Remember That Tree.....

Remember from one of my first posts that before the contractor could start we had to remove a large oak tree from the front of the cottage.  Even though it was cut down it still caused problems for the crew. While attempting to excavate the trenches under the west side of the structure the remaining portion of that tree was still in the way.  Pat, John and RJ spent an hour or more this morning removing the very large stump that was left by the tree removal contractor.

Once it was removed the crew was able to excavate the entire west side of the cottage far enough to get both cribs installed. Now all four cribs are in place and ready for--as I understand--the first two beams to be placed.  Once those are in place a second layer of beams will be put perpendicular to them. The guys also spent some time with a sledge hammer making openings in the north foundation wall to allow the second layer of beams to be inserted.

The guys dug around the stump and cut many large roots.

A chain and the large end-loader provided "muscle"

Finely the last of the roots give way.

It was a very large stump. Now out of the way.

The Beam Plan. Main Beams run East-West and sit on the cribs.
The other beams will rest on top of them. I believe a third layer will also be installed.

This is the crib on the northwest corner of the building.
The last of the four that will support the main beams.

These are the openings in the north foundation through which beams will be inserted.

One Week Into the Project

Our contractor began work at 3283 on March 1st -- one week ago today.

I'm told that the work is generally on schedule...though to me it seem that things have been happening fast -- very fast.On February 28 the cottage looked much like it has for the last 20 years or so. The next day excavators began stripping the soil back around the perimeter of the house.  Today, the lawn has become a sea of thawing topsoil, mud, and excavations.

House-Jack posts and timber cribbing support the eastern corners of the structure. The front porch floor has been removed and replaced. Crew members hand excavated [dug with shovels] up to the center of the cottage where the fireplace foundation is.  They spent much of today chiseling through those concrete blocks to allow support beams to be installed.

 A trench has been started under the southwest corner of the cottage. This trench would likely have progressed further -- and the cribbing may have been installed -- but the mostly-problem-free week ended with a mechanical malfunction to the Cat. The crew assures me that a replacement will be on site Monday, excavation and crib construction will continue, and the first of the beams will be in place.  

I expect that the structure will be jacked up off the remaining foundation toward the middle or end of next week.  Its now the weekend. Construction takes a break. Bobbie and I will make some decisions on windows for the addition and an alternative entry arrangement for the back porch. So, no new blog posts until next week.

Patrick tales one of the first few buckets of sand out from the southwest corner.
The depth of very fine and non-cohesive "beach sand" is much deeper on the west  side.

The excavation has extended below the front porch.
I'm glad there is a new floor and floor joists to support the walls.

The trench into the southwest corner had to make a sharp turn around the buried stump of the tree that was removed.
The stump was 'ground" by the tree removal guy but it went much deeper than the grinding machine could be effective.

A look at the southwest corner at the end of the day.

Dan Deitz and Jeff are about half way under the house. They are looking at  the
concrete block foundation that supports the fireplace and chimney. 

Jeff has one opening completed under the fireplace [ the jack is providing support].
He has started to chisel through for the second opening.

Oh, one more thing.

If you are reading this blog, please leave some comments.

I'd like to know that I'm not the only one who's reading what I write.

Thanx!

The Second Crib...Beam Tunnels....A New Porch Floor

Lots of activity on the site today. The Deitz crew expanded from three to five. And the project carpenter Jeff Sparks was at 3283 with his helper. Seven workers plus me -- the observer.

The tunnel excavation at the southeast corner of the house was completed to a distance of about 12 feet inside the east wall.  Patrick had to work around the concrete block well pit that is under the kitchen. By the end of the day the crew had constructed the second crib at the end of this tunnel, matching the one at the northeast part of the house.

Hand excavation connected the northeast trench to the fireplace support and allowed the Deitz crew to make beam holes in the fireplace foundation which will allow the weight of the fireplace to be supported during lifting.

The floor of the glass-enclosed front porch -- that spans the full width of the lake side of the cottage -- needed to be replaced before it could be lifted along with the rest of the home.  The carpenters spent the day removing all the old floorboards and the minimal support joists and construction a new 10 foot by 30 foot floor.



Pat dives the Cat 257B into the trench being dug at the southeast corner of the cottage. The trench was cut adjacent to the concrete block well pit that is under the kitchen at this corner of the house.

