Zoom Boom

Often when we talk about moving building materials we talk about or show a bit of a "zoom boom" - check out these action shoots we managed to capture the other day.  

Windows Arrive

Ever wonder what a whole house worth of windows looks like stacked up?  The windows for both homes arrived today and there are several pallets stacked in the yard.

Pouring Loft Floors

The fourth and final floors in these groovy inner-city homes are being poured in concrete today.

Loft Floor Hydronics

Finally we get to the final floor of these four storey homes.   Hydronic heating lines are prepped and placed to be poured into the final concrete floor.* Don't worry there is still more concrete coming, walls, roof, decks, etc. ...  just in case you haven't seen enough concrete yet :)

Bye-bye Old Garage

With construction materials safely stowed in the new buildings its time for the old garage to come down.  The term 'garage' being used very loosely with really only walls left after the last windstorm peeled the roof back like a taco shell only to have to be weighted down with extra building supplies.  Everything that could be salvaged and recycled was and viola = a new clean back yard.

Haus 8-10 fun-fotos (2)

 Basic construction tools and materials from a different perspective. 

Framing Start

As more levels of these homes are built tradesmen can begin other interior jobs such as framing once the prep for the next concrete pour is completed.  Wondering how the supplies get moved up the storeys?  A zoom-boom makes lifting pallets of lumber easy.Notice the original still garage in the picture?  This was housing construction materials which can now be moved to the new basement/garages....  stay tuned

Loft Floor Joists

Another delivery of heavy duty floor joists arrives.  They are promptly lifted into place with a zoom-boom and hung from the top of the second floor walls.

Details

'the devil is in the details'...  even the simple things that you wouldn't think of are addressed in these homes.  Like extra care when it comes to hand troweling the concrete in the window openings, making the installation of the windows a more precise and efficient process.

Second Storey

At long last all the concrete and styrofoam blocks begin to shape into something the looks like a house... or two in this case.  The second story walls go up providing a sense of scale for the various spaces including the massive rear decks off the master bedrooms and kitchens.  From the kitchen level you begin to appreciate the downtown view. 

Second Backfill

Now that the front window well walls have been poured we proceed with the second backfill.  Now trades and visitors can walk into the homes at grade both in the font and the back as well as around the building via a gentle slope down the side yards.

Floor Finishing

Once concrete is poured it is given it's first "finish" with a machine trowel to ensure ease of final 'finishing' creating beautiful floors to last a lifetime.Exterior walls are hand troweled to finish tops.

Front Window Wells

This post is meant to demonstrate what actually happens when we pour concrete.  How does it get out of one of those huge rolling-mix cement trucks and into a wall or floor anyway?  Well besides a solid skilled crew you need one more major piece of equipment, the pump truck.  Basically the rolling-mix cement truck funnels the cement into a chamber in a pump truck that uses generator powered pumps to get the concrete flowing through a large rubber hose that can be manipulated into a location where the concrete is actually needed.  Pretty groovy.

Ready for More Concrete

Plywood to support concrete floors are braced and hydronic lines are installed to the wire mesh and steel joists.  The front retaining walls are prepared.  We are finally ready to pour some more concrete. 

Floor Joists Installed

Looking up at the sky through the now placed second floor joists - groovy!

Floor Joist Delivery

Heavy duty floor joists are needed to support the concrete floors... laying on the ground they look like they mean serious business.

Basement Hydronics

Hydronic lines are installed in the basements for future solar heated radiant heat prior to pouring concrete basement floors. 

Bracing Walls

Once the ICF walls are stacked and reinforced with steel they need to be braced before the concrete can be poured in. 

Bedroom Decks

Integrated decks off the master bedrooms are poured in concrete along with the interior floors but at slight step down to ensure water stays outside the house.

Stacking Main Floor Walls

ICF blocks make up the main floor walls and are re-inforced with steel bar prior to concrete being poured into them.