HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT SEAMAN!
Oh my goodness! We have done a phenomenal job on the site this week. After 6 truckloads of red clay, we have filled in the front of the site and the complete slab form. With a little help from modern-day machines, we finished the brunt of the dirt work on Monday. Fox News 14 came out and interviewed some students and filmed us in action. I had my own little corner of the house that I dedicated all my work to. Janina made fun of me claiming that it was my space and I wasn't to be disturbed.
Things are really coming along. This is great, since we have had our fair share of disappointments and setbacks...and we will have some more before we're finished. At least I feel more confident in saying that we will have solid form in a week. There is still so much more work to do, but I feel so elated right now with the work that we've already done.
You, reader, should have seen me on the wacker packer. Ha! That was a funny sight. I was doing a pretty good job until I dug myself into a hole. But the little bugger machine vibrated so much that it had me just shaking along with it. It was great.
If you missed the news cap, don't worry...I taped it!
...Just 3 months until my birthday...So what if I start the countdown now...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
right? WRONG!
Everytime we think we are moving in a forward direction, something pushes us back. After working so hard on the foundation formwork, we get hit with a "You were not supposed to do this until you had a permit! Here's a $250 fine!" We also got hit with a "Your house is too close to the nextdoor neighbor." Now we researched and researched that and the house should, according to what we found out, be in the right spot. But the inspector disagreed. Well, that's that! So now we wait to see if we really do have to move the formwork that we've done, and we wait to see if we have a permit to even touch the formwork.
My head is spinning with all the new information I receive each day.
At least we can still design. That's what a group of us have been doing...designing the siding that will go on the exterior of the house. We've come up with some really cool stuff, and now we just need to find the materials to make them work.
I'm surprized that I haven't gotten a stress anxiety attack yet. (Knock on wood.) I'm un-naturally calm in all the chaos. I guess I have to be. What's the point in stressing over things? It won't make them happen faster or necessarily how I want.
...I wonder if it snowed this morning...
My head is spinning with all the new information I receive each day.
At least we can still design. That's what a group of us have been doing...designing the siding that will go on the exterior of the house. We've come up with some really cool stuff, and now we just need to find the materials to make them work.
I'm surprized that I haven't gotten a stress anxiety attack yet. (Knock on wood.) I'm un-naturally calm in all the chaos. I guess I have to be. What's the point in stressing over things? It won't make them happen faster or necessarily how I want.
...I wonder if it snowed this morning...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Over this past weekend, I have learned a lot about work, determination, trust, and the extent of one’s physical ability. With more than half of the class in Austin, TX, the remaining 5 of us had a lot of work on our hands, such as managing large shipments of materials, ordering piers and footers for the house, and taking on an entire formwork for the foundation. Faith in out completion of these tasks was low. I’ll admit I even had doubt. But we were determined to do this.
Problems revealed themselves almost immediately, which slowed us down. We had to rework a lot of things that we thought were right. Electricity is a major problem. We need a power pole. I think I just overheard Ashley on the phone with Dale Nugent about one. Another problem is people who don't show up on the job site at the appointed time. We put trust in everyone showing up, so for those of you who don't, I beg you to fix this.
I think I prefer small groups as to large groups. Things are less chaotic and there's no one just standing there with nothing to do. Everyone gets a chance to take part in the project hands on. I realized this weekend that I cannot hammer and nail to save my life, but I will continue trying. It's kind of a funny thing to watch. (Sorry Matt for causing you to hurt your hand...)
I wonder if there is anyone at the site as I'm sitting here typing this...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
It's Called a "Gabion Cage"
Happy 21st Birthday Micheal Kattengell!!
Update on site:
On Sunday, we the team, located the corners of the house on the site. We placed batter boards at the corners to get a straight and level line across for accurate measuring. People, this was a task! First, the board were kinda short, so they wouldn't go into the ground very much. Problem! Second, and maybe this is just me, but I am not very strong. I lack arm muscle. Hammering nails into these boards was hard. (I am in for a great time.) No, I will muscle up throughout the year, don't you worry. We had a great time on the site this weekend though. We got a lot more cleaning done as well.
