Getting ready for the big pour.

The last Thursday in June was busy with various crews of workers doing a few last things before the big concrete pour scheduled for the next day.

First, Angel and the guys came by to set the posts for my front deck. The deck had been left off the original plans so the posts were never set for it. That was probably a good thing anyway — it gave the crew more room to work around the front of the building. Since deck framing wouldn’t happen until later and this deck didn’t have an overhang, the posts weren’t really needed until the end of the project. It made sense to set them and pour concrete when the slab was being poured.

Once the poles were in place and supported above their holes, the inspector came. We chatted for a while before he left. Nice guy.

After lunch, one of the concrete guys showed up. He needed to do some form setting for the job. He didn’t stay very long.

Corey showed up later. He spent most of the time setting up lights in the RV garage/shop part of the building. The pour was supposed to start at 4:30 AM and it was still mostly dark then. I didn’t watch because it started raining and I got called out to fly. He was just finishing up when I returned.

I wandered around the building site later in the day. The interior had been completely cleared out except for a few concrete forms. There was an air of expectancy about the place. Friday would be a busy day.

I went out that night and, when I got home, I was almost surprised to see my building all lit up. Corey had left the lights plugged in. I debated shutting them off and decided against it, mostly in case I overslept and the builders arrived before me. There was something eerie and wonderful about seeing the place glowing with light.

Corey left the lights on when he left so the place would be lighted when they arrived in the morning. I didn’t mind at all.

Here’s the time-lapse:

Grading, compacting, digging more holes.

On Monday, the builders worked mostly inside the building shell, prepping for the concrete pour. They had a number of tasks to perform.

First, they needed to grade and compress the gravel pad inside the building. The grading was required for the RV garage, which has a 24-foot drain down the center of it. They needed to not only put the drain I provided into the floor, but to slope the floor toward the drain on all four sides.

The garages were also gently sloped toward their doors. I was told that the slope was too gradual to get water rushing, but if I ever parked inside with a wet or snowy vehicle, the water would eventually find its way out.

They also needed to set forms at the door openings to hold the concrete in. (Other forms would come later.)

Outside the building, they needed to dig four holes for the posts that will eventually hold up my front deck. Those posts had been omitted at the beginning of the project because they did not appear on the original plans. They decided to wait until the concrete delivery to dig the holes and plant them in concrete.

In order to dig those holes, they needed to level the area and compact the soil. That entailed using the bobcat to move a mound of soil where my driveway will eventually go to a low spot under the future deck. This was good for me — it would reduce the amount of earth moving I’d need to get my driveway and outside concrete pad in. They ran yellow caution tape around the area to prevent people from falling into the four-foot deep holes.

Angel’s crew prepares to dig four more post holes.

In the leveling process, Angel “found” my septic system end pipe. (Oops.) The damage was minimal. I gave him a T-post to mark the spot so no one would run it over in the future. Chances are, it will be slightly relocated anyway when I connect the stub outs to the line.

The crew also had to move a pile of wood and remove the pile of gravel that had been put in front of the RV garage door by the excavator who did the pad preparation. They needed to clear the way for the concrete trucks, which would need to get as close to the building as possible. To get rid of the gravel, they spread it on various parts of my driveway that needed it, which is exactly what I was hoping they’d do.

When they were done and left, the building was completely empty except for a wheel barrow and the plumbing stub outs. They took the bobcat with them.

I didn’t know it then, but it would be three days until I saw a worker again. Angel and the crew started a job up in Winthrop. Angel later told me that they were camping up there and had a party every night. Made me feel a little like I’d let them down by simply providing beverages, cookies, and energy bars every day.

Anyway, here’s Monday’s time-lapse. The RV at the beginning belongs to a friend; gotta love it when overnight guests bring their own house.

The exterior walls are now mostly up.

Although the builders usually work 4 10-hour days rather than 5 8-hour days, they added a bonus day on week 5 and came to work on Friday. Angel and the crew wanted to finish the exterior walls on the building. They’d saved the side wall with its seven windows, one man door, and four garage door openings for last.

The building’s metal skin does not come pre-cut. Every single opening in the walls had to be measured and every single sheet of metal had to be cut. It was a long day with lots of tedious work.

It was a great day for working: mostly sunny, in the 70s, with very little wind. I did some work in the yard. I was all suited up in my beekeeper suit, complete with helmet, veil, and gloves, when a helicopter flew by close. It looked like a JetRanger with a spray tank but no booms. On the second pass, he came into a hover facing me about 100 feet from the hillside. I pointed to my “guest landing zone” — a level area I’d cleared of tall grass — inviting him to land. But I suspect the LZ’s proximity to my bees scared him. He flew off, returning about 10 minutes later but declining to land again.

I tended to my bees. I have no idea who the pilot was, but I really wish he would have landed and introduced himself.

I wonder if he got a picture of me standing there in my bee suit with my building under construction, RV, and helicopter around me.

Later, I started work on a new enclosure for my chickens. Yes, I know the one I have is only a few months old. But a friend of mine makes really nice chicken yard enclosures out of wood frames with chicken wire. I wanted one like his but didn’t want to spend the money on the lumber I needed. Fortunately, the metal for my building came on 20-foot lengths of 4×3 lumber. It’s not the best quality lumber, but it should be good enough for my chickens. I realized that cutting each length in half and joining them with 2x4s (which I’d have to buy), would give me a more affordable version of what he had made. I’d bought 3 2x4s the day before so I had the materials I needed. After I finished with the bees, I cut the 2x4s to 6 feet and built a prototype. I then cut some of the horse fencing I had and fit it into one of the 5×6 panels. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right nails or durable enough staples to affix the fencing. That’s Monday’s project.

Meanwhile, the guys finished up the final side of the building. Before leaving for the day, they each took pictures of their work. Angel said that it was one of the more difficult jobs he’s worked on and I got the feeling he was proud of it. He should be! It looked great!

Here’s a photo from a vantage point I haven’t tried yet: the hill on the west side of the building.

Angel told me that a crew will do the ground prep work for the concrete pad on Monday and probably pour the concrete on Tuesday. I expect that Angel and the crew will work on the decks during that time. I’m hoping the stairs go in on Thursday. It’s getting close to done!

I have two time-lapses to share. If you just want to see Day 21, here it is:

And if you have about 13 minutes to spare and want to see all 21 days, here’s the newly compiled version: