subfloor

I has been a week since we poured the concrete and we have made alot of progress through the week.  At the beginning of the week we placed the girders (2x12's) into the concrete ties and attached joist hangers and to them.  We then measured and cut the joists (2x8's) and attached them to the girders by joist hanger.

Friday we started the sub-floor of the house (1/2" tongue and groove plywood).  It was a tedious process to align the sheets together and keep them from shifting but we used an air powered nail gun that made quick work of the sheets once them were set in place.

We also finished the girders and joists that is on an angle which was interesting because we needed a 76 degree cut on the vertical of the joists. Since the miter saw only goes to 45 degrees it was a learning curve to figure out how to cut the board correctly but in the end we figured out the issues.  We also received the lumber to start framing of Friday.  Unloading the wood was surprisingly easy but in the end it had to be relocated to the trailer which took more strength.  On Saturday we finished the sub-floor and trimmed the excess wood along the perimeter of the house.  We also started to layout the framing of the house.  Today we will start framing the walls and set the openings for the windows.

Foundation

Yesterday was a huge step forward for us. After waiting roughly a week due to the rainy predicament, the concrete is poured and we couldn't be more excited! We had to make sure all the footings and sonotubes were level and in line with the surrounding rows before the inspector came on site. If they did not meet our requirements, we would have to dig it out and adjust it. We would stress out every time we would lay the 2"x4" across two sonotubes and put the level on top to make sure it was level. With each passing check we would get one step closer to inspection. After digging 26 holes and correctly positioning the footings and sonotubes, we passed inspection! We did not have long to celebrate because the concrete showed up on site and it was time to pour. We had three people transporting the concrete via wheel barrels from the concrete truck to the sonotubes. From there, we had at least 3 people scooping the concrete out of the wheel barrels and into the sonotubes. Two people were vacuuming out the remaining water in the footings before the concrete was put in. There were also people aiding in organization of the assembly line making sure it ran smoothly and quickly. This assembly line was fast paced. Once the sonotubes were filled with the concrete, the concrete tie would be positioned. The concrete tie is a metal bracket that sits in the cured concrete that we will later put (2) 2"x12"s in for the girders. With the remaining concrete, we poured 12 steppingstones that have our hand prints on them.

We are meeting on site tomorrow (Sunday) morning to start placing the girders and the beginning of the floor. We are all excited to see the progress that we have made through all the hard work. Today marks 91 days left to finish the house.

Rain, Rain, Go away

After setting the majority of the sonotubes Saturday, we were suppose to finish the last six Monday morning. Due to the rain from Sunday and the continuing rain on Monday, we could not finish. We met on site Monday to get water off of the tarp because the forecast for Tuesday was even more rain. We did not want more water to build up and do any damage. We met Wednesday to find water in the footings. As we questioned what to do, someone remembered that we were offered a pump from Chris Rozelle. Thanks to Chris, we were able to pump out the water. We created trenches in between the rows of sonotubes so the water would flow off the site without getting into any more tubes. It was extremely muddy, so there was not much more we could do.

As of today, we have pumped out more water and plan on restringing the string so that tomorrow we can line the existing footings up and finish the remaining six. If all goes as planned, we will pour concrete Friday at 1pm.


-Lee Ann Duck

This week we finished digging holes and spent the rest of our time setting up the concrete forming tubes. This involved leveling the bottom of each hole so that the footing would sit correctly then setting all of the concrete tubes in place.  Then we used a laser to shoot the whole site at once so we could see where to cut each tube so they would all be level.  Next we had to level each tube in the hole which was a 3 person job for the most part. Packing dirt around each tube to keep them from moving was the next step. The good news is everything came out perfect and we are planning on pouring concrete on Monday. 

Digging holes

This week we will be digging out holes to place the concrete piers in the ground. Each hole will be 24” in diameter and have a depth of 4'. We have rented an auger to help us with this process but it will still come down to shovels and post hole diggers to finish the job. In the pictures above you can see the current state of the site as we dig out the holes and prepping for the concrete truck. Our goal for the next few days is to set the piers so that the tops will be flush even though the site has a slope. If we do not get the calculations right on the foundation then framing the house can become a challenge. Our shortest pier is estimated to be about 5' - 6” and with our largest estimated at 6' – 6”. 

Early Saturdays

While waiting for the piers to be dug, we met at the site at 7:30 this Saturday morning.  The lumber was being delivered to where we will have it ready to go!  We also worked on tying the rebar, marking the piers, and also trimming materials  for when we start pouring and constructing the foundation.  Although it was an early start to the day, we're determined to stay on schedule and try to be ahead of the game!  

-Hannah Terrell-