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June 13 2005, Footings are in.
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Foundation
The footings were poured last Friday. As usual, it was accomplished with some amount of drama.
Last week we had trouble with the foundation contractor. First, he was delayed in ordering the rebar, then his generator broke. Instead of renting a generator or buying a new one right away, he decided not to show up to work and for two days his workers were waiting on the property with nothing to do. I am very grateful that David woke up early every morning to check on the progress or we wouldn’t have known what was going on. It’s pretty bad when the homeowner has to check on the contractor every day to make sure he shows up for work! David left a very stern message for him and told him that we expected the footings to be poured by that Friday; I wanted to fire him. Our trenches could collapse at any moment and we just didn’t have the time for more delays.
The next day, he showed up for work with a new generator and it happened to be the same day that the county inspector was there to approve the trenches. The concrete was ordered for the next day and we really wanted to fill the trenches before the weekend. I expected some problems to come up so I decided to show up as well just in case there was an errand that needed to be done. The inspector declined approval to pour based on two things: We needed an address sign in a second location (the gates covered up the address when they were ajar); and our approved set of plans did not indicate that our foundations would completed with two pours. It seems like a big detail to miss, but somehow we didn’t think of it.
David managed to get the engineer on the phone right away and convinced him to write an amendment to be attached to our approved set of plans. Then, he persuaded the plan checker to accept a fax from the engineer since it was urgent. After that, he called the inspector out again and he approved the footings a few hours before the concrete showed up. We put up a second sign and we were ready to roll.
Everything went smoothly with no cave-ins. Our footings required exactly 36 cubic yards of concrete, equal to 4 trucks. They roughed up the surface so that the stem wall concrete will hold onto the footings better.
June 22
This is the set date for the final inspection of our house. After that, it takes a week or two to tie up the house, package and brace it for transport. We’re busy trying to organize the details with the set crew and the crane. We’re also gathering all of our finish materials and I am becoming overwhelmed with the sheer volume of everything. I anticipate a month of hard work in July.
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the address?
what is with the requirement for the address? are they afraid you are going to hide the site or something?
address
Yes, I know, it's mental. Nearly everyone in the permitting & inspection process has been a real stickler. To some degree, I can see their point of view. Everyone wants their permits and inspections fast and many are very resentful of the safety regulations and various requirements to build. The inspectors are probably so tired of hearing complaints and constant requests for liniency that their reaction is to become very strict and put everyone in a box.
It's great that we only have to deal with the county for the foundation, carport & certificate of occupancy. I wouldn't want to deal with the many inspections of on-site construction.
Oh, and when I said that I was overwhelmed by the sheer voulume of things, I meant that we have stored so much stuff in preparation for the stitch up and there's not much room left. I'm not overwhelmed by the impending tasks; I just want to get this show on the road!
Sara
Inspector Ego
I can understand the address thing as a general requirement--persnickety perhaps, but it basically makes sense. To invoke it to deny approval for pouring a foundation, however, can only be interpreted as spite.
-Steve
Progress
Sara--While it seems like a lot of work left to do, and there will always be factors that jump up and make it more complicated than it should be, you should view every incremental step as progress toward completion. You are in the home stretch now. Those of us that are a year behind your present timetable are envious and admiring. You and David keep up the good work! When things get hard, remember how Joe Frazier used to box: head down and moving forward, not stopping until the job is done!
David, Seattle