Building the AG Shed Foundation Out in Milpitas
This project was located in Milpitas, on the hills where the views extend across the entire South Bay. This is the AG shed slab, and although it looks clean in the final photos, this one had its fair share of issues.
There were about four or five change orders on this part of the job alone. The client initially had another crew come in to frame it, but once we got up here, many things didn’t line up—the footings, the perimeter layout, and even the sheer footings were off. Nothing matched the plans.
That’s when the experience kicks in.
We stepped in, made adjustments, and rebuilt the work as needed so the engineer and inspectors could sign off with no issues. Sometimes that’s part of the job — you inherit someone else’s work, and you still have to deliver something clean and structurally sound.
Full Project Photos:
👉https://tinyurl.com/milpitasagriculturalshed
YouTube Video For This Project:
👉 https://bit.ly/milpitascarport
Fixing the Footings and Shear Footings
Bringing Everything Back to Where It Belongs
Usually, footings should be the “easy part,” but not this time. Almost every shear footing had to be moved. We even had to bring the excavator inside the forms and work the backside without damaging anything. That’s all handwork, patience, and knowing how to maneuver equipment in tight spaces.
The original framing was off by inches in some areas, and as you know, inches matter when you’re talking about structural concrete.
Once we corrected everything:
- Footings were reshaped and relocated
- The layout was reset
- Shear footings were re-cut
- Everything was compacted and re-checked
This gave us a clean perimeter to work with, so the slab could sit exactly where it was intended.
👉https://tinyurl.com/milpitasagriculturalshed
👉https://tinyurl.com/milpitasagriculturalshed
Prep Work – Vapor Barrier, Tape, and Rebar
Locked-In Prep Before the Pour
This slab required 114 yards of concrete, and everything beneath it had to be perfect before the first truck arrived.
Here’s what went in:
- #4 rebar at 16 inches on center
- Complete vapor barrier across the entire slab
- All seams sealed with red vapor-barrier tape (required by code and good practice)
- Penetrations wrapped and detailed
- Everything tied, spaced, and checked
And it’s worth mentioning — the base rock under this slab was already compacted to about 95%, so it was basically like digging into cement. Base rock is the subfloor of concrete. If that part isn’t right, nothing else will be.
Working Through the Change Orders
We don’t shy away from change orders — we keep it honest.
If something isn’t right, we fix it and document everything.
This job had about four or five COs on this slab alone due to the original framing crew. The same thing happened on the livestock pad, which we’re also working on now.
That’s where experience shows up — knowing how to adjust without blowing the whole schedule up.
We also did the carport slab on this property and the 209,000-gallon water tank foundation higher up the hill.
Both links are provided below for anyone who wants to see the whole process.
The Views Don’t Hurt Either
Milpitas hills give you that backdrop where you can see the entire valley — San Jose, the back side of Fremont, the freeways winding through. It’s the type of scenery that makes those long days worth it.
You’ll see it in the drone shots: prominent open hillside, blue skies, and a clean slab sitting right where it belongs.
What We See in the Field vs. What’s on Paper
This job is another perfect example of why plans are just the starting point. On paper, everything is straight, square, and simple. But once you get on site, you find out what you’re really working with — framing that’s off, footings that don’t match the layout, or measurements that drifted.
That’s where the teamwork kicks in.
My crew had to re-cut, re-set, and re-frame a lot of this by hand. We used equipment where possible, but a large portion of this slab came down to experience and problem-solving.
And that’s growth — learning how to take a messy starting point and turn it into something clean, level, and structurally correct. We’ve done enough hillside work in Milpitas to know that conditions always throw you a curveball. You adjust and keep moving.
Schedule online ⏩ https://tinyurl.com/AllAccessEstimates
Call/text: 510-804-4646
