New basement...CHECK

Yes, I know...just a few months behind. The good news is that they did get my basement done and I finally got my heat back. I found out how tough I really was going without a furnace for 3 or so months. The Bailey boys did a wonderful job on the basement! I absolutely love it! It was a big investment but well worth it to have a sturdy foundation underneath This "New" Old House.

The next couple things to do that will completely wrap up this project is covering my Styrofoam forms with a stucco material, putting my front porch back on, building a back deck, and pouring a patio that stretches between my front porch and back deck. I'm hopeful that will be done before summer BBQ's! Stay tuned...

Flooooooor!!!

Well, I have a floor!!! This was probably the day I have been most looking forward to during this entire project. This means that the furnace can be re-installed with new ductwork and things can finally be finished up downstairs.

The walkout isn't done yet but they did get stairs built inside down to the basement so I can actually walk around and enjoy what has been going on these past 3 months.

I'm still amazed at this whole project. Very neat to see what it looked like before and what it looks like now. This upcoming week, they are going to work at getting my furnace hooked back up and finishing the walkout.

Back at it...

Well it's been awhile since I've made any progress reports. Things have been slow so that's the reason for the hiatus. I'm glad to say that things are back to business now. It's going to be so nice to have this done and I can finally say that I see light at the end of the tunnel, on the basement part anyway.
This week, Charlie and George started AND finished digging out the old floor AND got half of the new floor ready to be poured!! It was neat watching them dig out the old clay from under the house one skid loader bucket at a time. A lot of hard work went into that old basement...most of it by hand, I'm sure...and I'd love to know what my ancestors think of the work being done now...using a skid loader. To get underneath the house with the Bobcat, they had to dig out a ramp. It looks like I have an underground parking garage entrance.

After they got the old dirt dug out, they brought in rock to get the floor level. When the floor is level , they lay down a plastic barrier and then lay the re-rod. This is the last step before the concrete is poured.

This week, they are going to dig in the plumbing I am going to have in the basement; such as a shower and toilet drain, couple of sinks, a couple floor drains, and a washer. I'm hoping they can get that done tomorrow and Tuesday and then hopefully, maybe, POSSIBLY pour the floor after Christmas and before the weekend! Stayed tuned and I'll keep you up to date.
I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Incredible Floating House, Part Duex

Yes, work is still going on. I didn't post last week because not a lot got done with the rain we got. This week was a different story.
The guys got the old walls knocked out on the south and east side in one day. The walls were up when I left the house that morning and when I got home that evening, my house was "floating" again.

They also got footings poured and the new Styrofoam forms up in 2 days. I was super impressed by how fast and how much progress was done this week!! They managed to get those things done before another rain shower moved in Wednesday.

With the rain that came through on Wednesday, I thought there was no way that a concrete truck could get backed up to the house and get the walls poured. Well, take note, I was WRONG!! Thursday afternoon they were pouring the walls! I do have to admit that my yard doesn't look like the turf in Kinnick Stadium anymore but things are getting done and that's what I want!!

I'm not sure if they are going to start digging out my old floor this week or not. Stay with me to find out!!

Week 5 Progress

Pretty original blog title, huh??
Well....the rain really slowed progress down this week. Bailey's did get here on Thursday and Friday though to start closing up the north and west walls. I will say that really helps by keeping the north wind out from under the house. When I say that they are closing up the walls, I mean that they are taking 2 x 12 studs and putting them on top of the concrete walls that fit perfectly under the house to support it. They then cover the studs with plywood. The plywood will be covered with a stucco texture when it's all finished to make it look nice.

I also took some pictures in the basement showing the old walls and the new walls. I still think it's amazing that the old walls were all hand stacked. A lot of work went in the basement 103 years ago.

Not sure what is on the agenda for this upcoming week. Stayed tuned next Sunday to see what got accomplished this week!

WALLS!!

Progress progress progress!!!! I LOVE it!!! This week consisted of getting the Styrofoam forms built around the north and west side of the house and getting the inside of them filled with concrete. It only took a couple of days for Bailey's to get the forms up. These forms are light weight and just snap/hook together.

As you can see, the middle of the forms are hollow. Concrete is then poured in them to finish the walls.

The newly poured concrete has to cure for a few days before they go ahead and do any other work to the walls. Thank goodness they got things finished up this week when the did. Right as the last cement truck was leaving, it started raining. It rained and rained. I ended up with almost 3 1/2 inches in my rain gauge. The yard was a muddy mess and there would have been no way any work would have been able to get done. Things are almost dried up now and there is another good chance of rain on Tuesday of this week. I'm just praying we don't get into a wet spell. Working in the water and mud won't be fun for anybody!!
I'm not sure what is on the agenda for this week, but I'm sure this time next week you will see more major progress!

The "New" Old Floating House

LOTS AND LOTS of progress this week!!! The north and the west walls of the basement were taken out this week. It makes for a COLD house but I'll deal with the cold if it means getting a new basement!! It's really incredible how my house is sitting right now. The only thing really holding it up are a few basement jacks. It looks like it's floating. The concrete footings were poured on Friday. This week the Bailey's are going to start forming the new walls with the Styrofoam forms that will be used. Not sure what all that entails so this is a learning process for all of us :). Stayed tuned...