Foundation Walls

After the forms were put up and completed, my son inserted a two by four at the very top, for our nailing to the plate. There were a few minor issues that my son was able to take care of as the concrete was being poured. So all in all, that part of th eowrk was completed on time.

After letting it set for about 36 hours, we went to work and dismantled all that had taken three days to put up.

I never realized that I could hurt this much physically after doing that kind of work. Well, that's not entirely true. I think "the age" tends to catch up with you, and in comparison to youth, one tends to see the drawbacks of what you could once do and what you can't do now. Just tryng to keep the pace was extremely hard, but looking back now, one tends to forget as quickly too.

The guy doing the backfill was suppose to show up Friday. Working with my son Thursday morning, it sounded like he might not get him at all.

So, running out of glue holding styrofoam insulation that we put up on the outside bearing walls, approximately five inches from the top, I left him to get some things done around our house. His mother owned me for the rest of the day.

Calling later, to see if he had completed the styrofoam on the rest, I could hear the heavy equipment and a happy young man as the backfill had begun one day early.

We actually lost one day for pour early in the process because of the inspector not showing when he said they would, so the next time, they came early to make up for that day. So 12 days, to start, to backfill on the foundatin walls, is extremely good I think.

My son is on a tight schedule, as he had taken off a certain amount of time before he has to go back to work. We are shooting for "under the roof" by the end of July. So that will be the end of my help, as the trades will taken over working within the house, and he will assume his owner/contractor responsibilites to coordinating.

In reality he had a "vision in mind" and has been doing this all along.

Be Not Afraid to Build in What ever Form

Models serve to remind us of all that goes into such projects. Whether, in the form of the house that my son is building, or whether it is in how we will draw conclusions about life, and all that we have gained from it in perception.

I think this is where I wanted to mention to young people that the power to do these things are very well and "capable in your hands." To "not be afraid to do" what anyone of you can be doing. To not be afraid of tackling the unknowns. Research, and more research, paves the way for a smooth transiton of the efforts that go into doing.

The way that this house is being constructed is one of many ways that any one of us can entertain. Learning of the differences between cultures and societies, the "way of doing" is always fascinating too.

Part of this insight askes my mind, why the types of construction are not carefully considered in the tornado alley's, that would resist demolishing in regard to nature's forces. Why construction techniques in the thrid world, has not be considered, to save the many lives that have been ended in such devastations.

Our Histories



These ideas go back to what the early settlers had to do and make use of. I tend to look back to my Grandmothers attempts to draw her first home here in this country, made out of sod. Where my ancestors progressed from.

Yes too, Plato Has a human face. Where life moves on in the expression of our children, and their children. No different, then each of us in our histories.

I will also show a type of construction that I looked at quite early on, that answered a lot of these questions in my mind. That also raised the thinking in terms of "European trends" as to the style of construction. These were mostly retrospect, from what had already transpired and had been reconstructed during the devastations of World War II.