Month: Apr 2010

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Final Foundations

The foundations are pretty much done – the steel has been ordered and the slab will be laid next week.

It’s great to be able to start feeling the outlines of the structure  – from plan to reality is quite an amazing feeling. Size and area seem to be on a constant acid trip, warping every time I visit the site – some days the lounge feels huge, some days it feels too small. Once the walls are up the acid might wear off a little.

My FFL (finished floor level) issue was resolved and I will now stand slightly higher above planet earth than originally planned – about 10-15cm higher. This resolves possible water and garden height issues that could pose aesthetic problems later. So all good.

An aside: The not so good news is that Jeremy my uber-builder was involved in a mountaineering accident damaging his leg and worse yet lost a friend to the mountain. Condolences to him – not an easy thing to get through.

He has managed to hobble onto site since his fall. Better news is that his recovery, while not quick, will be full.

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FFL – Deciding on the finished floor level

The foundations are moving along swiftly. The east boundary now consists of a very deep and very solid foundation.

The finished floor level is another decision that is critical at this stage. Once decided there’s no going back. I need to take various factors into account including height above the road for drainage and height of the garden area. The site is relatively flat although the west side does slope up slightly – it is possible to excavate some of the garden area to create a more uniform level – alternatively I could build the house slightly higher to compensate for the slope.

It’s a matter of centimeters.

We now also have a new corrugated iron site office.

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Pouring the Foundations

After a few emergency engineering drawings and some scratching of heads, the foundations are being poured.

The fact that my property is approx 1.5m higher than my neighbour’s means that I have to get my foundations down to a level below their’s. This means my foundations are now about 1.9m deep.

The soil test results varied  – in some places it was good while in others additional support in the foundations was needed. The engineer made the following observations in relation to the complexity of the foundations.

a) The proximity of the neighbours lower level structures to the new structures

b) The fact that the neighbours retaining wall is not common, thus all new structures must be independent.

c) The existence of an old swimming pool which intersects the new foundations and thus introduces foundation and ground slab bridging complexities.

d) Subsoil and surface drainage issues.

It has all been taken into account and I will now have rock solid foundations and a slightly emptier wallet.