prairieman

Overall: focused on the goal of concrete slabs being placed and finished on Saturday

Monday: installing rebar in the house and shop.

Tuesday: more rebar being installed in the house and shop. Believe I am saving $$$ doing it myself (or so I keep telling myself)

Wednesday: wait. what ? deja vu – installing rebar… can see the end of this task is near – will finish up tomorrow morning

Thursday: finally finished installing and tieing rebar. got started bulding forms for each of the doorways in the shop and house.

Friday: completed formwork, then spent time checking and re-checking all of our prep work in anticipation of pouring concrete tomorrow. Concrete shooting out of the hose on a pumping truck is akin to a firehose – so need to be certain nothing is loose and would be jarred or torn away creating a calamity.

Saturday: Was the last person to arrive at the site at 5AM. The crew and the pump truck were already in place and ready to work. The bright floodlights on the extended boom of the concrete pump illuminated the site like the field of dreams movie with the ballpark lights on. First concrete arrived around 5:45. A couple separate factors combined to prevent getting both slabs done in one day. That was fine with me – I’m more interested in surface finish quality than having both slabs completed in one day. House slab is scheduled for Tuesday.

Sunday: The surface finish quality on the shop concrete floor is outstanding. We saw cut the slab into large sections to promote any cracks that appear will follow the saw cuts. Spent the rest of the day marking up a floor plan drawing with window rough opening values.

Overall: An interesting week. We had a list of specific tasks to accomplish, involving a variety of material on hand at the site, to be assembled and installed before the concrete slabs can be poured. Weather was cooperative and we were very productive.

Monday: Final screed for the gravel fill in the house. Installed vapor barrier, expansion joint material around the inside perimeter. Installed 2″ thick foam in the house footprint. Fabricated a manifold for PEX tubing w/ electrical PVC elbows and angle iron.

Tuesday: Laid down over 2500 feet of PEX tubing in the house for the radiant heat system. Also got 2 slinger trucks w/ small crushed stone to reach final grade/elevation for the shop.

Wednesday: started installing rebar for the house and helping Kermit with screeding the crushed stone for final floor elevation in the shop.

Thursday: Compacted the shop crushed stone, installed vapor barrier, expansion joints and 2″ foam board in the shop. Spent the afternoon fabricating a manifold for the shop PEX tubing – same janky approach – which is OK. It will be buried in concrete…

Friday: Laid down the PEX tubing for the shop. Spent part of the afternoon, cleaning up the site, collecting scrap material. AJ called to confirm placing and finishing the concrete for both slabs on Saturday July 23. Mowed the grass at the site.

Sat: Purchased material for concrete forms at all of the door openings. Spent the afternoon, straightening the truck and putting away tools in the garage after a week of construction activity.

Sun: Spent the day as an instructor at my first Tire Rack Street Survival event. Search the internet for it. A lot of fun as an instructor and definitely a good cause teaching young, inexperienced drivers advanced accident avoidance skills.

Overall: Going as well as we could hope and expect.

Monday: 4th of July. Spent the morning auditing receipts and the expense spreadsheet, started marking up a floor plan drawing with all of of the window and door rough-in specifications. Reading up on radiant heat installation procedures. Time spent online looking for a rental home.

Tuesday: Received a truckload of fill gravel for the shop, and a slinger truck w/fine crushed stone to complete the house – we will need one more load. Concrete truck arrived with grout to fill the recently completed stem walls for the house east wall and north end of the shop. Hottest day of the year, and we were out in the sun pouring concrete and spreading gravel. Physically exhausted at the end of the day, while being careful not to overdo it.

Wednesday: Another slinger w/crushed stone completes the house. Need a couple more loads of fill for the shop. I formed up a small box for concrete so Carole’s shop will have receptacles in the floor under her work table. Menards delivered 145 4′ by 8′ sheets of 2″ thick foam insulation, which goes above the crushed stone. We have 3500′ feet of PEX tubing which will be stapled to the 2″ foam board. Concrete will placed over the PEX tubing for our heating system.

