like you know what you are doing. Well done.

[@caesar1295]

Sam if you ever pour concrete in a tub or a form take a Sawzall or a Jigsaw leave the blade out and use either one as a concrete vibrator against the side of the tubes or forms and all the air pockets will vibrate to to the top works great just use the variable speed of the Sawzall or Jig saw slowly until you get the hang of it, it’s the poor man’s vibrator. Also it would have helped to build you a half round chute out of 1/8” plywood and 2x4’s so you don’t spill so much concrete. Just a couple of suggestions Great job and your boys are getting big enough to be some serious help. Shim with metal plates do not add concrete to level won’t work. God bless brother.

[@megancantrell9827]

I would love to see a video of you guys talking about how you found one another, age difference, your old jobs, your boys, and if you wanted a girl. Lol. 😊 Nothing crazy personal, but getting to know you a little more.

[@conniehowe5421]

Love you guys you are amazing !!! So excited to see this project finish … love your hats too 😊

[@crinkle2649]

When you were talking about just doing it with the wheelbarrow instead of the mixer, I said the mixer is the easiest way. 😄. I watch a lot of KZbinrs that are building stuff.

[@rosekraemer8205]

Maybe concret leveler would work. Was wondering if tapping the sides would've helped settle the concrete when first poured not ever done any of that work but watched father growing up

[@padroooo]

Sam, I worked in a steel mill and contractors used grout to shim up some very heavy building columns.

[@markholmes1346]

Great job guys, looking forward to the build!✌🏼❤️🙏🏼

[@HalfAssHomestead]

Sam, you don't nee to cover concrete in a rain storm. Other than a few dimples, it won't hurt the strength because of the mass size of the tubes

[@virginialewis9854]

Great progress! I love it how both the boys just jump in and help from time to time!

[@leattaslone1800]

Great job everyone! I didn’t know that they made a cement mixer that size. I can tell it was so helpful. Keep up the great work! You all make a great team!!

[@johnmuffy2848]

1/8ths inch is the variance most construction allows. When you put the shoes on the Xby beams, they will have four points. They all have variance. There will be plates you can use. There will be seats that fit the frames. If you skin the tubes you are asking for trouble. Go to where you got the concrete and ask questions. They will either have the materials, or know where to get them. You did a great job with those sona tubes. They are tough, especially the larger ones. Doc

[@debbiepierce4600]

Love to watch y'all work together. Your shortcuts and tricks help me and my husband out. God bless y'all and keep making these KZbin.

[@sam-and-angela]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@tinabenavidez1903]

Cement mixers going to come in handy developing that property.

[@sam-and-angela]

Oh yes. :) Angela's got another project she wants and my brother's also asked if it's for hire... with me working it! LOL

[@crinkle2649]

The box fan is a fantastic idea. And everyone just dumps the stuff in and then turn the mixer on, and then the water

[@ldysfm]

Sam, you are an easy breezy cover guy! Love your channel and your family.

[@rubberdc]

Your videos are ALWAYS intriguing and always interesting , Im eager to see next one .

[@dorotheaisserstedt9238]

War ganz bestimmt richtig, den Mischer zu kaufen. Ist ja gut, wenn man sich die Arbeit erleichtern kann.

[@bdaddy355]

For future project consider a wooden form like a funnel into the hole like i did. pour it straight from mixer into the hole.

[@jimdelong949]

Yea I think you were right getting the mixer. For not having done this before i think you did great. Excited to see hiw Sam takes us through the next phase.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

You both explain so clearly and intelligently. That's rare! Thank you so much for sharing your imaginative, researched, and adventurous projects.

[@sam-and-angela]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@elainebuchka6533]

I Know Nothing! But, I Admire How You Always make things work with All circumstances in the End. I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU WILL AGAIN! ANXIOUS TO SEE THE NEXT ONE..God Bless & Take Care...I am Sure Your Favorite Season is When All Mosquitoes are Dead.. or maybe just me...

[@RichardCWard]

Another project is started and a lot of hard work (manual labor) was required and you were able to build the concrete piers successfully. You never give up and work hard and you accomplish your goals.

[@janetkoball44]

A lot if exciting action. Can't wait to see this project finished. Glad the boys are somewhat learning this job too. See you all next time.

[@skrtskit1521]

That seems like the structure is going to be on a very sturdy foundation. Awesome progress. I loved your son's expression at the beginning of the video when you partially dumped the concrete, he turned to look at Angela with the look like-did you see this ma. 💖💖🎶🎶

[@sam-and-angela]

Hahaha yes! I missed it realtime, but saw it during editing. That and when Angela just jumped in to help recover what she could. :) The perk of editing the videos is being able to see things I never would have and enjoy small things like that. :)

[@paulalatham1266]

I knew you both will come up with something that will work I can’t wait to see it when it’s done

[@scottbyrd2157]

Greetings from SC!! I’m sure everyone has there own way of doing projects and some may do particular projects better than others. This is raw stuff that most don’t do and while most channels edit the mistakes and try to keep the videos short it’s always good to point out your mistakes so that you and the viewers learn from. I appreciate your footage and learn from your experience and personal techniques. Some of are not one demential and expand our knowledge from mistakes/issues that come in play when doing any projects. Ignore any negativity and keep doing what you do! Thanks for sharing your experiences as your life’s journey continues!

