Footing Day

What a great day for the Victorian Restoration project. 15 Cubic Feet (2 truck loads) of cement was flawlessly poured into the entire foundation frame. Starting at dawn, on our last clear day this week, the trucks arrived and the 7-man crew got to work. I have never seen such a coordinated, calm process. A huge amount of cement now sits contained by the wood frames with re-bar peeking through.  Very nice job. We woke the grand kids early to come see the process. It is a rare event in our neighborhood. We all stood by watching it happen while eating pancakes and eggs. It is both thrilling and frightening, knowing all of the potential challenges of this sort of pour. This step is literally the foundation for the whole project.

I am still looking at clear sky and it is 3:30 pm. We expect rain by 7 pm, but the cement will be hard enough to withstand the rain by then.

16 more support footings will be poured next week under the existing house along with 8 more spread throughout the new foundation.  Our future tile floors, huge wash dryer set up and cast iron shower make these old houses impossible to stabilize without multiple pillars throughout.

I am anxious to feel the support under my feet.

Bay window support dwarfs the steps.

We have dreams of enjoying the back porch.

It is feeling pretty solid.

If fits right up against the deck.

From this angle it sure looks long.

Up close the angles and steel rods look impressive.

The kids join the fun.

6:30 am and the roar of the mixer gets us out of bed.