December 21, 2010 - Today was the big day and it went off picture perfect.  For months we have been concerned about getting the containers positioned on the foundation, and on top of each other as we had designed.  If you have been following this blog, you know we went through over 50 designs before arriving at the one we felt allowed "form to follow function", at an estimated price we could live with.  Building it in Sketchup was difficult, so how much more difficult would it be to build in real life?  Turns out, it was not so bad - but a great deal of the credit has to go to our crew and the preparation work that went into the job.

I arrived at the job site at a little after 7:00am, and Adam arrived moments later with his helper A.J. followed by John. Leroy Jackson of Jackson's Rollback Trucking came in on schedule at 7:30am, and David and Truman Cox came in at 7:45am.  Leroy started positioning some of the boxes we would need first, while everyone else was busy reviewing the step-by-step process we rehearsed the day before.  We started with a short safety meeting and learned the crane signals we would be using to communicate with the operator.  It rained slightly the night before, and was windy and overcast early in the morning.  We have not had any significant rain in over 2 months, but looking up at the sky, it sure felt like it could start raining any minute.

Posted by on December 21, 2010

December 13, 2010 - With the plumbing in and the foundation curing, we turned our attention to getting the containers ready for placement.  We had just 6 days to locate an 11th container, get it shipped up to our property, get all the units cleaned, prepped and build 6 trusses cut to a tolerance of less than 1/8".  So the work covered in this blog entry took place over six days starting with the hiring of Adam Falcon as the lead Welder for the project.  Adam was recommended by his brother Brian who is a principal at Silver Rock Productions and our anchor tenant.  Adam has worked not only as a welder, but a welding inspector. 

Our work began with Adam by reviewing the Sketchup file in detail.  Adam understands CAD drawings and immediately provided us some insights on how best to do some of the upcoming fab work.  We would need to get a good quality Plasma Cutter and Welding machine.  Our search on Craigslist did not yield anything worth checking out, so we had to bite the bullet and buy both units at the local Northern Tool Supply store (I hate buying retail).  The salesman at Northern Tool recommended a Hobart plasma cutter - Model AirForce 250CI - 12 Amp unit. The welding unit was a Hobart Handler Model #210.  The plasma cutter was a mistake.

Posted by on December 20, 2010

December 10, 2010 - With the plumbing placed properly in the foundation, we were ready to make the second pour. This concrete would be under the containers. We had several discussions as to whether we should even put concrete here (since the beams and footings would actually lend support to the structure. In the end, we made the decision to make the pour and did it the morning of December 10th.

We needed two full trucks, plus about a yard of concrete from a third truck. The weather was perfect for laying concrete and took about 2 hours and proceeded with no problems. The next day the crew returned to remove the forms.  The wood for the forms was purchased for this project, and we will be using it through out the project for a variety of purposes including the forms for the flat work, shelving and shelving in the attic crawlspace.

Posted by on December 20, 2010

December 9, 2010 - Before we could pour the second part of the foundation, the piping systems would need to be installed for both the water and waste water systems. We received two bids and went with the Triton Plumbing based on the recommendation from our contractor. Triton's bid was itemized and comprised of prices for a ground system, and prices for the plumbing work needed for the finished system. 

The Triton Plumbing crew arrived late in the afternoon with a trencher and the materials needed for the system.  The worked into the early evening roughing in the plumbing lines.  When they were finished, I called over to the local MUD office to see if we could have an inspector come out to insure it met all codes. South Montgomery County MUD sent out an inspector the following afternoon.  The inspector noticed that the cold and hot water lines were not far enough apart and when they crossed each other, they did not have the required 16" of space between them.  I contacted David Ybarra to let him know we would need to reroute some lines.

Posted by on December 20, 2010

December 8, 2010 - Yesterday afternoon was beautiful and the foundation crew set the forms for the green screen room. They completed their work on leveling the ground, and put the yellow plastic vapor barrier in place.  Next, they shook out the re bar, and tied it together.  They set the re bar on plastic "chairs"  to keep it centered. Overnight it rained and the weather turned cold.  The earky morning skys were overcast and it looked like it could start raining any minute.

Everything was ready for the arrival of the first concrete truck (scheduled in at 9:00am). The photos to the right illustrate the pouring and the step-by-step process of finishing the foundation floor.

Posted by on December 10, 2010

December 7, 2010 - Over the past week, Mr. Brooks and his crew completed their dirt work on the site; then turned their attention to drilling the piles, setting the beams, and building the foundation walls. Besides a few clouds now and then, the weather has been near perfect. To say it is important to get the foundation right is a bit of an understatement. An error at this stage can cascade in all kinds of rework and additional costs later. This is the time to check and recheck all drawings.

Posted by Vic Cherubini on December 08, 2010