Day Seven

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday (Monday). Foreman thinks that the garage is ready for "the lift" tomorrow (Wednesday). Goal is to still be finished on Friday ... living room lift on Thursday, with basement on Friday. Somewhere in there will be the installation of four wall anchors on west basement wall and possibly three on north living room crawl space wall. Each day there are more "sounds" ... so far they have been "friendly".

So until tomorrow ~~~

Week Two; Day Six

Today I awoke to an overcast and misty morning. I wondered how wet the ground was and whether the holes were dry enough to work in. Foreman Matt calls every morning to let us know they are en route ... today that call came in at 8:46 a.m. Crew set right to work ... chiseling away at unneeded concrete ... hydraulic ram installing push pier pipes. It was a very noisy morning, so no t.v. viewing for me, I sewed instead.

After their lunch break they began setting pipes in crawl space beneath living room. The room really started doing alot of creaking ... gave me the heeby-jeebies. I immediately stopped sewing and cleared out of the room. I had convinced myself that the brick face of the fireplace was indeed going to fall on me! Talk about a sissy ... nothing fell, no new cracks appeared, but my grandfather's clock had been removed from the mantel ... because, well, you never know!

No pictures to post today ... if you've seen one hole, pier bracket or installed push pier ... you've seen them all.

So tonight I'm enjoying the "peace and quite"!

"Slash-a-Stash" Quilt ~~~

On one of the many riverboat cruises I did with my sisters I purchased a quilt kit at the "Follow Your Heart" quilt shop in LaCrosse WI. To be honest I don't remember the year. I do remember that it was aboard the American Queen (or was it the gaudy Mississippi Queen?). IF I remember correctly it may have also been the trip when Michael's family brought nieces and nephew to see their Aunt Debi after we had docked there for a shore tour. I digress ... at any rate I remember a river, a big boat, some kids, my sisters and a quilt shop visit!

My next big project is the t-shirt quilt for Ty. I wanted to "warm up" on a smaller project so decided to "whip" this one out because it was so "simple" ... slash a block, mix and match the pieces/parts, and off you go! Of course, in the interim we had the heat pump/furnace replacement, then the foundation issues, and I was forced out of my sewing room(s).
Hmpf ~~~

I claimed a corner of the living room for my sewing station ...

... and was able to complete the quilt!

As I was preparing the fabrics, labeling, cutting, etc., I was thinking "I thought the shop sample had more pink?" However these colors/fabrics work just fine for me. Goes to show you when enough time elapses you don't remember some things as well ... and I don't think it has anything to do with age either!

(tried a different type of label for this one)



TGIF!!!

Day Five, Friday, October 19th

Today we saw something new!!! Crew are still prepping each hole to accept the push pier bracket - which needs to be bolted onto the wall. Still alot of "dust" ... but not as noisy. Today it was the actual installation of a push pier system ... exciting!!!

prepped hole

peeking in through basement window ... Dustin has begun the installation of the first push pier

installed wall bracket

hydraulic ram - pushes pipes through surface until it hits bedrock - about 40 feet

two installed push piers - 27 more to go!!!

As push piers were being installed we could "hear" the house talking to us. It was not the gut wrenching sound you hear when it's settling. It was more of a sigh - like it was telling us "thanks, I needed this"!



... the promise of hope ...

At the end of the fourth day I was feeling a bit low. It's been a noisy, dusty four days. I had just walked around outside the house, surveying "conditions", taking pictures ... noticing the piles of dirt, the multitude of holes and all the contractor gear ... and I became even more "blue".

I looked out the front living room window and this little chrysanthemum had survived ... a reminder that everything would be okay.

Day Four

Day Four - Thursday - October 18th ... wind-wind-wind

Work day was cut short due to high winds. Cement dust was blowing back into faces. Can't say I don't blame anyone for calling it quits.

Backhoe work was completed, meaning all exterior holes are dug. In all we lost a dogwood, a variegated something or other, a red barberry, a spirea and several hostas. While it was a tough decision to make it was easier to let them go than to try saving them through the winter months. Oh well ...

Crawl space beneath living room, I think, would have been the greatest challenge. Crew were at least six feet tall, and hunching over to dig must have been a real challenge.

I've taken many, many pictures of this process and will not bore everyone with all of them. If you've seen one hole you've seen them all ...

... and I'm sick of all the dirt ...

Day Three

With everything that has happened over the past three days (and previous week-ends) you gotta wonder if you thought things through thoroughly! While we thought we had removed all of the obstacles we still needed to dismantle or remove more stuff ...

The front deck framing and some of the railings needed to be "taken down". Foreman Matt and Larry made swift progress so backhoe could have proper access.

The "Dan/Mitch Walkway" had to go ... south wall of garage had settled ... it was sad to see it go as our sons-in-law had done the work for us.

The covered patio on the south was also under attack on day three. This is where underground pipes run from well to house ... fortunately we did not have a "water fountain"!

Brother-in-law Michael, in Alaska, works for Caterpillar. Unfortunately backhoe used here is a John Deere. OH NO!!!

There are piles of dirt EVERYWHERE! This is the smaller pile "growing" in front yard ... much more to come on Day Four though.

We are to have a total of 29 push piers when job is finished. Holes being dug vary from 2x2 to 2x4 depending on position of pier. Depth also varies from 2-5 feet. Now that's some hole!

So, day three is over. Alot of progress ... most of basement "digging" is nearing completion. Outside work has begun. There is a thin layer of gritty dust all over basement, some on the first floor and I'm sure second floor has not been spared. How do I know? Kleenex ... blowing my nose and I could smell a hint of concrete dust! Is nothing sacred?