We've got walls

Jerry, working rebar

 September 19, 2012
Tanner and Jerry finish a week of completing the first floor walls for our eventual home.  I joined them in a celebratory beer atop the land that looks onto our home site.  A more vivid vision of what our home will become, began to emerge before our eyes as we enjoyed the sun departing into the western sky.

September 20, and 21, 2012
The stacked block was then secured with bracing, making our house look like it was a rocket headed for it's first space mission.  Hoping to have a great day pouring concrete, Tanner, my dad Steve, and Jerry collaborated to create a tool to help aid in the concrete pouring process.  Jerry and Tanner talked about designing a metal tube attachment for a sawzall.  This tube would be placed over the rebar, causing vibration that would help the concrete to fill into all of the crevices inside of the Faswall block.  Their idea was presented to my dad and he promptly went home and made one to be tested out.  On everyone's approval he went home and made a few more.

All of the blocks stacked, braced for concrete fill

Over the weekend, Tanner had finishing touches to complete for pouring day.

September 23, 2012
Tanner works with a headlamp, long after dark, using spray foam to fill cracks in the block for pouring day.  Poor guy!

September 24, 2012
6:00 AM  MST
Tanner is out, getting things ready for the day.  7:10 AM  Jerry and Kyle arrive.  All three are busy getting things prepared.  7:40 AM  My dad arrives with treats for the puppies as well as another tool to aid in getting the concrete into all of the tight spaces within the wall, and begins helping Kyle with rebar.  Everyone has a task and hard at work at it when the concrete pump truck arrives at 8AM.  He gets settled in as the concrete truck rolls in.  Everyone is looking alive and ready to move!

Ready at sunrise

 Jerry operated the main source of the concrete, Tanner worked the rebar with the sawsall tool~it worked like a charm, Kyle worked the rental tool~which would double check for any air pockets within the wet concrete walls, and dad was on the ground level shoveling and working the wall beneath the windows.  Dad and I also worked as gofer's for anyone who needed one of many sawsall batteries replaced.

Steve, salvaging some concrete for us.  Thanks DAD!!

K-Fed, using a tool which vibrates the rebar, working cement into air pockets.

front view

Dad, moving concrete from one window sill to the other.  

Concrete splattered husband, working sawsall on east facing window

Jerry, pouring concrete to wall beneath our firewood chute

 Very patient puppies, forced to be in their pen for their need to lie underfoot!

concrete splattered Tanner

South facing view

 Concrete poured, boys were fed by the live-in yurt cook, yours truly.  After lunch everyone worked to get the scaffolding down from the inside of the structure.

The new sawzall tool worked like a charm, until the machine itself was too far covered in cement....will have to keep you updated on whether we can resuscitate it or not.

West facing view

Once the day was done, Tanner, Kyle and I had a beer and reminisced a little bit.  I realized that today, September 24, is three months to the day since we raised our yurt.  My head is spinning at all that we have been able to do, and when I say we, I mean my husband.  He has worked his arse off to get to this point, and he is loving it!  I know that our home will be lovely in every way, I will never want for more.  We are exhilarated by all that has happened in the last few months, and it'll only get better as we go.  I couldn't be happier with our yurt, and with the exception of laundry, our round tent is as cozy and efficient as anywhere else we've been.  I am so happy to be living this life!!

Cheers!

Husband & Wife house building duo

 This Sunday, being a gorgeous September day, Tanner and I spent it doing what we've done for most of the summer: Work on our house.  I donned my work clothes for another day in the dust, to give Tanner an extra hand in getting more block stacked for the first floor in our new home. 

Using a vice, Tanner bends steel into an oblong ring to stabilize vertical rebar within the walls being built.   Each Faswall block is primarily shaped like a cinder block, and each hole has to have rebar through it to support the wall.

Looping the steel ring around the rebar, we connected posts and ring to one another.

Tanner, tying rebar posts to extend the height of each post

 The steel rods (rebar) can be tied together with bailing wire, but we opted to use these pre-cut and prepped wires.  The come in a roll, looped onto wire.

