Moving Ahead


Ready to pour footings for the house. For larger image click on picture.
 

Smoothing concrete pad for shed. For larger image click on picture.

 
We were lucky this week. Thursday the inspectors gave us the go ahead to pour the slab for the shed and the footings for the house. And in spite of Veteran’s Day, four concrete trucks and about a dozen men came up Friday to do the pouring. 🙂

If all goes well this coming week they may put up the stem walls for the house and install the propane tank. Andy will phone tomorrow to schedule a build date for the shed. That could take some time depending on Tuff Shed’s queue, and, of course, the weather.

It’s only been four months since we’ve been able to get up there, and in spite of some delays we are doing very well. Again, we will keep you posted.

(Andy took 39 pictures of the process Friday, starting here. That’s a lot more pictures than most people will want to see. I am not one of them!)

Thanks to Mike, Evan, bikehikebabe, tammy, Rosalia and Rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
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15 Responses to Moving Ahead

  1. bikehikebabe says:

    Do you need a dozen men to pour that cement? And 4 cement trucks? Our driveway looks to be four or five times the size of the shed floor & we only needed one truck. (Just wanting to save you $. Maybe they charge travel time since it’s in the boondocks.)

  2. Jean says:

    bikehikebabe,
    What was the area and thickness of your driveway? My guess is most of the concrete was for the footings. Yes, we no doubt could have saved money there if Andy hadn’t asked for the house to be “hell for stout”. Some of the guys asked if the house was going to be six stories high.

    Our first house was very solidly built too. That’s one reason it cost so much to cart the remains away. If it makes Andy happy it makes me happy. We’re doing this mainly for him.

  3. Rummuser says:

    Must be very interesting to see all these happen and the building slowly take shape. I would love to be there to see it all happen.

  4. cathy in NZ says:

    great process…on the “foundations” of your new place.

  5. Evan says:

    Good to see things are moving along

  6. bikehikebabe says:

    Our driveway is 1,800 sq. ft. Took 23 cubic yards of concrete. Tom did the calculation in his head but I got him to look it up. Used two cement truck loads.

  7. bikehikebabe says:

    P.S. Four men did the work of laying our concrete. I don’t want you to get taken. Seems like 12 men needed jobs & you’re not a Tough Cookie.

  8. tammy says:

    yay little monk and andy!!!!
    progress is beautiful isn’t it.
    my fence blew down in yet another micro burst. what’s with these new “micro-bursts!” panels are still just lying there. i called the men who repaired them in the last micro burst in august… they said they’d call back. they haven’t.
    they’re too heavy for me to put back up. can’t even lift them.
    one post was picked completely up from the ground with all the concrete still at the base of it. laid it over like a dandelion.
    oh well.
    life on the prairie. when the wind comes sweeping down the plains and all that rot.
    thinking of moving. next year i’ll be debt free. seriously thinking of it. but then, i do love this little cottage. decisions, decisions. …. still enjoying the archives!
    love,
    tammy j

  9. Jean says:

    Evan and Cathy,
    Thanks. 🙂

    bikehikebabe,
    We needed 30 cubic yards of concrete and the trucks were limited to 7 1/2 cubic yards each because of the roads. Because of the steepness of the roads, the concrete would run out the back before it got to the site if they filled the trucks too full.

  10. Cathy in NZ says:

    well that has definitely answered bkb’s ideas on the cement situation.

    when you know the “whys” it does make it easier to understand…not that I understood what it would take, as I have never built anything of such technical details.

  11. Jean says:

    Cathy,
    It does make it more interesting to hear details like this, doesn’t it? Andy’s the expert on building things. My specialty is computers and electronic gadgets. That’s enough to keep my poor little mind busy. 😀

  12. tammy says:

    so sorry dear friends for venting on this loving, cheerful blog. it’s all about spiritual happiness and i brought grumpiness into the space. ranting on about my beautiful state and its weather!
    i just came back from moving the panels of my fence off of my favorite tree. the damage not as bad as i thought. so…
    strength came from where? i couldn’t budge it yesterday!
    all your positive energy must have helped.
    here’s to progress for us all!
    tammy j

  13. Cathy in NZ says:

    tammy, you must realise that your progress and positive energy came directly from you placing your vent on the Cheerful Monks blog 🙂

    it helped unblock your emotions seeing your favourite tree under dueress (?sp)
    chuckle, chuckle, chuckle (only joking!)

  14. Jean says:

    tammy,
    I didn’t think your comment was grumpy at all. It sounded very cheerful under the circumstance, and I loved your comment

    life on the prairie. when the wind comes sweeping down the plains and all that rot.

    It made me smile. I think you’re handling all those microbursts extremely well. It seems to me considering moving is an intelligent response, and I also understand how you could love your little cottage and be torn. If this house were to get wiped out too we probably wouldn’t rebuild. (In spite of the insurance we probably couldn’t afford it! The only reason we have a prayer of what we’re planning is because we’ve drastically downsized.)

    Cathy,
    I agree. It seems to me tammy describing her experience in such a positive, non-victimless way was part of the process of redirecting that emotional energy and using it wisely. Yea, tammy! Yea, Cathy!

  15. tammy says:

    good friends! thank you. you helped.

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