Bond Beam Prep Work Done!

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The man of the house. No, you don't get to see the ones he took of me; I was climbing around on the scaffold to get shots of the bond beam frame, and I look ridiculous. You can see the inside of the fraem, though:

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Essentially, it's just like the footer they put in for the foundation, only one story up in the air, and with a particleboard frame around it rather earthen walls. The rebar gets tied in the same way, all the way around the walls. this is what holds up the upper story.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The guys all showed up ten minutes early this morning, and the delivery truck, with the lumber and particleboard, was right behind them. We had wave after of wave of storms threatening today, and while they ultimately went over or around us, you can't depend on that. So the guys went at it hard today, really stepping up the pace to get it done. It had to be completed today, because the cement truck and pumper are arriving tomorrow for the monopour of the bond beam. It was slated for 1:00 PM, but the crew chief called tonight to say that they were moving it up to 11:00 AM. Part of that is simply to make sure they have time to get it done, but part of it is also to beat the weather that's forecast for mid-afternoon and beyond. This will be like the photos I posted of them pouring the footer, except it will done nine feet up in the air on scaffolds.

For now, this is what the house looks like:

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

So is this:

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's amazing how much more like a house it looks with that frame up there.

Of course, that will come down on Tuesday (as will the flaps you see hanging at intervals, which are there to protect the lintels from the cement). It's just a mold; once it's had the three-day to weekend to cure and set, the frame gets broken apart and removed entirely. What's left is the bond beam, a concrete "beam" that runs all the way around the house.

Tomorrow will difficult; it's hard work for them, and as hard as it is to pour a footer, it's that much harder nine feet up wrangling an extra-long hose. There's also the issue of the weather, and it has to be done in one shot; you can't pour part of it and then come back later and do the rest. We have them taking Labor Day off, and Wings paid them today for the whole week (including tomorrow) so that they could take care of stuff they needed to do. Tomorrow will see us writing checks for the cement, the delivery, the pumper truck and the guys who man it. It's an expensive week.

So we still need daily shares of the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets on it, and especially via the widget code from the purple box at lower right, which gives you this:

We also need daily shares of the link to Wings's site. Testimonials are great, too. Every sale we make goes, first, to pay day-to-day expenses, and whatever's left over goes toward construction of the house. 

And just for those who (like I when all this started) have no feel for how long this should take: These guys are rockin'. Everyone is shocked at their speed, and it's high-quality work. The guy who did our blueprints was passing by this morning and saw everyone here working, so he stopped in to see how things were going, and he was thoroughly blown away; he couldn't believe we're already to the bond beam and getting ready for some of the interior work.

And all of that has been made possible by all of you who have helped us so much. I can't put into words how grateful we are (yes, I know, I know; thank-you notes would be good, and I'm trying to carve out time for some of it this weekend). We've got a very, very long way to go yet, but we'll get there. We just need your help with shares, etc., for a little while longer.

 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.