 Each wire is bent to wrap around two bars, and the wooden handled hook tool, is inserted through the loops on the wire.  The handle spins, enabling you to twist the wire loop like a giant bread bag twist tie.  Amazingly, they are strong enough to hold it!

 Positioning the rebar, and wrapping
the wire around it.

 Using the tool to spin the wire.

Tanner, working in "the pit"

 Once we got the rebar to a sufficient height, Tanner had me haul Faswall block to the scaffolding to aid in continuing his stacking.

By the time Jerry arrived the next morning, things were beginning to resemble a house!
Jerry has just begun his work in helping us build our house.  We are happy to have his expertise to get our main structure up, with a roof, before the snow flies this winter. 
croskreybuilding.com

We couldn't be more happy with how things are shaping up!  I was happy to spend the day helping my man, as he has spent countless hours already, single-handedly building our house.  Tanner you are my hero!




With fire season upon us, we are hoping for some rain, but in the meantime we are enjoying the breathtaking sunsets.  We are so thankful, and pinch ourselves daily at all our efforts have become.  The best part is knowing all that awaits us!!  Cheers!

House Developments

 On August 21 we had this big truck bring up all of the Faswall block that will be the first floor of our home.  Tanner loves seeing big trucks come up our quaint little road, and this one was no exception.  I was floored at how many pallets came off of the truck, and especially how quickly they are diminishing as we stack our way toward our structure.

The forklift unloading block, and Buddy helping, as usual

Tanner's first order of business in getting the block-stacking project underway, was to line the first layer of block along the footing.  Each block was affixed to the footing with mortar, and painstakingly leveled and straightened so that the subsequent layers could simply be stacked atop the first. 

Beginning at the corners and working his way in, Tanner lined up the first row.

The blocks were placed on top of the rebar set into the footing to help secure the wall as it is stacked to its final height. Once we reach that stage, the cement truck will come back and fill the wall, forming a stellar first floor to our house.

This will be our house some day soon!

Moose, surveying the new digs

Friend of the year, Kyle, worked for several days helping Tanner stack, level, and haul block, and cut rebar.

 Soon, enough layers were stacked and the door and window frames needed to be accommodated for in the wall.  This step really reinforced the visual of our new home in my minds eye.  The frame to Tanner's right will be our main entrance from the carport on the ground floor.

Tanner cutting rebar

Buddy, supervising

Kyle in the pit

 Needless to say, we are thrilled to see our house coming together.  As we are looking at the building site, we can see the impact our home will be making on the space.  Our huge hole in the ground is now a visual for what will be our basement.  We are beginning to see what kind of view we will have from the second floor, and main living space of our home.  We have yet to be disappointed!

In the meantime, Tanner and I spent another afternoon taping more insulation.  Yes, there was still more to do!  One of the small chores left to accomplish on the yurt, but one which needed two people.  When we were raising the yurt, and several of us were taping the roof insulation together, we only taped one side.  In doing this we had seams on the ceiling of the yurt that needed to be closed up, both for keeping air out, and strengthening the layer of insulation.  

Tanner got to be up on the big ladder, he is far less clumsy than myself.

I stayed on a step ladder, and together we got this dreaded chore done relatively fast.

 Still, the same mess of paper backing from the tape...

Never a fun job, however, Tanner and I found, once again, that we make a pretty good team.  He puts up with my crankiness initially, then I get over it.  We carry on, and soon find our stride in efficiency.  Before we know it, we're done! 

The house building, we know, will be a long, and at times arduous task, but being that we make a good team, the process has been a lot of fun.  Tanner has been the ultimate rock star in keeping his head on straight in the face of an intimidating to do list.  My chore has been to make sure he is fed, and has all of the comforts of home in our yurt when he has time to enjoy them, as in his favorite beer and ice cream!  I can only imagine what the next few months hold, but as we look at the house plans and the calender for which things will come together, I am filled with joy and a constant buzz of happiness.

Cheers!