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...