Build Catch up - April 28th and 29th

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Here are the photos that would not upload from Tuesday ... plus some from today.

Unfortunately I did not manage to get to the lot during daylight hours yesterday..but was amazed at the progress I saw today, when Lisa & I went. Incredible! What a difference in 2 days!!! The basement walls were being waterproofed when Lisa & I arrived.. and the first (ground) floor deck was on..which of course mean that the basement is now enclosed (apart from stairwell apertures)..and the basement window areas are framed.

Lisa & I toured the first floor..took a photo of the beautiful view from where the front living room window will be..and went in to the basement. We were there at 4.45 p.m., when the sun is almost exactly on the opposite side of the house, and yet there was still plenty of natural light in the basement (despite the fact that the ground still has to be graded around the house). Really pleased!!

Sorry still haven't worked out how to ensure photos post on the blog in the correct order. First 3 photos above were from today (April 29th) and last 2 are from Tuesday (04/27/2010), although I did upload them in chronological order!

Back at work

A gorgeous day today, so work recommenced at Lot 7.

Work began on installation of the metal supports and some of the framing. Although a lot drier than it was, the "driveway" is incredibly churned up after yesterdays rain..still it is heading for 80 degrees by Friday! Yeah!

I hope that you particularly appreciate the photos today.... they took 2 journeys! I visited the Lot early afternoon but when poised to take the first photo nothing happened! I had managed not to turn the camera off after uploading the photos on the blog yesterday which resulted in there being no power left in the battery! Grrr.. I was so annoyed with myself! Consequently, William & I swung by Merlin Rd. on the way to soccer training this evening, to get a photographic record of todays' progress.

P.S. Obviously not my day..laptop not recognising the camera tonight so cannot download photos....sorry! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day!!???

Rain stopped play!

A grey miserable day that resulted in no action on Lot 7, other than the truck loaded with the basement wall forms departing.

Photos show the recessed block built walls built on Saturday, for the recessed side and front entrance doors.....and the sticky muddy quagmire created by the combination of the truck and the persistent rain! I was a couple of inches taller nce I had walked up the driveway and back to the car!

Fingers crossed that framing can start sometime tomorrow.

House build catch up

Yesterday (Friday April 23rd - St George's Day) things were pretty quiet at Lot 7. The steel supports and first lot of timber for the framing of the ground (1st) floor were delivered, otherwise no activity.

This morning I met Rick at the lot to discuss the revised position of the entrance door and related closet and basement stair relocations. You can see in the photo on the right( taken from the top of the basement wall..most definitely against health & safety regs!!) where Rick marked out for me, in aerosol paint, the layout of the entrance foyer. After I left , to dash home to speak to Ian on Skype, Rick was going to build the new wall in block, so that all was ready for framing to start Monday (or Tuesday, if we get the rain that is forecast for Monday). I will try to pop along tomorrow to take photos of the wall (I can hear you all - she says rather tongue in cheek - all, maybe 3, of you??!!) gasping in excitement.

As you can see I have worked out that I CAN post more than one photo per blog!! (will I be able to sleep tonight with the excitement of the possibility of photos of the wall AND additional photos on the blog each day??!!) Not very thrilling photos to anyone except, I hope Ian..left hand one shows some of the supplies (& our beautiful surroundings!)...right hand one shows, just about, the aerosol paint markings in the entrance foyer.

Hasta pronto!!

Unveiling of the basement walls

A day to put the basement wall frames up on Tuesday..and a day to take them down today.....to reveal the concrete basement walls..all dry and looking pristine!! Next stage... framing of the ground (aka first!) floor etc.

William came with me to see how the house is progressing....he seems to really enjoy seeing what is happening ..and I enjoy having someone to share the excitement with. I imagine I will be picking him up from school rather more regularly so that we can go along together a couple of times a week. Less than 4 weeks until Sam will be home, and then he will be able to follow first hand the progress with us too.

Basement walls

Today the concrete was poured in to the basement wall frames. It was a hive of activity with concrete mixers and pump lorry on the lot, plus at least half a dozen Mexican guys busy working on our house, ensuring the frames were properly filled; still in place after filling and placing reinforcement rods in to the walls. One of them had a soccer shirt on, and the team he was supporting was sponsored by Bimbo.....a brand of bread we used to get in Venezuela. I think we still have some Bimbo beear fridge magnets somewhere!! The chaps told me (in Spanish) that it is infact a Mexican company. All good practice for the Spanish. The workforce switches to Amish for the framing in a couple of days. Wonder if they will turn up in their horse drawn buggies??!! Somehow I think not!

Stood in the basement..entering through what will be the exterior basement door (see photo)!!! Quite exciting to see the house beginning to take shape. To be honest there were times when I never thought I would ever see it happen!

