Yikes!

What a week it's been! The focus of this week: FOUNDATION.

So, the first big lesson I will share with anyone considering taking this on. Review the plans with the contractor BEFORE any major work begins. Way back in the winter, I had given some plans to the concrete contractor at our initial meeting. Some changes were made that somehow never made it onto his plans. Whose fault it was is irrelevant. Bottom line, the footings were poured about 8" short, with the walls set to be poured short as well. Could have been a MAJOR problem. All the metaphors for "foundation" took on a new meaning this week... Essentially that 8" difference would have DRASTICALLY changed our house. Since the structure is a timber frame, there is very little "wiggle" room in the design.

Anyway, fortunately I caught the mistake before the walls were formed. The contractor was able to correct the mistake, and things SHOULD be back on track now.

Ugh. Big stress.

tomorrow and this weekend will be spent:

- cleaning the re-claimed lumber that we have acquired for our flooring
- putting up a drainage system (Platon system) on the foundation walls
- working on the drainage around the perimeter of the foundation.
- getting ready to frame the garage and basement knee-walls

Oh, the other exciting parts of the last week has been the weather. We are now staying out at the job site in a pop-up camper. In true Wisconsin spring fashion, it snowed several nights (it is May now), and the temperatures went down into the high 20's. Now it's nice again.

Seriously, on the cool side, there are a couple of barred owls in our woods. They make quite a racket at night... That's been pretty neat to hear. We also hear a lot of pheasants, geese, ducks, and sand hill cranes. We've seen several great blue herons, and tonnes of songbirds.