A Bunch of Block

After a couple of rainy days, our busy block-laying crew is about 95% complete.  I am extremely pleased with the great work this crew has done.  Instead of relying only on strings to keep the walls level and true, there was a transit on site that was used to shoot elevations as the walls went up.  A lot of block layers would not do this.  If the rain holds off for a few more days, we should have the basement floor poured and be ready to start putting up floor joists next week.

Foundation Work Continues

When I first starting the design process for this house, I had thought I would have the foundation out of poured concrete.  This seemed to be the current trend and the way many home builders were going.  However, as the budgeting process ensued, I realized poured basement walls were extremely expensive and really did not offer any advantages over one built from concrete blocks (or CMUs as they are sometimes called).  With proper waterproofing and drainage provisions, the block walls should never leak and provide a much better looking wall, in my opinion.  So, the block-laying process began with a very experienced crew doing the work.  As the walls went up, they were straight and true and my confidence build that this was going to be a well-built foundation.

In case I mislead anyone into thinking that I am doing all the work on this house, I want to be quick to say that I am most fortunate to be working with the principal contractor for this job, Ben Beatty.  Ben has built many houses in this area through the years and he has built a great reputation.  I am hoping he will be able to take my design concept and make it work.  So far, things have gone well.  He has been a pleasure to work with already and I am looking forward to working with him through the whole process.  The other contractors who have worked with us on this, so far, are DeWayne and Scotty Grier who have done the excavation and concrete work and Joe and Tom Smith who are doing the concrete block laying.

Putting Down a Firm Footing

I would venture to say one of the least romantic phases of the construction process would be the foundation work.  Who can really get excited about a bunch of trenches dug in the dirt and slabs of concrete?  That would probably stand true for many but not for me.  I personally have gotten a thrill from watching the process of anchoring this house to the ground on which it will stand.  I certainly have not taken any of this process for granted.

During the 30 years my parents have lived on this land, I have heard hundreds of times how rocky this hilltop is.  My mom has dug thousands upon ten thousands of rocks out of the earth as she and my dad have cultivated and landscaped the property.  Though I do not have a background in civil engineering, I know enough to say that this rocky ground makes excellent support for a house foundation. So, it is with confidence that I can say that this house is going to stand on solid ground. 

Digging Deeper

With half of the year gone, in July, we finally sold and closed out our house in Columbus, GA making way for our house building plans to move ahead.  Our lot had sat untouched since January of this year and aside from some minor soil erosion, everything looked as it did when the equipment vacated the premises.   Since our house is to have a full basement a good bit of excavation still needed to be done.  So, on Monday, August 13th, we once again broke ground and dug deeper.

It is amazing how much dirt came out of this hole but it was put to good use on the driveway to level and better prepare the road bed.

After removing many truckloads of good rocky soil well suitable for a good firm foundation, we were ready to layout and prepare the footings.