07-21-2010: Slab and garage poured!

The slab and garage were poured today.  The weather stayed overcast and cool most of the day with no rain.  It took 8 concrete trucks (about 70 yards), and the guys did a great job.  The ICF block guy set rebar in the outer edges of the slab and will start bringing out block tomorrow.  He estimates it will take 2 to 3 weeks to stack the blocks for the outer walls and pour the concrete.  The ICF blocks are PolySteel brand (http://www.polysteel.com/).  It's also Minx's 2nd birthday today!

07-19-2010: Plumbing fixed

No new pictures today, but Rick dug up, moved, and covered the bathroom plumbing which was in the wrong spot. Minx is better & didn't go to the vet. We're still set to pour the slab on Wednesday.

07-18-2010: Foundation, problems

The foundation guys came back out and worked most of the day.  It didn't turn out to be the best of days. 

First, Minx started gimping around this morning and was unable to sit down due to pain in either his tail or his butt.  He and Toby were playing hard this morning, and he must have been bitten or something.  He'll probably head to the vet tomorrow to get it checked out unless it improves significantly overnight.

Next, Rick noticed that the main water line to the master bathroom had been cut when the guys were digging dirt around the edge of the basement.  Remember the plumber is on vacation in California for a week.  Luckily, Rick had the PEX tools and was able to dig the line out and replace it.  If he hadn't noticed the damaged line, water would had seeped from the slab into the basement when we connected and turned on the water.

Finally (and worst), Rick was remeasuring all of the plumbing stuff tonight and discovered that the plumber missed the placement of the toilet/drains/water lines in the west guest bathroom by 1 foot!  He's going to call the plumber in California again and find out if he prefers for Rick, or his goofy helper, or another plumber to fix it before the slab is poured on Wednesday.  We're not going to delay pouring the slab, and Rick wants it fixed before the slab is poured.  We'll see what happens.

The foundation guys will have to make a short trip back out before Wednesday to set the shower pan and tub recess in the master bathroom (these were in the area that had to be dug back up today and didn't get finished).

This is the part which is 1 foot off.  It's not really that complicated but is currently under more than 20 inches of compacted dirt and all 3 pieces have to be moved back a foot.

07-17-2010: Foundation

The foundation guys worked over 10 hours today and really got a lot accomplished despite the heat, humidity, and wet/heavy dirt.  They'll be back tomorrow to finish up and get everything ready to pour the slab.  We don't think they will pour the slab until Wednesday though.  The kitties had a rough day in the house.

07-16-2010: Plumbing finished

The plumbers came out and finished connecting the pipes to the existing septic system.  The trenches are filled in but still need a lot of work.  It's still incredibly muddy under the dirt piles, so it's just a huge mess right now.  The rebar for connecting the ICF walls to the slab was delivered today, and one of the guys will be here tomorrow to get all of that cut and ready.  We think the foundation crew might be here tomorrow to work on the slab but aren't sure.  We did get some rain this morning, but it wasn't enough to cause a major problem.

I've added a link to an ICF (insulated concrete form) website if anybody is curious.  The exterior walls will be quite different from a standard stick-built house. 

http://www.buildblock.com/insulated_concrete_forms.asp

07-15-2010: Plumbing, part 4

The plumber finished the work inside the forms today, so the foundation guys can now get started.  Unfortunately, we aren't sure if they'll be available tomorrow.  The plumber will finish the main line connecting the house to the septic system tomorrow, so we'll finally be able to cover up those horrible trenches in the yard. 

The timeline for the slab remains very uncertain right now since we don't know when they'll get started or if they'll work on the weekend, etc.  The basement is drying some but remains very wet and muddy.

07-14-2010: Plumbing, part 3

They are still working on the plumbing and should finish today. We just missed a rain storm last night. It looks like the slab will be poured early next week if no further delays.

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