First Construction Set Backs

Well, we all knew the delays would come, but we didn't think it would be quite so soon after starting the project. Two difficulties arose last week. One: termite damage, not termites, just their handiwork. Dave, the project manager, is pretty confident that the crumbling band board (the board that runs under the siding along the top of the foundation) is old damage. So we just have to replace the boards that should do the trick. We do plan to get some proposals for long-term termite prevention once this house is complete though.

Two: an inadequate foundation. Apparently the newly exposed foundation at the back of the house showed signs of wear and tear. Bad news: our engineer took one look at it and said it had to go. Good news: the change order is not *that* costly (because we've eliminated the need for a good chunk of concrete) and we actually gain square footage in the basement, about 110 to be exact. You'll notice on the top picture in the last post that we couldn't excavate all the way up to the back of the house. That was because we didn't want to disturb the foundation. Well, now they have to get that dirt out of there so they can build a temporary structure to hold up the house while they build some new supports (columns and beams).

Of course, all this means going back to the county for approval and we have stopped work until that can happen. Justin's architect has been assigned this job. Let's hope the expedited process for projects under way is truly expedited.

Excavation

Things seem to be happening so fast now. On Friday, they finished excavating the new basement. It looks bigger than it will be when it's finished because the new foundation will take up a bit of space. The actual footprint of the addition is only about 667 sq ft.

During the excavating our neighbors, who are in the construction business, watched on with great interest and filled us in on all the details. Apparently, the excavation took longer than originally planned because our soil was so compact that every time a big chunk was loosened, it expanded to several times its size. But our expert neighbors told us that Rock Hard, the excavators, really did a great job adjusting to the circumstances.

You can see that we didn't excavate the four feet closest to the remaining house. We can't dig any closer than this to ensure that we do not disturb the footings of the remaining structure. As a result, there will be a short hallway connecting the new and old parts of the basement. You can also see some excavation along the side of the house. This is where the small side porch/portico will be. The front door will be about parallel with where the rear of the remaining structure is now.

Demolition Derby

Tuesday was the day we've all been waiting for. It has been nearly a year and a half in the making. But the wait is over and construction has begun. The pictures really speak for themselves.