Footings and gravel

I am learning so much about building a house. I can't stay away from the lot, and have to stop by every day in case I miss something.

Wed. I stopped by and the footings were poured. They kind of outline the house in the basement, and also outline the garage and porches. This is what the poured walls rest on, the framework for the garage, and where the porch flatwork will be. There is some concrete in the middle of the basement floor. I checked the plans and this is for the piers that help hold up the floor. Wet concrete is so tempting. I guess it would have been no big deal for me to put my name in it.

On Thurs. when I stopped by after work, gravel had been spread throughout the basement.
I think the forms for the poured walls are next. I'm not sure if they will do these tomorrow or wait until Mon. I hope we have good weather next week for pouring concrete.

This is where the basement stairs are going to be.

I think these 2 circular things have something to do w/ the sewer. I think we are putting in a toilet rough-in in this area of the basement. I think the sump pump is also going in this area.

I probably won't stop tomorrow night, so I can get home to get costumes on. I think trick or treating starts at 5. I'll post some pics of the fall fairy and the witch. Don't get a belly ache "goblin" up your candy!!

Excavation done

All the dirt has been hauled away. Dan found a place behind Weslake. Yeah!! I checked w/ Fred at lunchtime, and he was finishing up the digging. He said to take some pics, because we will never see this again. The big rocks I put aside on Sat. to save are covered up, but Fred said he would save me a couple big ones.

He was putting in the footings and the inspector was going to check it this afternoon. After the inspection, we are ready for concrete. I'm glad it is going to warm up this week.

Everything looks sooo big. See the little island there. That is going to be the back porch. (you can click on this pic)

I finally picked up pumpkins after work today, and we carved them tonight. "The Great Pumpkin" was on tv also.

Stay tuned for the foundation guys!!

Anyone need some dirt?

Thursday's dig was cut short by rain. Here is a pic from Fri. A small pool where our master bath and bedroom will be. They couldn't dig anymore on Fri., because it was too wet to drive the dirt to the site down the street.They must have put the driveway in before the dump trucks came. It looks huge and not where I thought it was going to be. I thought it was closer to the Sycamore tree. Sat. Tami and the kids came down. Erik was too sick to come. He'll just have to see the pics. We went to the lot to climb around the mud. We found some nice big rocks in the mud pile. I piled them near a tree, so I can use them in the landscaping.

Sat. night we went to Apple Blossom Farm, so Grandma, Tami, Cassie, Harry, Steve, Jackie, and Josie could go in the corn maze, and get scared. I opted to get hot cider and sit by the bonfire listening to storytellers. Tami, Cassie, Jackie and Josie even went through a second time. Grandma, Steve and Harry went home. T, C, J and J talked me into going on the "scary" hayrack ride. I didn't look around much, so it was fine. (I don't like being scared!!)

Monday Fred was back and this is the kitchen and dining room area. I think the green pipe is the sewer.
This is where the girls rooms are going to be.
So there is a delay. See the big piles of dirt. We've run out of places to put it. They don't need anymore down the street, and it is too wet to take it to the original dump site. It really needs to dry out, so Fred can finish the great room. It is currently under the machine. We're hoping he can finish tomorrow, so we can be on track to get concrete poured. I'm hoping for a warm up - Indian Summer. Anybody need fill dirt? I can't even fathom the weight of it; a few tons.

It will be fine. This is out of my control. I wish we would have gotten our act together earlier, so it would get done before it snows. " Whatever will be, will be"

Fred the Excavator

Here is Dan the Builder and Fred the Excavator using the laser level to find the elevations of the lot.

Here is our retired neighbor, Harvey Tookey, giving free advice on everything. We will be seeing a lot of him. He was there the whole 2 hrs. Steve and I were there. Steve entertained him.

Note to self bring gloves. It was kind of chilly this morning. The layout looks good on the lot. He marked it out w/ fluorescent orange paint. Steve and I "walked" through the house.

