Monday, September 7, 2009

Footing Forms

I finally got done hauling the last load of bales (for now) on Thursday. I hauled well over 800 hunderd bales lately, from various different places, and a bunch of heavy equipment in between, and just as I expected, the weather turned kinda ugly ever since. I sorta knew that might happen. lol. It has been real cloudy and alot of rain off and on lately. I have been doing what I can in between rain storms. Sunday it rained practically all day off and on, it was going to be a day of hauling some topsoil, but I ended up relaxing and going to some friends for dinner instead. A rest was well needed and deserved. I notice tonight it is pretty windy and alot of leaves are starting to fall off the trees. My plan is to have a cement truck come out sometime this week and pour my footings, providing the weather cooperates. I am kinda spooked to even get them lined up to come out with this unpredictable weather. I do have just a little bit more prep work to do before I am ready. The forms are built and leveled. I have my drainage pipes running through the footings, and most my rebar is in. I just have to glue and install my under floor plumbing, and finish the rebar, and a few little touch ups here and there, then I am ready. Seems like I have been working on these footings for ever. Those drain pipes that are running through the footings are not a real common method of foundation drainage, but it is a way of the wood basement. I can leave them as they are, to drain under the floor to the sump with a granular drainage layer of tile rock. Or I can connect the pipes to the sump with more pipe inside the footings, which I am planning on doing. In a normal basement, one would have weeping tile (perforated pipe) running around the outside perimeter of the basement footings, and then piped to a sump in the basement floor. There are other methods, but this is the way I chose to do it.
I sure do hope that the snow holds off for awhile. I am quite sure that I will be doing some of this in the snow eventually, but the longer it waits the better. Tonight feels like anything could blow in. For now the plan is to be out of my house in town for November 1. That is when my potential renter could take possesion. But, she does tell me that it is flexible, depending whether or not I am ready. Im ready. lol. I'm sure that once the footings are poured, things will start to happen. I just want my basement to be done and backfilled sometime soon, then I really don't care about the rest. My mother has been out there giving me a bit of a hand at times lately. She's a good hand, and most of time she brings out some pretty good lunches.
Alot of people still think I am nuts, and are suggesting that I should build a bigger house. LOL. I'm thinking maybe smaller if anything.



6 comments:

  1. Mark;
    Progress my friend. Keep up the good work.

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  2. Great job on the forms Mark! Lookin' good! Hope the weather cooperates for you and the cement truck delivery.
    Glad to hear you were able to take a well deserved break with friends too. :)

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  3. Thanks Cath.

    Thanks Tony.

    Thanks Jeanie, I sure would'nt argue if you wanted to trade weather for a few days.

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  4. In my way of thinking...less is better! You can always add on as needed, but why build room you don't need right now? The money and the time can be better used elsewhere...

    Looking good, buddy!

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  5. You and I are both thinking the same Jim. Correctly.

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