The crib is in place at the southeast corner of the building.

The carpenters removed all of the old floor from the cottage's
porch. Much of the floor along the outside wall was rotted and
unable to support the structure.  Jeff Sparks is installing new
joists that will support the new floor.

Almost done.
One or two more sheets of OSB subfloor and the porch will be ready to be lifted.

Excavation Begins

There was a lot of activity at 3283 yesterday and today.  Things are moving faster than I had expected. A good thing. The contractor excavated a trench and opened up the northeast corner of the cottage. The concrete blocks from the old 'foundation' fell away amazingly easily. Floor jacks were installed to support the corner of the porch and the corner of the main structure.

Then the excavation continued under the house. They dug this 'trench' to the point where the first 'crib' would be built as a support to one of the main beams that will support and lift the structure. By the end of the day this crib was in place. I'm expecting similar efforts will take place on the other three corners of the building. Stay Tuned.

A lot of sand is going to be removed from the eventual basement. Rather than hauling it all away we decided to create a berm in the woods. The crew excavates with a small endloader and moves it down the drive to the stockpile location in a larger one.

The trench was excavated under the porch and slightly
under the cottage to give access for installing posts.

Patrick and John are installing floor jacks to support the northeast corners of the cottage and the back porch. 

Patrick used the small Cat to trench under the cottage. The face
of the excavation ended up about 18 or 20 feet west of the
porch wall.

Excavated material is moved about half way down the drive to a clearing we made in the woods. Some will come back as back fill around the foundation. The rest will become a berm in the woods.

The crawl space was a tangle of old flexible duct work and fiberglass insulation. Pat cleared the duct work. 

They even let me check out the trench.

Patrick and John built the crib that will support one of the main east-west
beams. In the picture it is higher than it will be when the beam is in place.
And, it IS plumb!!! I saw them put the level on it!!!

3283 as of Wednesday March 6th, 4:30 PM

The Construction Site Takes Shape

Today was a very active and very productive day at 3283.

• They finished attaching the beam and jacked up the front porch wall to take weight off the porch floor.
• The plumber disconnected and removed all the plumbing from under the house...including removing the pressure tank from the "pit" under the kitchen.
• He also located the underground lined to the house and between the house and garage.
• Two dumpsters were delivered. One for "wood" one for "concrete." 
• The indispensable porta-potty showed up.
• More perimeter clearing took place...including removal of all the bushes at the back porch.
• A clearing...complete with silt-fence... was made in the woods for excavated sand. Patrick did a great job clearing some trees, cutting and stacking them. 
• Most top-soil from around the cottage was moved and stockpiled in the woods.

Patrick and John finished attaching the beam to the four columns
that transfer the roof weight to the current porch floor. They then
slightly jacked up the beam so the porch floor, joists and sill plates
can be removed and replaced by the carpenter team.

Most of the plumbers work was done in the crawlspace under the cottage.
All old water, sewer and gas lines were cut out and removed.
The pile above was about a third of the total.

The wood dumpster and potty are alongthe north property line.The dumpster driver 
brought it on a trailer and was a mastersliding it into position.

The concrete dumpster is much larger and
came on a typical 'roll-off' truck.The overhead telephone and cable lines 
provided a challenge but the driver was a pro.

.

The "back" of the cottage has been cleared out. All the overgrown evergreens
have been ripped out. Much of the sidewalk relocated -- into the concrete dumpster.
And the latticework was pulled off to provide access below the porch.

It's become a --messy-- construction site

We made it to 3283 on Saturday to see the results of the first day of construction. I knew that our beautiful place would go through many 'stages' before it was complete. It has officially become a construction site. Snow moved away from the building perimeter. No nice lawn and landscaping. Piles of dirt and broken concrete. And, mud [there must have been some topsoil above all that sand.]

Here are some pictures of what 3283 looks like this weekend.

Construction Day 1

Before the cottage can be lifted, the front porch floor and floor joists need to be replaced.
This contractor has to slightly lift the wall to take the weight off the floor and joists. Day 1 saw a beam placed across and fastened to the columns. I haven't been there yet. Picture credit goes to my neighbor. Thanx Charlie.