I didn't get out of work until late, and it was dark and rainy when I went by the lot. Steve went back after dinner and said it was about 1/2 done. "The hole was very deep" he said. I might go by before work tomorrow. I wish the rain would stop, so they can finish.

Watch for pics of the basement!!!

Tomorrow's the day

We are meeting the excavator at the lot at 8am. We are going to make sure he digs the hole where we want the house. Like we have any idea. I hope it doesn't rain. We really need to get this started. Sunday is supposed to be the first frost. I'll have to ask Dan the builder when he will get started on the foundation.

Here's where Jackie's room is.

Here's where Josie's room is.

Here's the kitchen.

STAY TUNED FOR A BIG GAPING HOLE!!!!!!!

Trees Down

Buskirk finished up on Wed. The lot looks a little naked, but good. They took out a mulberry in the back that had fallen during a storm and they took out a lot of the brush too. The lot looks larger. We'll probably clear out the rest of the brush after a good frost. We'll have to be careful of the poison ivy, because Steve is very allergic. He had a small spot of it after mowing just once.

I called Dan on Wed. night to tell him we were ready to dig. He told me he would get back to me after talking w/ the excavator. I haven't heard anything. "JULIE" has marked the lot w/ flags for the underground utilities. So probably next week we will have a hole.
Checking out some websites last night and stumbled upon these outdoor lights. What do you think?

Cast Off

Today Josie got her cast off. They took a x ray and it looks good, so she doesn't need a new one. It is so much easier to do things without that big clunky cast on. She is looking forward to PE tomorrow. I hope she doesn't get too gung-ho about kickball.

Trees are coming down on the lot. We stopped by after the Ortho appt. around 3:15 pm and they were working on the maple in the back. When Steve went by around 6:45 pm, the big oak was down and only a stump remains. They are going to use the stump grinder on it tomorrow.
Our new neighbor has a bit of a nosy problem. When I went by, he was getting in the way of Buskirk's truck. He must have put his "two cents in" about a tree he thinks we need to take down. It's not on the list to be cut. Needless to say, I did not get out of the van. I've had it up to "here" with the advice about what we should do. I'm going to call Dan tomorrow and see when Fred, the excavator, wants to get started. We need to dig this hole!!

Ready to Dig?

The visit to CEFCU went well yesterday. We had all the necessary paperwork for them. We are shooting for a closing around the first of Nov. We locked in our rate of 6%, which is good, because it seems to be going up. Our interviewer was great and she thinks that Dan can get started, because it shouldn't be a problem getting the loan. If he gets started now, he will probably want his first payout after we close. He said it should take 3-4 wks to get the foundation done.

We are in a quandry though. At last weeks mtg with Dan, Steve informed us that he wants to cut down the oak tree on the lot. It was making the house not centered on the lot and it would be in front of the front door. So he got a couple quotes, and we need to get it done now!! I wish he would have made this discovery sooner when I showed him the site plan I drew 3 wks ago (Typical Steve), so it would be done and wouldn't conflict w/ the basement digging. I'm not going to get bent out of shape about it. "It will be fine." is going to be my mantra for the next 6 months. I should buy stock in Tylenol for sure.

Permit!!!!

Dan, the builder, dropped off paperwork for Steve and I to take to CEFCU tomorrow at 2pm. While he was here at the lab, I gave him the paperwork that I had prepared for the permit. City law only permits the General Contractor to drop off and pay for the permit, because he is the one responsible for all the "codes". So I got everything ready - 3 different permit applications, 2 site plans, 2 building plans, steel and trusses engineering info. He took it down there around noon. He just called me at 4 pm, and said they called and it is a GO. He can pick up the permit tomorrow. He is ready to dig literally. I think he would start tomorrow if I told him it was okay. I think Steve and I really need to get the bank on board first. Dan said the first payout won't be for about 3 wks., so even if we haven't closed he can start.

I'm getting excited. Now the really hard part begins. Picking out all the stuff.