Here today, gone today

Lots going on today and the days to come. Dusty came with his concrete pumping machine. We had to have the top cap and columns pumped because of the height. Doing it by hand would have been a nightmare.

You can see the steel rebar in the trough at the top where the guys are pumping. This rebar encircles the foundation as well as it ties to vertical rebar down the wall every 2'.

A concrete truck is feeding the pumping machine which in turn feeds the hose attached to the 'J' handle.

 We hit good weather for the work. Should be reasonable temps tonight and the next few days.

The pumping took about 2 hours but saved us a great deal of time and muscle.











The next and last pour will be the slab for the garage floor. Maurice will be back on Wednesday or Thursday to finish that part.

Floor trusses are being delivered in the morning. We'll start framing the first floor floor right away.


Today was a big day for another reason. I got out of the campground and into my new digs (I'll send photos tomorrow). It was kind of sad in a way. I'd been at the New River State Park since August 18th. You can do the math.


I'm so glad to be in a place where I can stretch, walk around, etc.



More coming,
z

The top cap ties everything together.

Yesterday and today

 Yesterday was cold and our mountain got a good dusting of snow and ice. This photo was taken from just above our cabin looking down.

I stopped by today and the ice was dropping all around, much warmer and beautiful.

Weather looks good for our concrete pour tomorrow. The rest of the week looks good also.

While Katy and I were on a 2.5 mile hike we were somewhat lost until we came upon this directional sign in the neighborhood below our cabin.

Somebody's got a good sense of humor.

More coming,

z

In spite of the weather

Big plans for today. Scratch that! We were set to pour the top cap and columns of the foundations, set anchor bolts and get ready for setting the sill plate tomorrow but Mother Nature has other plans. We'll be back on schedule and better weather Monday.

The best laid plans of mice and men...oh well! As you can see, the weather is nasty. Rainy and cold but due to clear later this weekend.

The plumber was there yesterday and roughed in the drain lines, ran the water supply to the mechanical room and connected the septic tank to the house. Nothing like an unconnected septic line!

The plumbing rough-in at this stage is done before the gravel bed and concrete slab for the garage is poured. The slab will be poured next week also.


The floor trusses are being delivered Tuesday and will be installed pretty quick. Subfloor will go down after the trusses. We'll be in good shape for delivery on November 9th of the SIPS. You'll notice a marked difference in the look of the house and my attitude once the SIPS (walls) are installed. My favorite part is when we get to 'wood'. Concrete doesn't do much for me.

Sorry for missing a few days of posts but I'm starting to go a bit 'wacky'. I told someone recently that living in my small camper is very much like living on death row. Very small quarters and no visitors. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy...it's just that I'll be happier when I get paroled and head to the luxury of a friends cabin next Tuesday.

Almost forgot...our address is   210 Maple Tree Lane,    West Jefferson, NC 28694. The mailman told me he would deliver anything folks mailed to me, like, care packages, donations, letters, etc.

More coming,
z

Almost at the top

We've made it to the top of the foundation today. Tim and James are setting the steel rebar in the walls every 2' by the height of the wall and also along the top edge all the way around. We're scheduled for our foundation inspection tomorrow. We will pout Monday because we have some pipe to set, run the water and electrical line under the slab, etc.

What's that old story..."he huffed and he puffed, but he couldn't blow that house down". I'd like to see him try!!!

We're also being proactive with regard to the weather. I wrapped the well, pump and pressure tank with insulation and tarp material. We should be good for any temperature...famous last words.

It's not the prettiest but it is functional and temporary.

Lots going on this next week as we finish up the slab and foundation and start to set the floor trusses. To be honest, my favorite part is when we get to 'wood'. So far it's been nothing but cement and blocks. That's going to change real soon!



More coming,
z

Warm-Cold...make up your mind!

One day it's warm, then rain the next and then we get snow flurries. I wish it would make up its mind!

The gentleman with the tan head is Maurice. He's my go-to-guy for all things 'mountain'. He and his crew are handling the grading work which is very near complete. They are sliding water line and power line into a long 500' 4" black pipe from the cabin to the water pump location. You're looking at beautiful Carolina blue sky on Tuesday.

The next and last thing they'll do is pour the garage slab, dig small deck footers and move some big rocks around for me. I'm going to miss those guys, they've been great.

Snow on the cement blocks this morning

Up here they say, if you don't like the weather, then wait a minute. The photo to the left is this morning. We got a light dusting of snow. Yesterday I didn't post because it was a rain day...all day!

We're still on target despite the weather. My sweetheart is coming to visit and 'check' on me!!! I keep telling her that I'm busy but I think she has the link to this blog and really knows the truth.

More coming,
z

Lots going on...

The foundation continues to rise and that's a good sign. We're trying to beat the clock with winter on the horizon so every block laid gets us closer to dry-in time.

The power company came today and swapped out our temporary hot box for a permanent one. We now have electricity on the property. The electrician was due in later today to connect the well pump wiring and tidy up.

Power lets us stage for all of the wood work we'll be doing in the next 30 days not to mention how good it is to have water available. There was a point when I didn't think water was possible (read back a few posts to catch up).

A big truck came today with what appeared to be my crypt (I want to be buried on the property with a large shrine). It was actually our brand spanking new septic tank, clean as a whistle, but not for long.

This might not be a big deal to you city slickers but waste removal here in the mountains is critical if you don't have an outdoor privy.










The crew was working hard to lay the drain lines in the drain field. These are the lines that accept run-off from the septic tank and also provide a wonderfully green patch of grass...see Mom, I'm good for something!




I'm heading from the library this afternoon to order up the last of the masonry material for the house and the sheep shed.


More coming,
z

First blocks of the foundation

Today started out a bit rainy but has ended up very windy and cool. We had a load of block, sand and mortar mix delivered this morning for our long awaited foundation. Tim (in the trench) and James are laying the block. What you're seeing is the first course of block going down. Tim and James will also help with setting the SIPS later this month.

They project completion of the foundation by next week. Hopefully we'll have good weather for awhile and can meet our deadline of early November for dry-in.

Our neighbors, from Miami, are here and have been very kind to let us use their water for mixing mortar. 

Laney, the 911 Address Coordinator for the county came out and marked the cabin and workshop on official GPS. We'll be assigned an address on Monday and the tax department will be notified that we have added to our property. I guess our taxes will go down...

The power company has the order to turn on the juice. I didn't see them today but Monday was the next day for schedule.

I heard from a man in Zionville, NC who has locust posts with bark and other fancy woods. I'm going to take a drive there in the morning to check it out. The locust posts are for our wrap around porch.

Maurice will be back next week to dig for the septic tank and drain field. Then it will be inspected and we're done with the Health Department.

more coming,
z