The Basement is at the Shell Station

A Few Panels Waiting Their Turn...

Okay, really weird to drive by the Shell station at the corner and see your basement on a flatbed.  Kind of made me giddy;-)  Remember we went with precast foundation walls so they were transported to the lot from the manufacturing site.  They started putting the walls up around lunch time last Thursday – prep was followed by putting together a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.

Installation of the main part of the basement was completed on Friday afternoon.  There were a few hiccups with the side porch and garage walls – this wasn’t the simplest of designs when it came to how the walls were to be built and how this fit together with excavation.  We did a walk through with the company rep on Sunday and the crew was back at it this morning.  They were cut short by crazy bad weather today so it will most likely be a few more days before they can even get their trucks back on the site.

Outline of the Body (of the Front Porch)

The next few posts will have tons of pictures to record the installation of the walls – they went up fast so don’t blink;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  The culvert got obliterated.  To the crew’s credit, they had a really rough time getting the crane and flatbeds onto the drive due to the mud and the width of the road.  Very glad we went with the wider culvert now but those nail strips only work if your subcontractors don’t remove them…

Completely Squashed;-(

Culvert Schmulvert

Okay, as I’ve said before – I know very little about construction.  This has made for some comical conversations and interesting moments.  But I’m learning…and that’s fun.  I’ve been the main bid getter on this project so I’ve had to learn quickly.  When a technical question arises, I simply say, “You’ll have the talk to Rusty – I’m just the courier.”

Always wear gloves when spray painting

During early planning conversations, I knew I was in over my head.  One particularly savvy owner-builder we talked to told us we needed to start the process by getting our culvert bond (see my last post).  I acted like I knew exactly what she was talking about and simply asked, “Where do I go get that?”  I was too embarrassed to ask, “What the heck is a culvert?”  Ask me where the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon is and I’ve got you covered but a culvert – not happening.

According to the EPA, a culvert is “a closed conduit used to convey water from one area to another, usually from one side of a road to the other side.”  In other words, a culvert is that big corrugated metal pipe that runs under roads, driveways, etc.  It’s important because it allows for water runoff to flow readily while preserving the road bed, ditch, and/or river bank.

Asset Protection - Driver Beware

Standard culvert width (i.e. width of your driveway) is 20 feet.  We opted for a 30-foot culvert on the recommendation of our excavator.  Since yours truly is a horrible backer-upper, this makes a lot of sense;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  This is a recommendation from our excavator which we thought was worth trying.  Even though we will most likely be putting in two culverts, he suggested we only put in one until we are closer to finishing construction.  He said that culverts just scream, “Run me over!!!”  He suggested getting a board and putting 20-penny nails in it and putting it over the end of the culverts.  We decided 60-penny nails would be more appropriate (and visible).  This may not be the “nicest” way to protect your culvert BUT he said it works.  We’re calling it asset protection.  You may want to wear gloves when spray painting;-)

Rain, Rain Go Away…

We’ve broken ground!!!  As of this afternoon, the culvert was complete, there was rock on the upper driveway, and the basement excavation was started.  Woohoo!!!  Great feeling.

Driveway

As we’ve been planning this over the past year, never once has anyone said to me, “Watch out for those subcontractors…they may show up earlier than promised, be incredibly respectful, return your calls, and over deliver.”  As we’ve been collecting bids, this has been the norm more than the exception.  I know I’m young and dumb when it comes to this so I’ll keep my guard up BUT we have met some incredible people thus far.  The first two trades we have had the most contact with have been the excavators and the lumber companies (more about them later this week).

We got four excavation bids — all different and all including different things (very confusing).  Flat fee vs. hourly rate.  Some wanted to look at the plans and some didn’t feel it was necessary.  Some dug utility trenches, some didn’t.  Some returned our calls and followed through and some needed more prompting.  The individual we chose spent the most time studying our plans, making suggestions, meeting with us, walking the lot, communicating with building and codes, and generally making our lives easier.  Bonus — he showed up on the site two days before expected.

Front Left

So now we are at the mercy of the weather.  We have had an unusually wet winter for Middle Tennessee — of course we have.  Honestly, we’ll probably have a moat in the morning but I’m thrilled with our moat;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  Before excavation can begin, a culvert bond must be obtained.  For us this was with the Montgomery County Highway Department.  The culvert bond has to be obtained before applying for the building permit.  The bond in our county is $250 (refundable) per culvert you will be installing.  Calling the department before you stop by might be a good idea as they may have to physically visit your lot/location prior to issuing the bond.

Will is obsessed with the machinery;-)