So, when they put the bucket of the back hoe into the ground to build the trench in which to build the foundation for the den and the new kitchen . . .
it immediately filled with water because of yet another spring . . .
So, they stopped digging the trench for the foundation and immediately dug the trench from the house to the curtain drain culvert at the street so they would have a place to send all the water that was apparently inevitable to appear and hamper the work around the foundation of the house. This all happened in one day as I was at work. So I have no photos of that progress, just of the end result.
In all their digging around the foundation of the house on the north side of the house and around the den and the kitchen, they discovered four separate veins of water. Here are photos of the jagged foundation wall once exposed (aren't the stones pretty), of the trench with gravel and piping and, of course, more water.
Once they got the pipe to the street in place, they started digging the trench for the foundation around the den and kitchen, and then they slowly, by hand, connected the two trenches, carefully working not to sever the pipe from the well to the house (marked orange).
Digging little by little till the water whooshed through.
And as they watched the earth crumble slowly out from under the pilings supporting the roof of the den.
Once the water cleared, they resumed work on the trench for the foundation.
Of course, it filled with water, too. So they threw a pump into the trench to keep the water pumped out to the street so they could work.
Once the digging was complete, they installed the forms for the concrete wall against the foundation and the beginnings of the den and kitchen foundation.
Here comes the wildest sight I have seen in a very long time. County Concrete was called in to pour the concrete for the foundation wall. I had visions of this huge truck sinking deep into the mud in the yard. But no. There were two trucks, one mixing the concrete, and one pumping it into place.
It was the "pumping it into place" that floored me. The pumping truck had a boom that could reach from the driveway and up and over the house. It was incredible!
Look at this!
Some of the crew. Michael White, our general contractor, is in the middle. I thought he looked a little too well dressed to be done there in that mud.
The foreman of County Concrete asked if his company could build the foundation wall for the den and the kitchen and Michael said "get me a bid". They did, and it was lower than what Michael and his team could do, so he hired him them to pour the rest of that foundation. To be continued . . .
it immediately filled with water because of yet another spring . . .
So, they stopped digging the trench for the foundation and immediately dug the trench from the house to the curtain drain culvert at the street so they would have a place to send all the water that was apparently inevitable to appear and hamper the work around the foundation of the house. This all happened in one day as I was at work. So I have no photos of that progress, just of the end result.
In all their digging around the foundation of the house on the north side of the house and around the den and the kitchen, they discovered four separate veins of water. Here are photos of the jagged foundation wall once exposed (aren't the stones pretty), of the trench with gravel and piping and, of course, more water.
Once they got the pipe to the street in place, they started digging the trench for the foundation around the den and kitchen, and then they slowly, by hand, connected the two trenches, carefully working not to sever the pipe from the well to the house (marked orange).
Digging little by little till the water whooshed through.
And as they watched the earth crumble slowly out from under the pilings supporting the roof of the den.
Once the water cleared, they resumed work on the trench for the foundation.
Of course, it filled with water, too. So they threw a pump into the trench to keep the water pumped out to the street so they could work.
Once the digging was complete, they installed the forms for the concrete wall against the foundation and the beginnings of the den and kitchen foundation.
Here comes the wildest sight I have seen in a very long time. County Concrete was called in to pour the concrete for the foundation wall. I had visions of this huge truck sinking deep into the mud in the yard. But no. There were two trucks, one mixing the concrete, and one pumping it into place.
It was the "pumping it into place" that floored me. The pumping truck had a boom that could reach from the driveway and up and over the house. It was incredible!
Look at this!
Some of the crew. Michael White, our general contractor, is in the middle. I thought he looked a little too well dressed to be done there in that mud.
The foreman of County Concrete asked if his company could build the foundation wall for the den and the kitchen and Michael said "get me a bid". They did, and it was lower than what Michael and his team could do, so he hired him them to pour the rest of that foundation. To be continued . . .