Basement Layout

The guys managed to complete the basement layout today.  With a pause for the fireplace guys and the roofers tomorrow and friday, they'll be back Saturday to frame the basement walls.

Concrete and roof...done

While BHM worked on pouring the porch and garage (they had to work really fast, at 32MPa and a super hot day, the concrete was drying so quickly we could walk on it within 30 minutes!  Luckily we have the water on!), Miguel's guys finished the roof details at the front and back - now we have the shape of the house defined...nice.

Framing continues as the basement is poured

It was a busy day on site... these days underscores the importance of trades knowing each other.  Tom and Miguel worked together to stay out of each other's way - Tom in the basement and Miguel on the roof.  

First, the pour...

Then it was time for forming - the porch, garage and back porch slab.  I love the attention to detail Tom has for this step - it's not just about forming the slab and putting a 2x6 in front of the garage slab so you can haphazardly fill it with concrete.  Special care needs to be taken to ensure the proper elevations for the porch, front walk, driveway, garage and inside step into the garage.  When planned as an entire package, it's a thing of beauty.  When those things are not done in concert, it can be a real nightmare when it comes to landscaping.

Meanwhile, the victorious (they won the Euro Cup yesterday, don't you know?) Portuguese team was working on the roof.  It's been pretty challenging as their are lots of nooks and crannies and hand-cut sections to the roof.  Notice the two little outbuildings being build in the yard to the rear of the house - his and hers dog houses!

 

Boarding up

Mick was nice enough to help seal up the fireplace wall with concrete board, being sure to caulk all of the wood to wood joints with mastic to prevent air leakage.

After that, he put the temporary front door on, so once we have the windows in, we'll be nice and secure.

Fireplace Prep

In order to get the wood burning fireplace installed in the next couple of weeks, we've had to get some spray foam done behind where the self-contained unit will sit, as well as behind the flue to the top of the house.  If we didn't do this, we wouldn't have access later to properly seal the space with cement board (more than required, but I felt it was a good idea).

Raising the trusses

The trusses have been raised into place and they'll be ready for all of the cross-bracing work and hand cut areas by tomorrow.

Wrapping up!

Junior's team was in today to wrap the house.  It seems like a simple, basic task, but when you look at what's involved, choosing the right supplier who uses the proper materials and techniques makes a huge difference.  With a brick or other solid veneer like we'll be using here, it's critical this job is done right to keep the moisture where it below - out of the house.