Big Picture: Where are we?
Block walls are completed. Next up, fences and concrete!
Corp Update
- Thanks to some favorable weather and a solid push from the team, we are complete with the block work out back. It’s a huge milestone to have all of the block up- and of course we’re very happy. We threw down some 2B limestone on the driveway, and we are actually parking both cars on the parking pad!
We also poured the first round of concrete- the steps from the pad to the patio, the piers for the deck, and the small sidewalk piece.
- We have a few inspections lined up for this week, to finalize the wall construction. We will have a couple more when we go to pour the sidewalk and the parking pad, but so far things are progressing nicely.
- We also had a little bit of excitement (of the negative kind). A few doors down, the neighbor’s house went up in flames. Two of the guys on site are Pgh FD, so they quickly called it in, but the house is a disaster. Hoping the neighbor will be able to find suitable housing quickly.
- I’ve started working on detailed plans for the deck construction. Mostly this involves sourcing all of the materials specified by the engineers. It is certainly interesting that of the total construction costs, lumber is <40% of the toal. There’s another 35% in specialty brackets and hardware, and the balance in fasteners. It’ll be rock solid, though, and will last for decades to come. Construction on the deck starts the weekend of 23 March (Weather permitting). The two sisters who own the neighboring building will be helping with the framing, so that should be fun too.
- I’m also starting the process of ordering materials for our finishing work. Although the concrete/ masonry team will set the patio, I’m fabricating some fairly large corten steel planters and we will also be replcing the privacy fence that ran alongside the neighbors. We’re using 3×3 galvanized steel posts, as they are sunk into the parking pad and I never want to have to replace them. Fortunately, my network of suppliers is able to come up with materials like this. The corten steel will be cut by my steel yard, and I found a second yard that will cut the steel posts to length and get them all galvanized. “I gotta guy…” is very much alive and well in Pittsburgh.
- Macro level, the schedule remains the same. I expect the entire project to take a couple of months, assuming we get decent weather. We are tracking well to my previous prediction of setting the walls by the end of February. I’m confident that we will meet that target. At that point, we’ll dump some 2B (limestone gravel) on the driveway and wait for warmer weather before we try to pour the concrete.
- My own estimates of this work are as follows:
- demolition: ~4-7 days (done -8 days total w site prep)
- Foundation prep: 2 days. (done)
- lay block: 5-7 days (done)
- Patio base prep: 2 days
- Patio stone setting: 3-5 days
- Concrete forms and pouring: 4-6 days (compl. by end of March)
- As you can see from the above schedule, we still have the patio to do and a bit of concrete work. I also recently committed to a change order with the subcontractor, so he’ll also be doing the retaining wall out front. (Just a baby wall – enough to delineate our yard from the sidewalk.). That should all be in place late in March or early April.
Goals for March
- Complete parking pad and all retaining walls
- complete patio
- install at least 4 of the 11 floating shelves I’ve been making
- Rehab of vestibule door has been moved to April
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