A Firm Foundation

5/22/2013 
What a difference a week can make!!  Last Monday, the excavators came and worked to finish their part, which included scraping some of the walls to allow for clearance, digging the footers and digging holes for the post supports.  This was a long day for them, and bless their hearts, they stayed way past quitting time to get things done.  On Tuesday, they had to come back for a few hours of work.  While they worked on one side of the basement, Pelton Construction worked on the other side getting the footers formed, putting in the drain and getting things prepared for the footer inspection.  On Wednesday, they waited!  Washington County inspectors were busy and understaffed and we were under a severe weather alert!  Quite the combination!!!  Finally, by mid afternoon, the inspector was able to come - the footers passed inspections and we were cleared to start pouring the concrete!!  On Wednesday afternoon, they started pouring the footers!!  (And the rain held off until the following morning!!)

It's so exciting to see things going INTO the basement instead of going OUT!  For weeks, we were watching them take truckload after truckload of dirt out!  The old foundation came out!  Now it was time to put stuff in!  Concrete in!  Gravel in!  Block in!  On Friday, they delivered the first load of block!! 

On Monday, they laid the first block of the new basement!!!  It is amazing the difference in just 3 days!  3 of the 4 walls have at least 6 courses of block!  It's beginning to look like a basement!!  In time, we will be on 4 solid walls!  On a firm foundation! 

One of the best parts of the project - getting to watch Pelton Construction at work!  They are like a fine-oiled machine!  They work together, each one seeming to anticipate the other's next move, often without words!  And I get to visit with my daddy and my brother for a few minutes each day.  I love watching them work together!  I am amazed by their talent and abilities!   And the fact that they are willing to do this work for us!  Lifting a 12" block is not for the weak!!  I know, I tried! 

Throughout this process, some have questioned our sanity!  Without question, this is one of the craziest things we've done in our 20 years of marriage!  But one thing is for sure, we did not enter into this adventure without first praying about it - for wisdom, wide open doors, closed doors and clear guidance and direction.  The Lord has answered our prayers with some very clear answers, from what contractors to use to what bank to go with for our refinancing.  Without a doubt, we could not have stepped out in this journey without His guidance and leading.  It is only through a firm foundation in Christ that we are able to live our lives daily, trust Him in the little things as well as the big things!  I am amazed by His goodness, mercy and grace!!  Without Christ's leading, we could not have ventured into this project.    Right now our house shakes when we walk through it because we are not on a firm foundation.    Just like our lives shake if we don't have a firm foundation in Christ!  

Preparing the foundation.



Footers being poured.  (Billy is in the Skidsteer)





One of the hardest working men, ever!

Footers poured!!!



Block delivered.

Foundation being laid.



 

Birds-eye view of the house.

 

Up in the Air

Waiting is not one of my strong points.  On April 16th, the house-supporting company finished their work in getting the supporting beams in place.  The next phase was for the excavator to come and dig out the ground under the house. 

The excavating company was not able to come 15 days because of their busy work schedule and weather delays.   They were able to come on Thursday, May 2 and excavated the dirt out from under the front of the house.  The piles of dirt around the house got a little bigger and our excitement grew as well.  But then the patience thing had to kick in again!  Due to other commitments, the crew was not able to come back on Friday.  The weather forecast for the following week was not looking good - Rain!  Rain!  and more Rain! 

The crew came for part of the day on Monday and could only work for 1/2 a day on Tuesday.  They were able to excavate about 3/4 of the dirt from under the house.  We also had to disconnect the water tank to the house which meant no running water in the house!  Yay!  No laundry!  No dishes!  But wait - No showers!?!  No flushing?!?  Fortunately, were were able to fill up the tank in the camper and use that for showers and the bathroom - but midnight bathroom breaks were NOT top on our list of fun!!

Wednesday and Thursday were a washout. No work could be done. But we did get the water hooked back up Thursday evening!  LONG HOT showers for everyone!! 


End of the house with no original foundation.
 

Friday we were surprised by the sound of the white work truck we've come to look for each morning!  We didn't expect them to come back until the next week.  This was the day we'd been looking forward to, but dreading!  This was the day they would dig out from under the existing foundation, and the foundation walls would be removed.  I was away when most of the work was done, so I came home with a moat!  There was no longer a front porch - when you went out the front door, you found a hole 9 feet deep.  Out the back door was another hole.  One minor hiccup, a piece on the water tank got broken in the process so we temporarily lost water again!  Phase 3 is essentially complete - then the rain came!  Lots of rain!  But we're still standing - or floating!

Front of the house.  Just beyond the metal beam is where the front stoop used to be.
 

Back of the house.  The blue water tank was temporarily relocated to the back porch until it can be put back under the house.  At this point, three sides of the house are resting on the metal beams. 

We are expecting them to return on Monday to dig the footers.  From there we pour footers and start building the foundation!!    But until the walls are built, I expect to be saying "walk slowly,"  "no running," "tip-toe" more than I ever have.  Oh, and "Don't go out that door!- there's a huge hole!!!" 

For some reason I have the 80's song stuck in my head, "Believe it or not I'm walking on air . . ."   

Living is Suspence

Over the past 9 days, we've had backhoes, skid-steers, masonry saws and lots of activity around the house.  Putting a basement under the house is in full swing!  I'll try to explain what the contractors have done the past two weeks.  Bear with me, it's from a female perspective and with female terminology!!

