Week #2 - Snow, snow go away

(January 25-29, 2010)

The return of the snow slowed excavation progress this week. The snow caused the excavated dirt to stick in the back of the dump truck making it difficult to empty. So while excavation didn't finish up on Monday as originally thought, all traces (with the exception of the pit on which the addition is being built) of the massive yellow machine were gone by Wednesday afternoon. I'm sure Kieran is disappointed by its absence. She was mesmerized by it.

The cold and snow did not however, stop a concrete cutting crew of four guys from starting work on removing Good Ol' Roy's cement blocks (that were holding the floor joists in place) from the top of the foundation. You can see these squares of concrete on the foundation in earlier pictures. They also cut out a 20 foot section of the original foundation on the back of the house to open up into the new section (see below). I did not witness this feat as the yard was roped off. It was loud, dusty and dangerous. The end result was impressive. A smooth, level surface remained - perfect for the framers to get a good seal between the old foundation and the new floor. Phew! A plate was screwed down onto the top of this smooth surface to ready the foundation for framing.

The footings for the addition were formed and poured on Friday. The cribbers (concrete guys) will be back on Monday to get the walls formed and ready for cement mid-week next week. All of the first floor lumber and other framing materials were delivered Friday. The framing crew will start Monday too. There should be lots of action at Casa Roa on Monday!

The city left a hole in the street for over a week where they were working to replace a valve to shut off the water on the mainline. While those employed by private business showed up snow or sunshine, 2 degrees or minus 10 degrees, those employed by our hardworking tax dollars were elsewhere. H'mm...yes, I told you I was going to keep my comments in check. They did show up on late in the week to fill the hole and release the premium street parking spaces back to the residents. Apparently there were several calls to the City's 311 operators about this excessive delay to patch up a hole.

In case you've noticed from previous pics, there is a metal box sitting in our basement. That is the remains of our furnace. I've circled it in the pic below. It was salvaged by the builders to provide warmth for the workers once the framing is done and the house is enclosed.

Week #3 is shaping up to be a big week with a promise of good progress shots. Stay tuned...

Week #1 - Out with the Old

(January 18-22, 2010)

After weeks and weeks...and weeks and weeks...of waiting, the construction phase of Casa Roa has begun. The gory details of our close encounter with the 'abyss' (a.k.a. Plan-It Calgary and any facet of this fine city's approval process) during the permitting phase were momentarily forgotten after tossing a rock through the front picture window. Let the demolition begin...

Demolition of the existing house down to the foundation and excavation of the 16ft we're adding on the back is scheduled to be completed by Friday (01.24.2010).

3.5 days and 6 truckloads of house debris later, the house is down to the foundation. Good Ol' Roy (the original owner and builder of the house) cemented the main floor joists into the foundation. What's more - he built the front and side steps into the house like no one's business. Demo of the stairs warranted the use of a mini backhoe fitted with a jackhammer to break the steps apart. Joey and I were witness to his handiwork when we demo'd the basement. In the words of our onsite manager, the house is overbuilt!! To Roy's credit, the 10 inch thick foundation survived demo. Good Ol' Roy. Haha!!

Demolition Complete!

Excavation got underway but was not completed. Due to tight conditions in moving the dirt to the truck, progress was slower than anticipated. This was an okay development as the cribbers will not be ready to roll on Monday. Despite this, the new footings and foundation should be poured next week according to schedule. Oh yeah, a concrete cutting crew will have to come and cut off the cement floor joist 'holders' before framing can begin. This is scheduled to start early next week.

So I've been asked by several people if I felt any sadness over the demolition of our home. I can't answer for Joey but the short answer is no. The memories that I have of life in the old house are intact. And when we're in our new house, I will reflect fondly on our good fortune to not be suffering from cold winters, scorching summers, the lack of closets and limited water pressure and anything else associated with inhabiting an older home. I'm so excited!! Hopefully this euphoric feeling continues...