The foundation will carry and distribute the weight of the house and was built to raise the house two feet above the road so that in the event that the Nile overflowed its banks - our house would not be the lowest point on the lot. The slab which will be our floor must also be raised two feet which is where the backfill comes in. Below: our nice foundation and the arrival of the backfill.
Truckload after truckload arrive and the excavator sets to filling the walls with engineered dirt.
A ramp of dirt allows a Bobcat access to the rooms the excavator can't reach. In the middle of it all is Roy with the tamping machine again packing it all down to form a good solid base.
Once the foundation is all filled, levelled and tamped down - what's next? Why, you dig it up again of course! The electrician and plumber rough the services in, the mains for water and power are laid in using the knock-outs previously placed in the concrete forms. Drainage pipes for run-off from the roof have also been placed and buried. The trades we are using have been great - everyone arriving and getting their jobs done on time.
The time is fast approaching when I will be called to walk across all this packed dirt, point to a spot and say "OK, that's where the sink goes, and over there - that's where the toilet goes and this spot here, this is where my cook-top will be." And am I worried? You bet!
When the wires and pipes are placed and the concrete is poured - that's it, so it better be right.
Once the wiring and plumbing are set, a sheet of 6 mil poly goes down, then 3" of rigid insulation, then 6" wire mesh which will secure the pex pipe for the radiant heat and finally the slab will be poured. All of this to take place next week, so stay tuned...
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