[@auntkaren12]

Love watching the progress on your home. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.☺

[@sam-and-angela]

Thanks for watching!

[@patrickschiedel2141]

Depending on the mounting plates you may be able to just grind your high ones off to make them the proper height. Remember your mounting plates have some thickness to him too

[@janetswope5695]

You will definitely get your money’s worth out of your new concrete mixer. I sure do like you all and so enjoy your videos.

[@sam-and-angela]

Thanks 👍

[@donlatimer5114]

Here’s a suggestion for you , get a big foot that goes on the sonic tube it makes a great funnel for pouring concrete into the tubes .. another suggestion , when mixing concrete , take a piece of rebar longer than the width of a bag of cement place a bag of cement over the bar with the bar in the middle , then cut the bag open over the bar pick up the bar and you’ll have 2 half of a bag of cement which is easier to handle and dump into the mixer

[@kmbbmj5857]

Just curious why you didn't knock together a trough with some plywood and two-bys and use that to go between mixer and sonotubes so you could skip the wheelbarrow step. Would have cost a little time up front but seems like it would have saved time and you back while pouring.

[@deans2790]

That concrete mixer can also be used for mixing potting soil!

[@larrysowada9905]

I used my neighbors cement mixer to mix up my soil admentives for my raised beds instead of using the tarp method a lot less strain on your back

[@sam-and-angela]

Oh wow! I don't think we would have thought of that! Thanks!

[@brendahogue5487]

May the lord bless and protect you and your family and working on the homestead and doing the shed

[@ChilledJil2010]

I'm pretty sure that. Sam just became a concreteologist.😂

[@Grandma_NC]

Once you pull the forms off, you may find the majority of them to bee level and you would only have to use a few shims. Hopefully you will have an easy fix.

[@deannaoverstreet4146]

Thank y’all, great to see you! Love those fine young men! So excited for you!

[@donlatimer5114]

Another suggestion , get your reciprocating saw take a blade out and use it to vibrate your tube or forms, which ever you are using. It will help settle the concrete and work the air bubbles out

[@Hosty_Tim]

Goooood evening, Sam & Angela & boys.

[@MrBobby781]

Hi guys, when you were assembling the mixer I thought it wouldn’t last looked flimsy. But, man did it work for you. As far as the fix for leveling. Maybe drill into center put plates. Ok it’s a family affair…. Great video

[@rubberdc]

Good evening Sam and Angela !

[@richardroyles1423]

Working with concrete is hard work. God bless.

[@sam-and-angela]

You got that right!

[@ericjohnson1008]

Like you said everything has a learning curve. Y'all got this. Keep up the great work.

[@50spirithealer]

I would have leveled the posts at the top, not the bottom in regular pole barn buildings. If it was some type of metal building, unless you were more than an inch different in the height, I wouldn’t worry about it.

[@emilasmith4279]

What a project!!! Definitely shim. ❤❤❤

[@waynenaugher6786]

Ya'll did a great job. I poured a garage floor with my mixer.

[@doncc6080]

Sam I think all that matters is that the top of the posts are level on your post frame building. I have seen a few set the mixer on a frame to make it easier to pour into the wheelbarrow. Nothing about concrete is easy its all hard work.

[@kristineolver3268]

Shims are definitely the best option

[@melanieeaton3344]

I sure hope at least the majority of piers are level and then maybe, shim. I don't think top coating with something would have enough integrity. Anyway, love your videos! How's the garden?

[@TheWoodHaven]

When I was in college, I worked summers on a concrete crew called Southern Construction Co. in Virginia. We just eyeballed the mix like you did, although ours was delivered in a truck. That said, yours looked just like we'd mix ours to. Looked good.

[@mikewatson4644]

Nice job. For me, I found that measuring the water helped me to get a consistent mix. I just used empty gallon jugs and marked how full to fill the last jug. I does take some experimenting to get the best method figured out.

[@PropsnWings]

Curious of price difference of having concrete delivered vs doing it this way and costs of the mixer.

[@free2besassy]

Lots of hard work.

[@crinkle2649]

They are probably close enough to what you were going for, but if not then the shims would be the best way to deal with it

[@maryloushaw6858]

You always do a great job and know what you are doing....I can't wait to see how you build it.

[@wadetyler5056]

Are you going to fasten your uprights to the piers by drilling and bolting or with saddle flanges?

[@annhope7760]

I really love the videos. I second a previous suggestion that the mixer could be handy breaking down and mixing compost.