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What a week.
We hoped to pour this Friday. Then we hoped for Tuesday after labor day. Now we are thinking Wednesday. Nothing ever happens that speeds a job up. I guess the goal is to minimize the things that happen to slow the job down.
More fires. But not real fires this time. Just concerns, conflicts, etc between low voltage guy, ICF man, electrician and engineer. Turns out that running conduit in the concrete space between foam walls can significantly affect engineering. A couple of do-overs and we are back on track.
I backed out on the loader. Too old, too slow, too loose in the joints (the loader, not me). So, maybe something else will come along.
Meanwhile, we can hope to pour the walls next week. Wednesday.
Might actually go smooth, I am going to be away at trial!
Steve
Monday gave light to our biggest crew yet. Ed the electrician kept extending conduit, and forgave the concrete process that inadvertently buried the ends of three runs. The surveyors returned to reset grade lines for the next level up. The excavator guy hob nobbed with the ICF guy and came up with a sorta definite plan on the back fill.
Eric the ICF guy brought in a new guy, Randy. Did great. You could even say he was on fire. Or at least that the sparks from his metal saw went over the bank, and smoldered until actually catching fire! Only about 9 feet square lost.
I looked at and made an offer on a Loader. Renting for so many intermittent uses is cost prohibitive.
The large framed opening is for the Nana wall. Essentially a 14’ wide doorway. The other door on the inside is to the theatre room. Popcorn anyone?
Steve
No matter how hard I try, it seems impossible to keep things moving at a steady pace. Each individual delay has a logical rationale, but there is never a balancing thing that makes up for lost time.
With things waiting on this and that, I thought to get the two 1,500 gallon septic tanks installed. I figured once the next foundation gets poured, access to the front of the house will be limited. Having now painted the insides of both tanks with waterproofing slop I think I have a better idea of how Jimmy Hoffa must feel.
Pinching pennies is proving a poor strategy. When the floor was poured there was about $150 of excess of mud. So, I thought I would place in the wall forms. What a mess. Not only did I blow out a section, but it seems there was a strategy in how the previous pour was left – and I messed it up. Big time. The drill bit to countersink additional rebar cost $100. The time, etc. you get the idea.
This week was a short one for Eric and crew. But it was nice having them anyhow. Some bracing went in and some window bucks.
Next week should be even more progress.
Steve
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I think I will number the updates, but not count the days. It has been many days since the last update. Our first choice for doing the flatwork suffered a broken leg. Our second choice is pictured here.
The boom truck was too small to reach from the top. What the heck, just drive it down to the front. It felt pretty sketchy to me, but all four concrete trucks navigated the slope and the boom truck creeped out when done. Whew. I can’t imaging the repercussions if we tipped something into the Icicle River.
One way to do the coloring is to pour gray, then come back and do an acid wash of color. Another way is to put color into the concrete while it is still in the truck and spin it through and through. Still another way is to ‘cast’ it on top of wet mud and then trowel it in. each concrete guy has is favorite way to do it. And all the reasons why not to do it the other way. So we casted the color. A collage effect of earth tones.
It will show through better after the floor cures.
Next update should show the walls going up
Steve
The radiant heat is laid to rest. 1,200 lineal feet to heat 1,200 square feet. Had to move further away from the toilet so as not to risk melting the wax ring.
Next is a cross hatch of rebar. #3 on 9” centers, or #4 on 12” centers. Stagger, double tie. And I thought lawyers had strangle language!
Steve
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