Day 32 - I-Beams Installed

So yesterday (Friday) a crane visited our house and placed 4 I-beams in the basement. We went there this morning to take some pics of them. So here they are:

Metal shims to make the beam level.

Day 30 - Knee Walls Continued

So nothing happened today but we were able to go out and take pictures of what they did yesterday. Hopefully they will be able to place the iron support beams tomorrow and then the full house framing next week.

View from garage.

Fireplace.

Day 29 - Knee Walls in Basement

Today, the framers started putting up the knee walls on the outside basement walls. These will be a part of the support system that the iron I-beams will rest on. Carrie was able to snap this one photo while she was out. More pictures will be uploaded when the rain decides to stop and we can make it out there again.

Knee walls.

Day 27 - Backfill

Today, the excavator backfilled the dirt on the outside walls of the house and did a more detailed grading of the yard. They really did a great job shaping the dirt around the house. They also delivered a lot of gravel to make a driveway to make it easier for the construction crew to work on our house. Here are the pictures from today's progress:

Front yard grading.

Back view.

Grading around retaining wall.

Grading where my office will be.

Gravel where driveway turn around will be.

Grading on the right side of our house.

View from the garage.

Dirt fill where the front porch will be.

Kids being silly. :)

Gravel driveway.

Day 26 - Pics from the week

Just wanted to post a couple more pics from when I was away during the week. The pics from the cell phone actually turned out pretty good so there isn't too much more to add.

The plans for the coming week include putting in the backfill on Monday, putting in the knee walls and the iron beams, and hopefully start framing the basement. Weather looks iffy towards the end of the week and there are chances for pop-up storms during the week.

King and queens of the mountain.

Waterproofing.

Plumbing.

More plumbing.

Day 24 - Basement Slab Poured

Finally got home today and got to see the progress on the house. They started pouring the basement slab this morning and Carrie and kids were able to catch the end of it. We went back later so that I could see it as well and see how much it cured. Here are the photos from today:

Cement truck after the slab was poured.

Smoothing out the slab.

Slab just poured.

Sup?

Garage looking from the front.

Garage looking from the side.

Close-up of garage where the slab meets the walls.

Garage.

Back view of slab.

Another view of slab.

And another.

Close-up of plumbing in basement.

Day 20 & 22 - Waterproofing, Basement Plumbing, Drain Tile, etc.

So I am currently away on business in good ole Missouri, but that obviously doesn't stop the progress on the house. On day 20, the plumber came and installed all of the plumbing that will be under the slab when it gets poured. I am pretty sure that is just all of the drains that make their way from everywhere in the house to the sewers. Also on day 20, the foundation walls were waterproofed with some tar-like substance called watchdog waterproofing. On day 22, our builder Steve installed the drain tile himself and there was some more gravel added and it looks like some backfill on the back of the house. My wife graciously took some pictures on her phone and on our main camera for me. Below are the pics that she sent. I will upload more detailed photos when I get back. Looks like on Friday there will be an inspection and then more gravel and backfill, and possibly even poring the slab. If things go as planned, framing will begin in the middle of next week! Praying that the weather holds out!

Day 18 - Basement Walls Finshed

So yesterday (Friday), the foundation crew removed all of the wall forms to expose the completed basement walls. We finally made it over today to take a look at the finished product and take some pictures. It is definitely hard to visualize how it will feel when everything is complete. Everything seems smaller than it actually is (we hope). Here are the pictures from today:

Basement level looking toward front porch.

Looking toward where the furnace and water heater will be and my office.

Unknown opening (to me) in the area where my office will be.

Looking toward the doors that lead out of the basement.

Basement door.

Rear view.

Fireplace bump out and steps in foundation to follow the slope of the yard.

Garage view.

Front porch.

Garage.

Next week, the plan is to lay out the plumbing in the basement and weather-proof the foundation. I hope that the rain stays to a minimum during the week and everything can get done. Unfortunately, I will be out-of-town all week, so I won't be able to put up pictures until the end of the week.