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...