The formwork will be done by Friday so the dirt can be put in over this weekend. Half of the class will be in Austin, TX so it will be interesting. Who will be jobsite captain?
Drawing update:
We submitted the drawings to the building inspector for permit approval. I think that we did a good job, especially since we really didn't have much to change from the first drawing set we turned in. One thing I noticed was that we didn't have the cross-bracing drawn in between the piers. I just hope that Mark Joiner doesn't refuse us a permit for that. That can easily be fixed.
We are now starting on other drawings for the architectural set. I think that the rest of the drawings should be done by 2 (at the most!) people. There was a bit of confusion with the last set and not all the drawings matching. I think it was neccessary for several people taking charge of certain pages because it helped the drawing get done on time, but now that we have those drawings, 1 or 2 people can go through and make the neccessary changes (hopefully not too much) and finish the other drawings. Melody is doing an amazing job making sure the drawing sets look nice and organized. I know that she spends many a late night in studio on deadline days making sure everything if perfect. Kudos to Melody!
SIPs!
We got 'em! Habitat said "Go ahead with SIPs." The cost for them is around $15,000. However, SIPs will make things easier and faster. Energy cost throught the house's life will also be cheaper. I'm real excited to be working with SIPs. This will be a good thing to put on my resume.
So wire mesh sheets with rocks or gravel inbetween is called a gabion cage. I knew that, but thank you Mike for reminding me. I'll say the correct term from now on.
...it's way too cold in here...I'm shaking...
Update on site:
On Sunday, we the team, located the corners of the house on the site. We placed batter boards at the corners to get a straight and level line across for accurate measuring. People, this was a task! First, the board were kinda short, so they wouldn't go into the ground very much. Problem! Second, and maybe this is just me, but I am not very strong. I lack arm muscle. Hammering nails into these boards was hard. (I am in for a great time.) No, I will muscle up throughout the year, don't you worry. We had a great time on the site this weekend though. We got a lot more cleaning done as well.
The formwork will be done by Friday so the dirt can be put in over this weekend. Half of the class will be in Austin, TX so it will be interesting. Who will be jobsite captain?
Drawing update:
We submitted the drawings to the building inspector for permit approval. I think that we did a good job, especially since we really didn't have much to change from the first drawing set we turned in. One thing I noticed was that we didn't have the cross-bracing drawn in between the piers. I just hope that Mark Joiner doesn't refuse us a permit for that. That can easily be fixed.
We are now starting on other drawings for the architectural set. I think that the rest of the drawings should be done by 2 (at the most!) people. There was a bit of confusion with the last set and not all the drawings matching. I think it was neccessary for several people taking charge of certain pages because it helped the drawing get done on time, but now that we have those drawings, 1 or 2 people can go through and make the neccessary changes (hopefully not too much) and finish the other drawings. Melody is doing an amazing job making sure the drawing sets look nice and organized. I know that she spends many a late night in studio on deadline days making sure everything if perfect. Kudos to Melody!
SIPs!
We got 'em! Habitat said "Go ahead with SIPs." The cost for them is around $15,000. However, SIPs will make things easier and faster. Energy cost throught the house's life will also be cheaper. I'm real excited to be working with SIPs. This will be a good thing to put on my resume.
So wire mesh sheets with rocks or gravel inbetween is called a gabion cage. I knew that, but thank you Mike for reminding me. I'll say the correct term from now on.
...it's way too cold in here...I'm shaking...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
All Alone in Hale
It's Friday night and I'm stuck in Hale all by myself...well, Jose went to the computer lab but is coming back. This is actually a regular thing for me. Most of my work is done late at night because during the day I have other classes or group meetings. Tonight I heard about a girl getting mugged last night as she was walking to her car. Maybe I'll drag Jose with me to my car??
