Tomorrow, Hole Nomore

A quick note after two (finally) very hot days in the hole.

On Monday, Davis, Delaeno, Nathan & I took steps to raise ourselves above the muck we'd been squelching in for two weeks. Temperatures rose into the high 20s as we connected the exterior weeping tiles to the sump pit and leveled the 3/4 limestone. Next, Delaeno checked the dimensional status of the basement walls, snapped chalk lines and directed the installation of the perimeter plates.

Meanwhile, I finished the installation of our temporary electrical service and, around morning coffee, our project was supplied with silent electrical service. Bye, bye generator.

By evening, we had managed to get two steel beams in place (including using Armstrong Power for 12" I-beam 20 feet long) and were basically ready to begin playing with our wood Erector Kit.

One problem on Monday, though, was Davis' ancient Hilti concrete drill – or, rather, the 10 mm bit. Davis received the drill from his father, and thinks that it is now more than 30 years old. This morning (Tuesday), we were at the Hilti store well before its 7:30 opening time. Then, with a new bit in hand, we picked up Nathan. The morning, despite the blistering forecast, favoured Winnipeg with a lovely, soft breeze and luxurious temperatures.

Once on the site, we determined that Deryl, the building inspector, had been by Monday evening and that he was satisfied with the damp-proofing. D&D jumped right into the main floor set-up exercise, while Nathan & I began moving lumber. Delaeno is painstakingly accurate in all he does so, while he ensured that the grid was correct, we sorted the laminated headers and engineered main floor joists, and began positioning them for transfer to the top of the basement walls. The heat was manageable until shortly after lunch, with the southerly breeze helping to moderate things. However, we kept our pace reasonable due to the heat and some team fatigue. Nathan hadn't slept well due to the heat, Delaeno only went to bed well after midnight, having picked up his wife, Micki, at the airport, and I spent some Dad time with Cole until 11 to him think his way through a couple of things.

By 5 p.m., we were satisfied with our progress and packed up before heading home. We have about 1/4 of the joists up and secured. Tomorrow, while Davis is directing the backfill, the rest of us will continue working on the joists and, possibly, sheeting. Also, George & Matt are going to trench to the well head so can install the "Snappy" fitting, lay the water line below the frost line and lay the power conduit. We'll also trench the power line from the meter to the final access point into the house. As of today, no more use of the trash pump, no more having to climb into the hole to climb over the wall to climb into the basement. We'll be working in comfy workboots, in the breezes, and watching a house skeleton rise around our efforts.