Update on the Foundation Redesign and Other Things

After what's felt like a horribly long time of getting nowhere, things are finally coming together. We've had a break in the rain. The trench was cleaned out, the sides have been mostly repaired, and we're just about ready to have another inspection.

After talking with the inspector, he had a suggestion that would speed things up and make it a bit easier on us. Instead of pouring our footings 10 inches thick, we're pouring it up to 24 inches and laying a cinder block stem wall on that. It's costing us a little more and requires us to do a bit more rebar than the original plans. I've been a bit stressed out about that because I've never done rebar like this nor did I have a lot of time to go over the code. I really hope I got it right, because there's not much time left before cold weather sets in. No pressure, right?

This required three pieces of rebar running horizontally and vertical rebar placed every four feet. The verticals had to be placed just so since they will be running through the cavities of the cinder blocks. To make sure I was on the mark I ran the lines on the batter boards and checked my placement with a template of the cinder blocks.

Jack decided that cats are more interesting than rebar. I agree.

So here's more Jack:

Beyond the rebar, we've just been enjoying a quiet summer on the prairie. Our garden has done pretty well for the first year. We have a tiny black cat that has been hanging around. We're calling her Beyonce. She loves to sing, and since all our cats are boys she is the single lady.

No photos of her yet. She's still very skittish.

We have some prairie sunflowers that have grown on the property. Normally, I dislike sunflowers. A lot. Sunflowers are what interior decorators use when they want a place to be Kansas-y. I always associate them with truck stops, gas station bathrooms, kitschy gift shops, and the girls locker room all throughout the 90s. OK, that last one was just Elizabeth Arden's Sunflowers, but it still sucks.

These sunflowers, however, are MY sunflowers, so they're totally different. I love them. The bees really seem to like them too so they are definitely staying.

Edgar is still doing well.

I put up our mailbox and started decorating it. I'm painting mushrooms from my favorite 1970s enamelware set, and yes, the stems look like dicks. Ha ha, dicks.

diiiiiiiiiiicks

The farmer that owns the surrounding land came through and hayed. Now we have large hay bales.

Yeah, they're really not that interesting.

Not us though. We don't really want the grasses cut and hauled away. We're letting it grow wild for now and will be mulching it so we can help restore the top soil.

Damn long-grassed hippies.

I've done some work down in the tree line. There's flat spot that I want to turn into a meditation garden. It sits under a huge oak tree and next to our little stream. Right now it's full of flowers...

Awwwww.

... and a giant honking orb spider.

EEEEEEEEEEEE

That's pretty much it for now. I've had some new stuff happen as far as the trenches go since I started this post, but that will wait for now. Hopefully I'll be sharing some concrete pouring in the next week or so.

Of Modifications and Moria

We took a big step forward today: all the blueprints, paperwork, and applications for our building permit have been turned into the building department. I've spent the last few weeks going over the plans and paperwork, modifying the blueprints, checking the modifications on a scale model, re-modifying the blueprints, rechecking the plans and paperwork, and generally being completely neurotic about everything.

The plans are for one of countryplans.com's small houses. You can see some of the details here: Victoria's Cottage

One of the big selling points was the bridge loft option. It has a loft in the front of the house, a loft at the back of the house, and a sky bridge connecting the two. A sky bridge.

OMG, a sky bridge, you guys!

Now, I'm very happy with the package I've received from countryplans. They are very detailed and they have a really good forum for owner-builders to ask questions and share their experiences. The only thing I had an issue with is that there isn't an overview of the bridge loft in the blueprints. There's one for the full loft, but the loft bridge is only shown in cross section. So, I got out my white out and modified it. I'm pretty sure I have it drawn out so that it meets code, but I'm still a bit nervous.

See, I NEED the loft bridge across the great room. It's absolutely vital to my existence. You don't even understand. It will do so many things:1. It allows sunlight to pass into the lower level of the house. This will provide ample natural lighting and will aid passive heating in the winter.

                                       

2. It allows heat to rise from the lower level to the very peak of the roof, thus passively cooling the lower level in the summer.
                                       

3. Every time we have to pass one another on the bridge, it will go something like this:

4. Nerf Wars. 'Nuff said.

Now we wait some more. Fingers crossed, it will be approved and we can move forward.