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.