Mid-August Update

The construction site that used to be our home still pretty much looks like the picture in the entry from 08 August. Some differences are that the entire roof is completely off the top of the house, and only the joists remain, along with ceiling drywall hanging from them in certain rooms.<br />n<br />nWork started to pour the new footing that runs under the wall that separates the hall bath from the kitchen, and the two or three other pads that will buttress the transition between the slab and raised floor.<br />n<br />nOne big issue we found was the new footing under wall would need to be constructed under the wall that has lots of plumbing running through it, as well as the main drain pipe laying directly below the wall. We had our first pow wow with the contractor and the architect at the site this past Friday, and this problem was a main focus. We determined that we’ll create a second wall, directly adjacent to the first wall, that will ride atop the new footing. What this means is that we’ll lose about four inches (by about 10 or 12 feet) of space in the dining room, as the entire kitchen will be shifted over by that amount.<br />n<br />nIt’s a real bummer that we didn’t see this before. We’re a bit, um, disappointed that the architect didn’t get dirty and crawl under the house, or into the attic, for that matter, when he was doing his design and construction planning work. Seems to be a bit of a cop out, all those “to be verified by contractor” disclaimers seemingly littered throughout the plans.<br />n<br />nThings seem to be working out with the general, though. He and/or his crew show up each and every day, get work done, and keep the site clean. So far, a thumbs up experience. However…<br />n<br />nThe general started talking about the possibility of repiping, in copper, all the water lines in the house. Well, that’s been on my radar forever, so why is it a question now, I asked myself. Going back to the contract, I fully expected there to be a mention of it, but alas, there wasn’t! I could have kicked myself! This is the time to do it, so I told him to write up a change order.<br />n<br />nSpeaking of change orders, so far on our list, in addition to the repiping, we also have to put the moving of the sewer pipe under the house, and Rita’s been angling for a better closet situation in the existing master bedroom. The only thing we’ll be able to do there is open the closet up a bit to accomodate bifold doors.<br />n<br />nConcrete forms are not too far away anymore.<br />n<br />n<br />