Thursday: Dump truck brought the final load to bring the elevation of the shop floor up to the planned heighth. At the house, we screeded the fine crushed stone by hand, using a laser level to ensure the entire 32′ by 68′ house floor is as flat as we can make it. Scheduled to receive a pair of slinger trucks for Friday, to get the shop caught up with the house. Rain is scheduled overnight and all day tomorrow.

Friday: weather forecast was accurate. 1/2 inch overnite, and rain all day Friday. Slinger trucks were cancelled due to the inclement weather. Hired the contractor to place and finish the concrete slabs. Making phone calls, working on the slab heat manifolds, and packing for our move in September.

Saturday: purchased hardware to fabricate a restraint system for the slab heat tube manifolds. They need to be properly secured when the concrete slabs are being poured. Unloaded vapor barrier at the site. Called for information on a couple rental homes.

Sunday: met the exterminater at the site to “poison the slabs” (proactively thwart/prevent subterranean termite entry). This task was planned for Friday and cancelled. It is also is pacing the entire project, so thanks to Eric for getting it done on Sunday, which enables Kermit and I to begin work early Monday morning.

Overall: Still moving forward and making progress with construction. Hot and dry weather all week.

On a very different subject: we were hit with incredibly bad news from our landlord who told us she cannot extend our lease that ends in September. Her husband does not agree and is fine with us staying until Spring, but little else he can do for us. I have offered to increase our rent by 20%. Nope. Jim has revealed they have separated and she has moved to Virginia. She is selling the rental to begin selling off assets. Our heads are still spinning as we try to figure out what to do. I don’t see how we can find temporary quarters and where we will store our large household.

Monday – morning spent on the phone and computer – all construction related. Afternoon spent at the site doing electrical rough-in and other assorted tasks. Called for concrete on Friday, but they are fully booked for the entire week.

Tuesday – a repeat of Monday. The storm shelter is pacing the project now – scheduled to retrieve it tomorrow.

Wednesday – left Bloomington very early AM for a 400 mile drive into Tennessee to pick up a storm shelter. Severe weather & tornados are less frequent and not as intense as Kansas & Oklahoma, and Carole might not have insisted on it, if the house had a basement. Neither of us wants stairs in our retirement home, so a shelter was in the plan. Made it back to Bloomington in the evening after an uneventful trip.

Thursday – at the site early to unload and place the shelter. It is 3ft wide, 7ft long, 54 inches tall, and 1500 lbs of steel. The top will be flush with the concrete floor and has a sliding door. Kermit and I were able to place it using crude but proven methods. I departed to pickup a tractor with front loader. Called on Tuesday for 3 truckloads of stone to fill in that area with trucks scheduled to arrive starting around 10AM. Didn’t see any trucks until afternoon. Gravel moved and leveled.

Friday – tractor returned, materials purchase at a nearby lumber yard. Goofed off to play 9 holes of golf with a good friend. We are entered in an annual scramble golf event NEXT Saturday with a large group of friends from high school. Kevin and I are trying to get in a little practice before the big event. Friday afternoon spent with more planning, sourcing materials, logging receipts, etc.

Saturday – worked on compacting fill, and making concrete forms. The forms are needed to a create a small sturdy foundation for electrical boxes that will become floor receptacles in the great room, and power for the kitchen island. Mixed the concrete in a wheelbarrow.

Sunday – More compacting. Removed the forms, attached the electrical boxes and routed electrical PVC back to the mechanical room with the electric service main panel.

Overall – a productive week, with hot and dry conditions. The stem wall for both structures is now complete and the plumbing is roughed-in.

