Construction is the pits

Or maybe I should say construction is in the pits. Before you build up you've got to dig down. To that end I first dug up the shed's concrete slab. Using my backhoe and occasionally a sledge hammer I lifted it all and broke it into pieces. Once that was accomplished I moved it all into a couple of piles. I think I'll use it for a retaining wall later on. The first of the contractors showed up early one morning. They came in with a large excavator slowly creeping down the driveway. A couple of days after it showed up they started digging. They excavated down between 3 to 6 feet and piled the dirt up off to the sides. Total area dug out was a 2 level pad about 50 x 60 feet. Once they were done digging nothing happened for a while. Then one morning I came out and the concrete crew was there starting to set up forms for the footings.It took them about 3 days or so to get all the form set up. Once they were almost done the county inspector came out and signed off on them. 2 days later they poured concrete. 2 concrete trucks, one large pumper and I had footings. Let me tell you this house is not going anywhere, the footing are from 2' wide to monster sized 7' wide for the retaining wall.

The next day they were out stripping the forms away and starting on setting up the wall forms. It took them about a week to get all the forms up. There is enough rebar in them to build a bridge.

Then it was pour day again. Another big pumper truck and I believe 3 trucks of concrete this time. These guys were fun to watch as they walked around on top of the forms 9' in the air. They were about half done when I stopped by at lunch and by the time I got home they were long gone. The next day they were back stripping the forms off. After 2 days they were done and I had a foundation in place. A day after that the water proof coating was applied. Then the excavator came back in and back filled around and in the foundation. Now it was my turn to start working.