Pouring the Foundation

OH. MY. GOODNESS!! I feel like a pioneer woman!!! Seriously. I have a new respect for men that build houses.

First, let me preface this by stating that I did not do much more than report that we poured the footings. I did not get into the 'feelings' of the day. Well, I am about to do that. It was hot, very hot! There was not a cloud in the sky. Normally, I am a person that does pretty much no physical labour. lol I walk up and down stairs. I cook, minorly clean, teach school, carry my purse to the car, move laundry from A to B, and train and delegate jobs to my young workers at home. If I walk upstairs, while chatting on the phone I get winded. Pathetic, I know. But that is how it is. You get the picture. I am not a physically fit person.

So you can imagine the workout it was on the day I helped pour the footings. And seriously, all I was doing was bending over and smoothing concrete in footing forms. Not too bad. Or maybe it shouldn't have been too bad.

Up and down, up and down. Bend and smooth, bend and smooth. Sun beating down. Hot, hot, hot. And then it was done. Two hours later. Thank goodness.

Yesterday, when Ray left for work, I asked him if he needed my help on the foundation. He didn't really answer, but looked like it wasn't really necessary. So I told him I would be there by the time the pour happened. I planned to pull up my lawn chair and watch the action. Not. I should be so lucky! I know foundations. I have poured three of them now.

I arrived, as usual, late, right behind the pumper truck. As I was running out the door I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to pick up some post saddles for Ray at the lumber store. Ooops. That would push me back, so I was nearly late.

I arrived at the land and thankfully we have two driveways. It is quite funny. Imagine this so you can see our house/driveway. Our official driveway and then the old driveway which runs down the meadow is like a backward P. You drive up the back of the P and then take a left and go straight down to the house. (remember the P is pointing towards the left). Or you can drive up the back of the P and and keep on going past the official driveway and you will wind through the meadow and end up at the other side of the house. This particular driveway is actually an old logging road through the meadow and eventually it will become part of the meadow again.

So I was able to take the road through the meadow and get there and watch the pumper set up. I got my trusty video camera and still camera and headed out, prepared to take pictures for posterity sake. It didn't take long for Ray to put me to work! Goodness, within moments I was called, so I handed the cameras to Austin, my camera man, gave him quick instructions and got to work.

What I saw right away was Ray calling orders to everyone. There were those last minute things that had to be done. It is really hard to judge exactly what time you will be done preparing for a foundation and when you will be ready for the concrete. And once it arrives, you had better be ready. So when there are those last minute things it seems a bit frantic.

Now, since this is a very large foundation and according to Colt, the only one of it's kind that Ray has done since he has worked with his dad, it put more pressure on. I am not saying *Ray* felt the pressure, but it was a new foundation for the boys to pour.

When we lived in the Big City Ray did many a foundation like this, but where we live people usually choose simpler plans. Plus, the two houses that we designed before we bought this plan, were your basic box foundation, with a few adjustments. This one has a carousel (breakfast nook) and areas that jut in and out along the foundation. So the nice thing is that Ray loves to build a custom home and he doesn't often get those opportunities where we live.

Strengthening Corners

The first thing he needed was ties added to the corners to strengthen them. The foundation was poured at the hottest time of day: 3:00 pm! It was also an extremely hot day of about 30* with only a few tiny clouds in the sky. Nothing to write home about.

As soon as I had done this I headed over to watch the guys begin the pour. I figured if the pour was happening, and we had Ray, plus the three big boys, and a day labourer to help, then I was not needed.



They began pouring the wall and were heading down the second half of the first wall, when all of a sudden things got a little crazy.

Blank Construction and Sons (Need I say more?!)

One of the interior form walls was pushing out and concrete was pouring through a corner. It was a weak spot because it was one without the hinges. I can't even begin to put to words what happened. Everyone jumped in and did their part. Ray was standing on top of the wall filling it with concrete when this happened, so he was telling people what to do and they were getting it done.

The boys wedged 2x4s up against the wall, and someone else began pushing the concrete out of the cavity so that we could push the wall back in and then press the 2x4 wedges harder against it, and then nail them into place. This was so that we would be able to brace the wall for the refill after the wall was repaired. The decision was made to go around the wall once and fill the lower four feet and then return to do the top.

This makes it sound like it was so calm and orderly. Well, because of Ray's calm spirit, it was orderly, but it was not without stress! Seriously, from what I could see we had a wall 3/4 full of concrete and it was pushing out 3"! I could just see the entire foundation coming down. Now, of course, that wasn't going to happen, but how was I to be sure! lol. I know that the boys and I were praying. And as it turned out, everyone on the job that day was a Christian, so I am sure there were more than just our prayers ascending to heaven!

