Poised and Ready

Foundation Prep - Front Porch

If April showers bring May flowers then March showers bring construction delays;-)  We were hoping to see the foundation walls go in last Thursday/Friday which turned into Monday/Tuesday which turned into tomorrow.  I’m looking at this as a blessing - remember I’m still crossing my fingers on those windows and doors getting here in time.  The site has been prepped and ready to go for the foundation since last Tuesday.  Rusty was out at the lot this afternoon though and final prep and cleanup was being completed for installation tomorrow.

Lots of Gravel

We decided to go with precast foundation walls.  We didn’t go with the name brand but we did go with an experienced crew…and installation is key when it comes to these basement systems.  The funny thing is that the company we went with is based out of Rusty’s hometown.  Our sales rep was his band director in high school - kind of weird talking basements with the guy I first met at a band competition when Rusty and I were first dating.

More pictures to come…pending the rain;-)

More Gravel

HGTVPro has an excellent video explaining precast foundation walls but unfortunately it does not have direct linking capability.  The link below will take you to a series of foundation videos - scroll through until you see the ”Precast Foundation Walls” to become a foundation expert.  Okay, maybe not but it’s a pretty cool video.

HGTVPro Best Practice Video Center – Foundations Channel

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  Band directors know basements.

Soft Spots are Only Good on a Baby’s Head

The Black Hole

Okay, first hiccup.  Not a huge obstacle thanks to an observant excavator but it did prompt me to learn about dirt.  During excavation last week, the excavator hit a “soft spot” or what we fondly refer to as the black hole on the back corner of our garage.  There was a spot in the ground that was discolored compared to the compacted soil we need to set our house on.  We do know that there was timber on our lot at some point – we don’t think it was very much but the black hole could have been a very large root system or a spot where someone buried timber long ago.  Lesson for the day:  virgin soil (good), fill dirt (bad).

Black Hole Post Compaction Gravel

The fix is to dig out all the bad soil until you hit good soil.  The hole must then be filled with a dense compacting gravel – this is different from the washed gravel that goes under the house to allow water flow.  Once the hole is repaired, it can be treated like the rest of the virgin soil around it and the show can go on.

Check out the link below for all things soil…

Repaired Black Hole Right Corner Pocket

HGTVPro Soil Quality

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  The foundation is only as good as the soil it sits on.  Hire competent subs who know their stuff and keep you aware of potential problems.  Walk your site daily to stay on top of the project.