December 2011 – On ErikaRS' Mind

Main Floor Framing

Posted on December 26, 2011June 18, 2023 by ErikaRS

This week there was a lot of progress on framing. The lower level was finished, and the majority of the main floor was framed. The footings for the back deck were dug out and poured. This was exciting to see. It is the first time we were able to walk around in a full-scale version of the plans we’ve been working on for so long.

I took a few pictures of the in-progress work on Tuesday, and then more pictures over the weekend. I also added descriptions to all the pictures, since it can be confusing trying to figure out what is what when only the framing is in place.

The video only shows part of the work, since the exterior sheathing blocked some of the later work.

This week the crew will start framing the upper floor, with the roof scheduled for a week or so after that.

Framing

Posted on December 17, 2011June 18, 2023 by ErikaRS

This was an exciting week, as it saw the start of framing! A little bit of backfill was done at the beginning of the week. After that, framing started strong. They put together a good portion of the lower floor, including the media room and storage/future bathroom. There is also the first of the trusses that will support the main floor.

In the video, you can see how all of that framing work only took three days. The form of the house will be appearing very soon!

Next week the framing will continue.

Backfill

Posted on December 12, 2011June 18, 2023 by ErikaRS

Last week was quiet. The crew completed footing drains and put up some waterproofing on the foundation walls. At the end of the week, they started back-filling the foundation — our camera was moved so that the big pile of dirt could be used to fill in around the foundation.

For now, the camera is up at the top of the site, pointed towards the lower portion. We’ll probably move it to a better position once the dirt-moving is done.

Next week should see a bit more backfill, and then framing will start!

Footing Drains

Posted on December 4, 2011June 18, 2023 by ErikaRS

This week wasn’t as interesting to observe, but the work was still important. The construction crew added footing drains to keep the foundation dry. In the pictures, you can see the white pipes running alongside the footings. The bit of netting and rocks shows a typical installation above the pipe, and will be extended to the other drains. There is one set of footing drains inside the foundation, just to be extra-sure that the rare case of water flowing sideways under the upper part of the foundation doesn’t cause any problems, either.

For some reason our camera didn’t capture the second half of the week. Since there wasn’t much of interest in that video, I’m only publishing it as part of the November video. The monthly video is very neat, because it shows the foundation work from building the footing forms, up through the completion of the foundation walls.

Next week will be more drains, waterproofing the concrete, and backfill.