Monday: Summer Solstice. The plumbers were on site all day, nearly completing their task. Said they would finish up on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday: Went to all 3 equipment rental business to rent a backhoe for the day, to dig the last 30 feet of footer along the east wall of the house. Nothing – everything available in Bloomington was being rented. Called the lead plumber and asked if he could do it (he had a mini-excavator on site for his task) He called the owner who said sure, $150 per hour. Having observed Doug operate that machine for the past several days – I said yes, knowing he could complete it in less than 2 hours. Done in an hour and they were gone late morning. Called for concrete to be delivered on Wednesday.

Wednesday: Just Kermit and I installing rebar for the footers and tieing it all together. Rented a compact tractor with a front loader so we could move gravel fill and dirt piles. It has finally dried out enough at the site to move subsoil as backfill on the outside foundation walls. Concrete arrived at 1PM. Footers 100% complete. Called Nelson (our mason) to let him know he could start anytime. Said he would be there Friday morning. They couldn’t tell him if sand and mortar would be delivered on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

Thursday: More moving dirt and gravel with the tractor. We roughed-in electric service conduit from the south wall of the house where the meter base will be installed to both mechanical rooms (house & shop). The plan is for a 400 AMP service with 2 main panels – one in each structure. Also installed 3/4″ PEX tubing connecting the 2 mechanical rooms for the hydronic heat system. The plan is to emply a single boiler in the house to also provide hot water to heat the shop. Was pleased to see the truck delivering sand and mortar in the afternoon. Sent a text to Nelson, letting him know the materials he ordered were on site.

Friday: returned the tractor when the rental store opened at 8AM and proceeded directly to the site, arriving around 8:45 AM. Was surprised to see that Nelson and his crew were more than half way to completing the stem wall. Knowing that materials were delivered the previous afternoon, decided to start just after sunrise. They were gone by noon. Stem walls – complete. Spent the afternoon on a variety of mundane tasks (always something to do…)

Saturday: at home all day, updating the speadsheet with expenses, filing receipts, looking over the radiant heat tubing plan, straightening up the truck after a week of busy activity and stuff going into and out of the truck. Also tasks I’ve been ignoring around the house with car maintenance etc.

Sunday: more of the same. Arrived at the local Menards right when they opened the doors.. More employees than customers… I’ve done this for years. A long list of material to purchase and the no one in the store but a handful of customers. Rest of the day working out problems in a wide variety of topics. Troubleshot Carole’s no start issue on the E39 – bad battery. A little truck maintenance after that. Met with Mike Baker at his place. I need him (and his truck & trailer) to fetch and return a custom made tornado shelter from Somerville Tennessee. We need that appliance ASAP to keep getting ready for concrete. A very busy, yet – relaxing and pleasurable Sunday.

Overall – a productive week. Summer heat (90’s & humid) started Monday through Friday.

Monday: rented a tractor w/front loader. Spent the day moving and spreading several loads of gravel fill. The west side of the house and shop are out of the ground about 5 feet, and thus need – A LOT – of fill material.

Tuesday: more truck loads of gravel and more moving and spreading fill stone. Kitchen area of the house is finally high enough to install the 6″ diameter PVC duct that will route air from the downdraft cooktop vent from the kitchen island to the west wall. Current level of the stone fill for the house footprint is within 8″ of the final floor height. Plumbers arrive tomorrow to dig trenches for burial of the plumbing sewer, drains and vents.

Wednesday: Plumbers on the job site, starting on house plumbing. Kermit and I are working on the shop building, bringing more loads of stone, which means more moving and spreading material.

Thursday: Plumbing rough-in continues. Used the picnic table at the site as a mobile office, calling concrete contractors, updating the expense tracker excel spreadsheet and answering questions from the plumbers.

Friday: plumbers working on sewer, drain and wate plumbing to eventually be buried under the concrete floors. Menards contacted me: my online order for (145) 4’by 8′ sheets of rigid foam board arrived today.

Saturday: Fedex delivered all of the materials for the slab hydronic heat system. Mowed the property at 6619, mowed dad’s yard and Paul Fitch’s yard while he remains in Florida.

