Operation: Foundation

At 9:30 PM on Thursday night, we received an exciting phone call. It was our builder calling to inform us that the foundation would be laid the following morning! Finally…foundation.

At 5:30 AM on Friday morning, our builder arrived at the lot to do some last minute electrical work before the foundation crew arrived. Electrical wires had to be run through the foundation to the kitchen island.

At 6:15 AM, the work began. It took a crew of at least six guys, two cement trucks, two truck drivers, one builder, and one wonderful husband to create the scene below.

At 8:30 AM, Chris went to document the experience hoping to catch some action. Needless to say, the cement guys are quick! The crew was almost completely done; only one corner of the garage was unfinished.

At 7:00 PM, we went back out to the lot to document the completed project. Here’s a few pictures. Notice that the wood frames are removed in most places and metal bolts have been placed around the exterior of the foundation in preparation for the framing crew.

At 7:25 PM, we drove home with a smile!

Pipes, Pipes, Pipes!

The foundation is coming right along…the most recent development is plumbing! Although the majority of our pipes will be in the walls, a few pipes have to run through the foundation itself. These pipes include the main water line, septic line, drain pipes for all the bathrooms, water line for the kitchen, and utility pipes for the washer and sink. One thing is for certain, we are going to have plenty of sinks in our house…I think the count is up to 7. You are all welcome to come by and wash your hands anytime!

More Wood, More Sand

More wood and more sand…that basically describes the changes that have taken place lately. We now have completed forms outlining the entire house and patio. It is amazing to be able to stand literally inside the foundation of our future home! The house has begun to take shape…all those weeks spent deciding on the perfect plan are now paying off, for we can now visualize where each room of the house will be! Because of the change in elevation of the lot, the forms for the back left corner of the house had to be specially constructed. Also, more sand had to be brought in to help offset this elevation change. I have a feeling the sand trucks will keep rolling in for days to come. It’s going to take a lot of sand to fill the almost four foot change in elevation from the left back corner to the right front corner. Because of this somewhat unexpected need to build up the foundation and surrounding area, we have had to say goodbye to two cedar trees we were hoping to keep on the left side of the house. Oh well, they will just have to be replaced with oak trees from Ehrkeville!

We Have Forms!

Well they broke ground yesterday so it’s finally starting to feel real. We went out to the lot to check out the new forms and while we were there a sand truck showed up, so that was fun. We also got to meet our neighbors, who just finished building their house and will be moving in this week.