Building the Foundation

Since the last posting, we accomplished quite a bit.  The foundation form boards were installed and surveyed. Per the survey, everything was well within the property lines and located where we wanted the structures.

Bull Dog Drilling drilled sixty four piers for the home and garage.  The foundation plan called for fifteen foot piers into “virgin soil” or “auger refusal if rock is encountered.”  Since we had three feet of fill toward the front of the home, the projected pier depth would have been 18 feet.

On the first pier drilled in the garage, Bull Dog Drilling hit rock at 5 feet.   The majority of the remainder of the piers drilled ranged from 6 to 10 feet.    Later the same day, the concrete contractor sent a crew out to pour concrete for the piers.  Needless to say, with sixty-one piers resting on rock, the foundation when built will not be going anywhere.   Also, on the positive note, the pier cost will be significantly less than projected.   

My plumbing contractor started on Monday (May 5^th) and completed the plumbing rough in the same day.  Unfortunately, he did not get the water line in from the street.  On Tuesday, we had heavy rains which shut the job down.   The plumbing contractor returned on Thursday and ran 300 feet of 1.5 inch line from the street to the home and “powered” the system.   We called for a building inspection and secured a green tag for the plumbing rough.  Other than having to kill a five foot snake while they dug the ditch with an excavator, everything went very smoothly.  

I was somewhat concerned about the visible coils of shiny copper sticking out which was very visible from the street.  Today at lunch, I mentioned my concern over possible theft to a friend in the construction business. He advised me that I should paint the copper to resemble PEX. 

Afterward, I went to Lowe’s and purchased cans of blue and red paint and drove back to the job site to paint the copper accordingly.  Hopefully, potential thieves will not bother the site since it appears from a distance that PEX was used instead of copper.  I would have never thought of this clever idea which more than justified the cost of lunch.

On Monday, the concrete contractor will start digging the beams for the foundation.  After the beams are dug, the plumber will return to make sure the plumbing had not been disrupted, the electrician will install conduit on the sand (prior to black plastic being laid down) and the pest control company will install the “Termimesh System” to prevent termites.