Hi Boys and Girls.  I stopped by the house today to chat with our mason and then had a follow up call.  Our second inspection – this time for the trench where the footer will be poured for our new wall – passed just fine.  In order to build the wall they dig down several feet into the earth along the whole area where the wall will be built.   An assembly of steel reinforcement bar (aka “rebar”) is then set in place and the concrete is poured over top.  After a couple of days to cure in place, the new wall gets built. 

Inspection happened at 8am and the concrete was poured at 8:30.  Weather permitting, this should be cured and ready for the new wall to be built above it starting on Wednesday.  In the mean time, the concrete blocks, more rebar (runs vertically inside the concrete wall) and more cement (fills all the holes in the concrete blocks to make the wall a “grouted solid” structure) are delivered, stacked inside and arranged for assembly on Wednesday.

Based on the crew’s speed with which they work, this west wall should be largely completed by Friday.

Meanwhile….

We’re working on finalizing the budget for the entire project – so far we’re on track, though nothing ever seems to cost what it should without hammering away at vendors.  Prime example: the glass flooring in the 2nd and 3rd floor hallways.  This floor replaces the wood floor in sections and is supposed to allow light from the skylights to pass through to the first floor and illuminate the middle of the house.

A little background: RS Means is a database of construction data used to help figure out what things cost to buy and install.  The glass flooring, made by a company called IBP, was originally estimated at $55 per square foot – steep, but managable given how little we needed.

Uh. No.  Try more like $200 a square foot.  We’re back to the drawing board looking for alternative vendors.  Keep  your fingers crossed – this is an important part of the house design.

Don’t get me started on the open staircase.

Steve