Next stage

After a day of inactivity on the lot yesterday (due to supplies not being ready until later in the day) today the forms for the basement walls have been installed, ready for the concrete (...of the greener variety, Rick having successfuly sourced concrete with fly ash!) to be poured tomorrow. So a busy day at "Little Britain" tomorrow..I'll be there to capture it on camera.

Basement wall prep

As you can see from the photo there is not a lot visibly different than yesterday. The concrete company were there marking, with great precision, where the forms will be placed for the basement walls. Apparently the metal forms will be erected Monday (possibly in to Tuesday) and then concrete will be poured (weather permitting) on Tuesday/ Wednesday.

76 degrees today but felt hotter than that on the Lot...certainly going to be a sunny spot (perfect for solar!). The Mexican labourers were feeling quite at home in the warm sunshine....a tequila or two would have gone down a treat!

photos from the initial start f the build...the one over 4 weeks ago!!

Jane, William and his 2 friends, who had slept over the night before at our rental home (all on Spring Break from school) all duly arrived at Lot 7 Merlin Road at 8.00 a.m. on March 17th (the day after Stephen proposed to Rebecca!), as instructed by Rick, our general contractor. Why? To witness ground breaking of our long awaited new home!



The boys, all 13 years of age, of course were very excited at having to get up so early, and be out and about on a bright frosty morning. The bribe of a Wawa Breakfast hoagie did the trick (or maybe they secretly hoped it would be their lucky day and they would see a lepruachan it being St Patrick's Day!!) In the absence of my husband I needed some support/ company on this momentous occasion...so our younger son and friends were my groupies (for all of 10 mins!).

In the photo (from left to right..and, as it happens in descending order of height!!) Steven Walsh; William Blake, Liam Macartney and me!

Thursday April 15th - US Tax day!! British Airspace closed due to volcanic ash from Iceland!

Increased traffic on the lot again today as they were levelling and then spreading stone chippings all over the basement floor. The meticulously poured footings are now hardly visible - just the metal rods sticking through ready to reinforce the basement walls! I believe that tomorrow the framework for the basement walls will start to be constructed, in prepeartion for those to be poured early next week.

Had a visit from the neighbour who owns the land opposite our lot. Very pleasnt man. He assures me that there will NEVER be a house built in front of us as, not only is the retenion pond there, but the woods behind are all flood plain. Hurrah..we keep our beautiful uninterrupted view for ever!

Glorious day weather wise - 75 degrees F. Forecasting potential of some thunderstorms tomorrow.

Ian has asked me to post some photos from the original start date of March 17th..will try..but think it will be a seperate blog..this seems only to allow 1 photo per blog!! If anyone knows differently please let me know..thanks!

A quieter day at "Little Britain"

Our little piece of England in Chester County PA was somewhat more tranquil on Wed. April 14th than the previous day. The weather too was a complete contrast to Tuesday - beautiful clear blue skies all day long - 65 degrees F.
Gone the concrete sub contractor, at least for a couple of days, so no concrete mixers, pump truck, contractors truck, trailer and gone too the smaller excavator.
The footers now look very distinctive as the concrete is dry, and it is very obvious (to those of us familiar with the floor plan anyway) exactly where each room etc is going to be. Makes it seem very real. Our next door neighbor came to visit me whilst I was on the lot, and together we put the sections of construction fencing (orange mesh) back up, so that the deer will not wander in to the area where work is being done. It would be horribly messy (& painful) if they fell in to the big hole, that will be our basement, and impale themselves on the metal rods set in the footers.

Township inspector came out to check the footings today. All approved so on we go.....!

Catch Up on the build

L...o....n...g story, but after initial excitement all stopped on March 18th due to a dispute with neighbour. (hence been no blogs for a while). 3 weeks later, on Wed. April 7th, work restarted (dispute not yet fully resolved) with the house moved 15 ft north on the lot. The basement and foundations were excavated and footers put in 7th - 9th, ; Formadrain installed 12th and today the concrete was poured in to the footers. After gorgeous weather the last few weeks, today it actually struggled to reach 50 degrees and was raining steadily, but not heavily, for a fair chunk of the day. Consequently the concrete mixer lorries (yellow with black polka dots..I kid you not!) could not get far enough up the lot! A pump lorry came to the rescue to pump the concrete from the lorries/ trucks (3 1/2 loads in total) in to the footers. Fun and games all round with the excavator being used to tow the pump truck up far enough (& chain snapping mid tow) ..then later had to tow the concrete mixers in to position up the drive. All very muddy, but mission was accomplished. Exciting to see the shape of the house now framed in concrete...although I was frozen (last Tuesday it was 88 degrees..much more to my liking!) The house looks big!! I have taken lots of photos and hope to post them here on the blog once downloaded, and I have worked out how to do it!!

Will try to keep blogging regualarly from now on....more concrete pouring to look forward later this week when the basement walls get poured......likely to be a traffic jam of concrete mixers along Merlin Road..but at least the weather is back in upper 60's and sunny tomorrow, and I believe for the the rest of the week.