The Wall After the Crisis Was Stopped

Before this was all going on it was sweltering hot, and Dane tells me there were no clouds all day. I know when I arrived moments before the pour started there were just a few tiny clouds up there. But when this situation happened I was praying and thanking God because clouds began to appear to block the sun and a refreshing cool breeze was whispering through the foundation. It truly sustained us through the continuation of the pour during this intensely hot day.

The Sun Is Hidden Behind That Cloud

I said to Colt, "Thank the Lord for the clouds!" And Dane told me that they were because that was the first cloud cover they had had all day. Such a blessing!

Love This Picture!
Look at those glorious clouds!

I took a breather and sat down to have a drink of water. My face was beat red, so says Austin. Well, no kidding. That was one freaky moment dealing with that wall, and a lot of mad rushing around!

The guys continued around the wall and all was well. Funny thing is, Ray hadn't got his dander up at all. Knowing him, he had the whole thing under control. laugh

Then I took a wander over to see how they were doing on the other side.

And then Ray says, "How's the wall doing?"

Huh?

Oh! The corner! We are heading to the opposite corner. Another possible trouble spot.

I check it out and what do I see? Concrete pouring out a new gap.

Pouring Out the Corner

I begin waving my hand in the air to let the concrete operator know to turn off his remote control concrete straw (laugh). I am sure there is another official word for it, but it escapes me right now. Thankfully, he did shut it down, and this is what we saw. It was the same as we had seen on the other side, except this time we had less concrete in the wall, so it wasn't as bad.

Ray decided to go work from another direction while the boys and I repaired the wall.


Our boys, I tell you, decided to use Cassidy's pouch as a brace! Then the next thing I see is one of the legs of a pair of jeans nailed to the wall! I told them I would be sure to let people know that was the "Sons" side of the construction company that did that! lol I know Cassidy wasn't too impressed, but I did tell him we would replace his pouch if necessary!



But it worked.


The pour out of the hole stopped, and we were able to strengthen the corner with ties, and then the pour was continued and the wall held nicely. There were no more incidents like that!

Cassidy Vibrating the Air Out of the Concrete

Putting in Wood Blocks to Stop Overflow at the Drop Wall

I figured my day was over. The foundation was coming to an end; it had been three hours of intense hard labour. I deserved to stop. I wandered around the construction site to see what Ray was up to.

These are the posts for the deck. On one side of the carousel will be a door from the breakfast room into a screen porch. From the other side of the carousel will be a door onto an open deck. They will connect in the middle, but there will be a screen door between them. This view will overlook our slight hill down and then look out to the ranch land beyond and the lake beyond that.

Colt Pouring the Foundation for the Wood Boiler

As I passed Colt, I see Ray and he says, "You can go to my truck and get some rubber boot. You can wade in the cement and level it."

I am *certain* he is joking, so I say, "Haha. Funny. I'm done." Pause, when he smiles. "You *are* joking, right? You don't seriously want me to put on rubber boots and do that?"

I am thinking that that is getting beyond my job description of: Come to the job site and watch, which led into quick fix ups, to errand girl, to complete jobs of my own, to save the day!

Nice husband that I have he smiles kindly, and understands, and calls to Colt, and says, "Colt, there are some rubber boots in my truck..." grin

But then.... He says, "Can you jump in here and pick up that wood?" That means crawling up a 2x4 across a moat, and then jumping down 4 feet into the foundation. Okay, energy needs to found again.

I said there for a moment. Seriously, I had let my energy go. I thought I was done. So the concrete truck operator says, "I'll do it."

I can't let that happen! That would not be right, so I climb up the 2x4 like a monkey, jump in the foundation and then begin picking up scraps of wood. You see, the concrete guy is going to dump the remains of his bucket in the foundation, and it needs to be clear to do that.

I begin picking up wood and tools and moving them out of the way of the 'straw', which is hanging down beside me, when all of a SUDDEN..

Ray Thrusts the Straw at Me

And this thing starts vibrating and concrete starts pounding through it and out at my feet. Wow! That got my energy back! laugh

Meanwhile, the little people had been playing in the shade under the trees. Finally, at some point they all took a rest from that hot, hot, day.

I have been asked how I find time for this blogging. Well, honestly, the blog is my children's life journal, and this week I am fortunate in that they are at daycamp in the mornings, so I have a wee holiday. The afternoons we head to the land. So in the morning, after I drop them off for three hours, I get to come home to a quiet house and do my work and then upload my pictures and write the blog.

Today, (the day after the foundation was poured), Cassidy and I will be stripping it. That will be a big job!
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