From Stakes to Forms

Howdy Y'all!

Time for another update on the developments out at the Circle B Ranch. 

If you remember from the last blog (or you can read it again), we had some incorrectly placed markers at the corners of the house, which meant that some of the trees were going to be in the house rather than outside. Our crack Project Manager eliminated the problem, and the grading and foundation work commenced.

But before we go further with that, here are a few pics that we thought were notable to include.

Jan at the Front Door w/CORRECT staking!

John trying to look like a builder.  (Cows are laughing their horns off.)

Matador Jan using her banderilla skills. 

This was actually very funny. The surveyors put up pink tape to ward off the cows from rubbing up against them and knocking the posts over. This steer decided the pink tape was pretty tasty and managed to eat two of them before Matador Jan stepped in to move 'it' along. I imagine we'll see some pink cow pies somewhere in the next day or so.

The Three Amigos

Home, Home on the Range ....

Every foundation starts with laser leveling the ground so that we aren't tilting when the concrete foundation is finally poured. No basements or crawl spaces in this area, so the foundation has to be as flat as possible. We have a 5 foot grade from the front door to the end of the patio, so leveling the grade is critical in this process. (Test question - How many engineers does it take to hold the leveling pole?)

This is George Riojas (left) and his two brothers, uncle, nephew and father. This is a second generation foundation company (George's father originally started the company), and they will be driving the entire foundation process. A great family business!

The foundations staking begins ....

This view is standing at the front door looking sideways at the Media Room and Hallway. (Okay, it is a bit confusing at this point, but trust me.) Note the seated leveling process.

This is a view from the most extreme corner of what will be the  master bathroom. If you look to the part where the guys are sitting on the foundation in the back, that is where the Media room starts. (Okay, I know, still confusing. It will get better.)

This view represents the extreme other end of the house where the garages will sit. We're told that to build the foundation walls, provide fill for the foundation, and complete the grading process, it will take about 3-4 weeks. This is one of the most important parts of the building process, and mistakes or oversights at this point reveal themselves later in cracks in the concrete, mis-plumbed walls, and foundation erosion. So, we're going to feed all of the guys great lunches occasionally, make them cookies, and keep them very happy doing a great job!

See y'all at the next update! 
John and Jan