Sunday: met Joe & Ralph Landrey at 6619 today. We bored holes in the north and south house foundation walls and the south shop stem wall for the electric service conduit/wire. Have already purchased the materials for 2″ electrical conduit pipe and fittings. Waiting for the plumber to complete their work before installing the electric conduit.

Overall – pretty productive in spite of continued and frequent rain.

Monday: cleaned dried mortar from approximately 100 concrete blocks, the result of me ramming the stem wall with an excavator. The mason is on vacation for 2 weeks, so we will concentrate on the house. Called for and received 4 loads of fill stone. Need to raise the “floor” of the house, so a concrete truck will be high enough for a downward slope on the chute, when we grout the stem wall. Called the rental store to reserve a compact loader.

Tuesday: Was on site by 9:30 towing my trailer with the rented compact loader/backhoe, which we used to spread the fill stone. Also rented a plate compactor to compress the fill stone.

Wednesday: not at the site today. Forecast for rain proved to be accurate, with severe weather later in the day. Worked on a variety of administrative tasks and made a few calls to contractors and material suppliers.

Thursday: Sunny day. Called our primary ready mix concrete provider – said they were super busy – 2 weeks. Whaat ? Called another ready mix provider – better – have to wait until Monday. Scored with the ready mix guys in Nashville – said they could bring us grout but wouldn’t be able to have a truck to us until 3PM. Yes please ! The house stem wall is now fully grouted.

Friday: Cleaned the stem wall of spilled grout. Called and received 5 loads of fill stone. The stone is being used to raise the level of the floor to within 8″ of final concrete slab. Spent most of the day, starting a burn pile for years and years of of accumulated dead tree limbs and branches just west of the house where the forest begins. And… 3/4″ rain overnight.

Saturday: Visited the site to mow the property frontage along highway 45. Purchased materials at Menards. Reserved a tractor with a loader to spread Friday’s gravel on Monday. Also mowed dad’s lawn and a friend still in Florida for another month. Returning the favor of allowing me to store vehicles at his place.

Sunday: Spent the day at home, sourcing materials for concrete slab prep. Shopping for simple vapor barrier to be installed on the fill stone and under the rigid foam board and concrete. It pays to shop around; have found prices ranging from $185 to $245 for a 20′ by 100′ roll. The cheapest was also available now, versus a week (or 2 weeks) to ship from other sources.

So… the rule of this blog is: full & factful disclosure.

If you read the Week 7 post just published, it sounds like a I had a fabulous weekend, and I did. It WAS an terrific weekend for all the right reasons. Unfortunately, Sunday evening ended with a thud. I was making a final pass across the shop building, smoothing all of the large ruts created by the tracked skid steer loader from all of the activity over the weekend. Bottom line: I lost situational awareness, despite the end of 2 productive days w/this machine. I managed to tag (ram) the northwest end of the shop building stem wall, while in reverse, pulling gravel.

Destroyed about 20 linear feet of concrete blocks, 5 courses tall. Happened around 6:15 PM. I was absolutely crushed and completely stunned with the consequences of my error. Loaded the machine and drove straight home. Was in no hurry, so had time to reflect on the busted block wall. By the time I arrived home, had already thought out and mapped out a recovery plan to keep us on schedule. Made me recall the situations that made these memories. Quote from a dear friend: it this was easy – everybody would be doing it. Another: If you don’t occasionally produce scrap, I gotta wonder if you’re goofing off and not actually working hard and making anything.

I really hope this is the worst thing that happens on this construction adventure. I’m over it, and moving forward – with a sharper focus and concentration.

Never give up.

Since this is a “special” post, will use the opportunity to inform everyone of some admin stuff. After starting this blog: was annoyed by a plethora of trolls & bots making useless comments to my posts. Annoying ! Travis made a software change to the blog that no longer allows ANY comments to my posts. Which sucks. I’m interested if you enjoy or conversely, if you do NOT like the blog. Text or email. Would love to hear from you. Should be an interesting week…

Overall – this week was terrific. Celebrated a mini-milestone with the stem walls for both buildings virtually completed

Monday – Nelson Oliver and his crew arrived to begin conctruction of the comcrete block foundation walls. Carole and I spent Memorial Day weekend in Kansas, so Kermit was onsite to answer any questions.

Tuesday – Shop walls nearly complete, began the same effort for the house. Oliver neglected to order 6 inch CMU’s last week. 6 inch CMU’s are needed for the top course, and will be delivered on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday – a long day for Nelson and crew, but they were able to complete the stem wall for both buildings. Once we have backfilled both building footprints with the appropriate amount of gravel fill, will have Nelson build the east wall for the house and the 2 pillars between the three garage doors for the shop.

Thursday – using the day to catch up on paperwork and contacting a variety of people. Example: called the plumber and electrician so we are on their schedule to bury utilities within the building footprint. I need to order the materials for the hydronic heat system. Went to Menards to puchase drainage tile to go around the foundation perimeter. Ordered a load of crushed stone to surround the drainage tile. Reserved a skid steer loader for the weekend to backfill the stem wall.

Friday – Spent the day talking to Kevin about drawing updates, called a couple potential contractors, then mowed grass at the site, Paul Fitch’s property and dad’s lawn.

Saturday – Spent the day at the site after arriving at the site with the skid steer loader. Spent the afternoon and early evening, moving crushed stone into the footer trenches where drainage tile had been placed.

Sunday – completed drainage tile installation for the other building, then focused on backfilling the flexible black plastic pipe. The idea is to provide a large drain source wherever there is a gutter and downspout. All of these tiles are below grade until they reach 15-20 feet west of both buildings with a dramatic downhill grade.

Completed that task mid-afternoon, so changed focus to moving a number dirt piles as the result of footer excavation. All of them are near exterior walls, so need to be removed and normal grade established. Also moved piles of dirt that will hinder the plumber where he needs to trench the main sewer line.

Overall: The Hoosier-monsoon continues, but through persistence and some luck; we managed to get some things done.

Monday: The house footer trench is a muddy mess, but no standing water. Decided we could get the trench cleaned up, dried out, rebar & stem forms installed; to pour concrete on Tuesday, so immediately called for concrete and were advised – they were already fully booked for Tuesday, but could extend their day and send us a truck after 5PM. We accepted.

Tuesday: We completed trench preparation by early afternoon, then spent the afternoon sitting around on a nice sunny day. Concrete truck arrived at 6:00PM and we completed leveling the concrete and installing rebar dowels by 7:30. Worn out after a long day, but very pleased we have footers poured for both buildings.

Wednesday: Light rain overnight. Visited the site very early. Called Kermit and decided to wait until afternoon to remove forms and transfer the building corners onto the fresh concrete. Back at home, was called by the mason telling me a truck was heading to the site with blocks, sand and mortar. Nelson asked if I could meet the truck to show him where to unload. Told Nelson about our success with concrete the previous evening, so he called the supplier to bring the additional materials needed for the house.

Thursday: An inch and a half of rain overnight. The site is a wet muddy quagmire. BUT – we have concrete in both footer trenches and enough concrete blocks, sand and bags of mortar for Nelson and crew to construct the foundation stem wall for both buildings !

Friday: more rain overnight, albeit with a favorable weekend weather forecast to dry things out. Kermit and I scooped mud out of the shop footer and thoroughly cleaned it with a garden hose. The house footer is still pretty clean. Nelson came out to visit and told us he planned to begin stacking concrete blocks on Monday. Carole and I departed after lunch to spend the holiday weekend in Olathe with Travis, Alex, spouses and grandkids.

Saturday & Sunday: an enjoyable weekend with a break from the project. Eager to return home on Monday to see Nelson’s progress.