Last Monday the excavators dug out a swatch under the center of our house, 9 feet high and about 7 feet wide.  They began by digging a ramp at the end of the house from ground level down about 8 feet.  Then they broke away part of the foundation and continued to dig the trench.  It was amazing watching them work.  The ground is a very hard clay and made for difficult digging.  (On occasion when the kids were not being their normal angelic selves, I suggested I was going  to give them a pick and shovel and have them work at digging the basement!)  The only delay was a hydraulic cylinder that broke and  the job was complete on schedule!  A bonus for the kids was a huge pile of dirt to play on!!  My bonus - seeing how well my laundry detergent REALLY works!!  Borax is the key!!



The swatch under the house.


Over the weekend, Chris and the kids worked to prepare the house for phase 2.  In the process, I had to do the laundry a few days early because there was the possibility that we would lose our sewer pipe for a time (that would stink!).  Bilco doors were removed, duct work was adapted, water tank was moved, sewer line was located and by Sunday evening, we were all ready for a massage, but no one had enough energy to oblige. 



Two of the support beams on the back of the house.



On Monday, phase 2 began - putting beams under the house.  These beams will support the weight of the house so in phase 3 the rest of the dirt and existing foundation can be dug out.  They would dig a hole next to the house, use a sledge hammer and pound through the foundation, slide a 30' beam in the hole and repeat 5 more times around the house.  There are also 3 - 53' beams running the length of the house - two near the outside walls and one down the center.   They finished phase 2 today!  They are to start next Monday to dig the rest of the dirt and existing foundation out. 

The swatch down the center under the house was to put crib piles to support the main beam.

So now, the house is no longer sitting on its original foundation.  It's resting on 9 beams - suspended so to speak!  We have piles of dirt all around the house; holes all around; busted up concrete; and very busy vacuum cleaner.  But, as the contractor said, "A temporary inconvience for a permanent solution - that's what my dad always said."  I like his dad!  Puts things into perspective.

Bringing in the Heavy Equipment

Today I'm torn between doing the housework I need to do and watching the backhoe guy dig a hole.  For some, this may not seem like much of a choice.  Of the two, watching someone dig a hole just wouldn't be the highlight of their day.  For me, I want to be outside!  I want to plop a chair outside and watch them dig a hole!  Not only because its the first day of this big adventure, but because I love watching a construction crew at work!

When I was younger, my dad would take us to jobsites to "help."  Usually that meant crawling around on gravel piles, playing in the dirt and finding the little punch-outs from the electric boxes that we always thought were nickels!  He would also have us help strike joints and mix "mud"  (cement).  I was never good at the mud.  I could never get the right consistency!   On the bigger jobs, he'd use the mixer and we'd get to help clean it out!  It was amazing to see how a hole in the ground would turn into block walls and eventually a house that would become a home to someone.  Construction is just in my blood.  When I took the "vocation interest" survey in high school, it said I should get a job with a construction company.  lol!!

When Chris and I were first married, I would "sneak" along with him when he'd be POD and have to go check out a no lights call.  (He knew I was with him, but he'd tell me to lay low so no one else did!)  I loved to watch the crew replace a pole or reconstruct a line.  One time, a lineman even let me sit in his truck to watch while they did the job (I wasn't that good at the incognito thing!) 

I love watching the construction crew take a blank slate and make something out of it!  It amazes me how they can take what is on paper and make it reality.  The process of this project up to this point has all been on paper.  To see it come to life is exciting, surreal and an amazing reality!

They are digging a ramp to begin digging under the house.

So, the laundery is getting done, the kitchen is cleaned up from the weekend and I can hear the hum of the tractor from the window.  I go out from time to time to check on the progress (trying hard not to look like a stalker!)  I guess I'll have to settle for doing a little of both - housework and watching. 

In October 1996 we purchased our home in Clear Spring.  One year later, almost to the day, Colleen was born.  Two more Hixons were soon to follow!  As our family grew, we decided to "grow" our house too!  A few months before Cole was born in 2001, we began construction on a garage and transforming the existing garage into a family room.  In 2006, our family grew by one more when Emilee Mae was born.  

 As the kids grew, there was a familiar statement heard in our home:  "I wish we had a basement."  (Our home has a crawl space.)  It could be heard when we were having a birthday party, as we were tripping over left-out toys that didn't have a good play room to be kept, dragging Christmas decorations into a small attic storage area, and it was heard really loud when the "tornado watches" were flashing on the TV! 

We checked into moving, with strict guidelines  - stay in our current school district, not too far from church, not too far from work, the right number of bedrooms, land, etc.  As we looked, we couldn't find anything that we liked any better than our home (if it only had a basement!).  So we considered putting on an addition.  We drew out plans, visualized, but did not like the way it looked and how it took up so much of our back yard. 

"I think we can put a basement under the house" was a statement made several times.  When you live with an engineer, they see things differently than most!!  And when your dad is a contractor, who could have been an engineer, ideas start taking shape!!

Last year, we began researching, contacting and praying!  In January of 2013, we got estimates from a house-moving company that would come in and support the house and an escavator that would dig under the house that was supported on beams.  And started praying even more - for clear direction, open doors, closed doors, wisdom! 

We have been amazed at the answers God has provided.  We are to start the adventure of digging a basement in 3 days!