After 4 days - Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Having waited from Saturday until today to go and see the house. I was happy with what I saw!
They've started framing and hoping the cold snap that just started today in the city doesn't slow them down, they'll be putting up the walls on the main floor by Friday (at least that's my guess).

First shot of the day is looking at the front of the house from the drivers seat of Peppy the Toyota Corolla. Named for that fact that the car is not very peppy!


Second, standing in the garage looking at the floor joists. They're all laid out and almost ready for the rim joists and then sheathing.


From the west or left side of the house. The floor joists sticking out the side there are for the 2' x 9' cantilever that will hang off the side of the living room. Was an upgrade we added to increase the size of the living room by being able to build a built-in wall unit for the television and bookshelves.


The walkout at the back of the house. From the left to the right, there's the door, a 4 x 3 foot window, then a 5 x 5 foot window.


Next around the north east corner of the house, a 5 x 4 window. Hopefully all of the windows in the basement will give some pretty good light. Since the house is south facing we won't get the sun we get the backyard right now.


Last, a shot from inside the basement looking out the back.

Backfilled but no Lumber yet

I went by the new house today on the way home from work. Took a couple pictures with the crappy camera in my cell phone.


Filled in the driveway and garage with gravel.


The ground has been scraped to a slope that is close to what the final slope down the side will be.


At the back looking into the basement. They've filled the basement up to just under floor level. Almost seems too high, as they still need to put gravel down before the finished floor will be put in (a long way down the road for that though). The sono-tube there at the bottom is the base of the one of the posts for the raised deck.


From the other side, looking into the basement.


And back at the front. This side isn't backfilled yet. my guess is that's because there isn't enough room to get a bobcat in between the houses, as the place next door is about a week behind ours. That yellow box to the left is I generator for electricity, until the actual electrical panel is in.

So we're a few days behind schedule now. But not too bad. Hopefully the lumber will be delivered on Monday with framers waiting for it!

We have a foundation, probably still on schedule

We have a foundation! Jenn, Lucas and I went by and took pictures of the house today. Almost all of the forms are off and the workers were there removing the rest of them. We're almost back on schedule. The backfilling was supposed to be on the 19th, this past friday, and that's not done yet but I don't think there's anything that would keep them from starting to frame on the 24 or 25th as they said. Honestly I'd rather that they get the first floor on before backfilling anyway as it ass stability to the walls when the backfilling is done. It's not uncommon for a back fill to be done too aggressively and cause one of the basement walls to cave in, though with the last couple days being nice and mild I'm sure the concrete is setting up well.

Here's a few shots from last Tuesday with just Jenn and Lucas and then today.
First Tuesday's shot:


and from today:

Forms

Here is a picture from earlier this week!

Jenn

A Quick Update

Went by the house this afternoon on the way home from work. Looks to me like they will be pouring the foundation either later Tuesday (tomorrow) or on early Wednesday. They got a lot of work done today. Sorry didn't have my camera with me so I couldn't snap any shots of it.

At a Stand Still

As Jenn suggested in the last post, it's really really cold in Calgary right now. I went by the house yesterday and there was a little progress between Saturday and today. The footings are poured and some of the foundation wall forms are up. Looking around in the light snow on the ground, there wasn't any work done during the day yesterday. Too cold to put up forms I guess, but I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to be more than a few minutes outside in this. It is a little disappointing, but it's only the weather that we can blame. Honestly, I'm happy their taking a break from the cold because I would have had a fit if I found them pouring concrete in this weather.

The forecast says we're looking at warmer weather on the weekend and into next week so I imagine they'll get back to work on Monday. Given that the framing isn't scheduled until the 24th or 25th, my guess is we're still on schedule as long as the zero degree+ weather holds for 3 or 4 days into next week to get the rest of the forms up and the walls poured. A couple days for curing and form removal and maybe we're good to go. Though I'm not sure about the backfill on the 19th, that might have to wait until the following week.

Arctic

The weather here is Calgary is freezing so we haven't gone to see the hole recently. ALthough they are probably not pouring concrete in this weather anyway. Here is a copy of the main floor of the house plan.

Enjoy, ask any questions, we'd love to answer them

Jenn

The Hole

Here's the shots of the basement that I promised:

Here's a shot from the street looking at the front of the lot, facing approximately north. See the second brown house from the right, it's similar to what the back of the finished house will look like.


This shot is looking from the back of the lot diagonally forward facing mostly west but also a little south.


And a shot of the view to the west. It was a cloudy day but you can still see the mountains! I was standing on the street in front of the house for this shot. If it were from the backyard you would see the green space and pond too.

The Initial Schedule

Cardel called us a couple days ago and left a voice mail outlining a schedule of the first few steps of the construction. Here it is:

1. January 3 - Excavation
2. January 5 or 8 - Finish Footings
3. January 11 or 12 - Finish foundation walls
4. January 19 - Backfill
5. January 24 or 25 - Start Framing

Woohoo! As of this writing we have a hole! Will go take pictures soon, cause I know everyone wants to see a gaping hole in the ground!

The First Post (Duh!)

Well hello everyone! And by everyone I mean every ... one. Cause really, I think I'm talking to myself here since no-one but me knows about this blog at the moment. I'm starting this blog to have a place to put house related pictures and videos for family and friends to follow as the new house is built.

I will be opening this up so both Jenn and I can create and edit posts so everyone can have both of our views on it.

Beware Cardel, if you're bad to us ... it will be published, Muahahah!! But if you're good to us I'll be sure to tell the world too.

Thanks for stopping by!