Can You Spell E x h a u s t e d?

We sure know the meaning of the word! 

The first lift (wall pour) actually happened yesterday!  Went smoothly.  No glitches...to speak of.  Our hard, sometimes manic, work this week paid off.  Except now we're too tired to work this weekend!  Not.  

The Pour Is On!

We love concrete trucks.  Especially when they're full of concrete for our projects!

Special inspector on the left, pump guy and driver at the truck.

Fred with the pump guy at the wall.
There's that special inspector guy on the left, again.

Side Note

Here's a picture of the rim joist bolts at the wall.

The cells and hole will be filled with concrete.  

Today's Work

Thanks to the help of Wes and Monty (friend, colleague of Gene's and Wes's dad) we got three more rows up today.  More work than anticipated, though.  Having to cut 1/2 blocks for the windows and rebar (that never ends!) slowed us down a little but once we got going it wasn't so bad.

Gene and I had a discussion last night as regarding whether this was easier, faster, etc. than conventional stick framing.  We went back and forth and decided that yes, in the long run it is.  While either way, he needed professional help, with Faswall it's been much faster than framing. For one thing, when this is up, it's enclosed.  No siding necessary, we'll (more accurately I'll) stucco it.  He'll leave the interior as is (without the blocks in the middle!), the insulation value is much higher than he could ever get with conventional building and most of all, he's anticipating a very comfortable 'clean' place to work/play.

Done For The Day

Gene and I are so tired tonight that grocery shopping consisted of, "If it's not at Costco, we don't need it."  The thought of going to both the grocery store and Costco, was more than we could bear.  And, OMG, my right hand is so sore I can't hold my gin and tonic!  ARGH!  Gene's right hand and wrist is also giving him fits.  My frozen shoulder is, well, still a big pain, but starting and ending the day with ibuprofen helps.  Hey, my doc told me I need to keep using it!  Little did he know...

Tomorrow...window bucks, testing scratch coat on the outside of the block (prep'ing for sealant) and then off the one of our favorite wineries (they're having a big case sale...our priorities are still in tact!)

And if you think this is a big project...check out what our son just finished building....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tQFUgQhq1M

While Gene taught him a lot about building, he didn't teach him this!