Footings Poured

Last week the crew got the concrete poured for the footings.

The tall walls, are the forms for the concrete walls, not the cabin walls

and will come down after the concrete is poured.

Another set will be put up, facing the ones your see here.

The two sets of wall's, will be 10 inches apart, that will be the 

thickness of the wall downstairs.

Lots of Steel. The steel you see is bent 90 degree and the other half

 is in the footings.  More steel will be inserted vertical and 

horizontally every 12 inches and tied, with wirer.

This part of the job will take about two weeks.

This is the, "Not So Pretty" part of construction.

Running Strings

JS has a new love!  Last August I wrote about the logging on the 12 acres

we bought in the Plumas National Forest.  This year we are starting a new Cabin.

JS gets gitty when he has a new project.  He's been building custom homes  

for 36 year, building other's dreams and ideas.  He likes what he does, but from

 time to time needs to build something of his own.  I  think it rejuvenates him, 

to be able to have a project of his own ideas, where be can do what he wants.

In a funny way it acutely relaxes him.

"As relaxed as a man with his ass on fire can be"

With all the "High Tech" hoopla home building has become and of course "Green".

It still starts with the simplest of all skills,   "Running Strings"

This is the process of finding and marking the corners of the structure, making 
sure the walls are over the footing dug in the ground ( that always helps)

 and making sure it's "square". 

 This is maybe the single most important part of building.

The concrete foreman go's over the plans and calls out the
 measurements to the crew.

It is checked and rechecked several times.

The batter boards have to be strong and can't move.  That way when the 

strings are pulled tight, there is no give.  The strings are the actual 

outside wall measurements of the structure.

Everything has to be right.  Tearing out concrete after it's poured and hard

is no! option.  If your foundation isn't square, nothing else in the project

 is going to be square ether.

Making for very unhappy sub contractors and your finish man.

Make sure those strings are right.