Design is coming along. This week was all about FOUNDATION. About half of the class was working on design and all the details of the foundation. I've been going through several sketches with Melody and Janina just deciding what worked best and looked best. We also built several study models. I think what we have now is great and I can't wait to get out onto the site and start digging and pouring. The grade on the site has been kicking us in the butts, but we finally designed a nice solution. In the end, there will be several interesting features involved in the site. I LIKE IT!
Donations are starting to come in. YAY for money! SIPs is looking more and more like it's not going to happen. The price is just too much. This sticks because SIPs would be amazing to use. Maybe we can push some money around in the budget, but even the budget is tight.
Tomorrow the class is meeting at the site at 8am, and Habitat for Humanity will be there too. We will be flagging the boundary of the house and layout of foundation. In a few days hopefully, we will begin foundation digging and pouring. This really needs to start moving along, because I'm tired of sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen for 5-6 hours at a time. I want to get out on the site and work in the sun with power tools that I will handle properly (of course). We watched to first couple of safety videos today. That was some of the worst acting but funniest stuff I've seen. It seems so common sense, but I'm sure accidents happen all the time, and I don't want to talk too soon.
...time for bed...
Design is coming along. This week was all about FOUNDATION. About half of the class was working on design and all the details of the foundation. I've been going through several sketches with Melody and Janina just deciding what worked best and looked best. We also built several study models. I think what we have now is great and I can't wait to get out onto the site and start digging and pouring. The grade on the site has been kicking us in the butts, but we finally designed a nice solution. In the end, there will be several interesting features involved in the site. I LIKE IT!
Donations are starting to come in. YAY for money! SIPs is looking more and more like it's not going to happen. The price is just too much. This sticks because SIPs would be amazing to use. Maybe we can push some money around in the budget, but even the budget is tight.
Tomorrow the class is meeting at the site at 8am, and Habitat for Humanity will be there too. We will be flagging the boundary of the house and layout of foundation. In a few days hopefully, we will begin foundation digging and pouring. This really needs to start moving along, because I'm tired of sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen for 5-6 hours at a time. I want to get out on the site and work in the sun with power tools that I will handle properly (of course). We watched to first couple of safety videos today. That was some of the worst acting but funniest stuff I've seen. It seems so common sense, but I'm sure accidents happen all the time, and I don't want to talk too soon.
...time for bed...
Monday, January 7, 2008
Poison Ivy/Sumac Outbreak
The holiday break for me was spent in New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The trip was amazing. Forum went well; we hung out with the ULL students a lot, but we did meet lots of other architecture students from all over the country.
When I got to Milwaukee, I was surprized to see the Ashley and Mike both had poison ivy and they got it from the site. I was curious as to why I hadn't gotten it. Maybe I'm immune..? They were quarantined in the room. None of us wanted to go anywhere near them really.
As I'm spending my last day in Chicago, what do you guess I see appearing on my arm but poison ivy. GREAT! I only have a little small patch, but I really hope it doesn't spread. I saw Shannon's rash today and heard how his started as a tiny patch and grew. That scares me.
To make matters worse, Amy started a stomach virus bug going around among us architecture students. I felt the effects of it Saturday night. This really hasn't been the best weekend for me. And now I get to go back to work.... Joy.
When I got to Milwaukee, I was surprized to see the Ashley and Mike both had poison ivy and they got it from the site. I was curious as to why I hadn't gotten it. Maybe I'm immune..? They were quarantined in the room. None of us wanted to go anywhere near them really.
As I'm spending my last day in Chicago, what do you guess I see appearing on my arm but poison ivy. GREAT! I only have a little small patch, but I really hope it doesn't spread. I saw Shannon's rash today and heard how his started as a tiny patch and grew. That scares me.
To make matters worse, Amy started a stomach virus bug going around among us architecture students. I felt the effects of it Saturday night. This really hasn't been the best weekend for me. And now I get to go back to work.... Joy.
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