Pilings: Day 1

First of all, let me start by pointing out that these are some serious timbers! They are 12"x12"x24'. They will go 12' below natural grade, 15' down total including the approximate 3' of fill placed on the pad and will stand about 9' above ground. Now, to really have some fun, the plans call for these monsters to be driven not drilled. What that means is that instead of drilling a 15' hole and dropping them in, these guys will be hammering them into the ground!

In order for them to get to the point where they can hammer, they first have to set the pilings a few feet into the ground by auguring holes to hold the posts in place. By the end of day 1 they have set 25 of the 37 pilings. They will need to wait to set the rest until they drive the ones in the back. The hammering should start sometime tomorrow.

The Pad

Well, that is what 600 yards of dirt will get ya! We have just a few loads scheduled for tomorrow to help grade the front and back of the pad down slightly less dramatically. After that...we're ready for pilings!

Sunday Sandbox

One thing I love about the construction business is that there are no days off...kind of like being a mom, actually. We met with our dirt guy yesterday to talk about how we wanted him to grade the lot on Monday and he asked us if it would be alright if he came tomorrow (being today, Sunday) to get started. Beautfil hungry people, I love it.

Ground Breaking Ceremony

It's official! The work on Pine has begun.

Dirty Jobs

And so it begins on Pine! And what better way to get started than getting down and dirty?!

15 loads of select fill were placed on the lot Friday morning, and we're off and running. We are scheduled to get the remaining 30 or so loads first thing Monday. We'll spend next week building up the pad, grading the lot and preparing for pilings while we wait for our permits. Everybody is really excited to get started and were going to do our best to get the ball rolling quickly- it's good to be back in construction mode!