Thar she blows!

Blowers brought in both our drain rock (exterior) and sand (interior) this week. What a difference it makes to cover all of that mud!

Notched joists

These full-length, temporary walls were built to support the house until new posts and beams take the load. 

This short wall supports the weight of our grand piano upstairs.

To maximize the ceiling height, we decided to recess (set back) the beams by notching the existing joists.

Cutting these long pieces of strong fir does feel - temporarily - like we've broken the vertebrae of our house!

Here is the new spine - an engineered beam set into the notched joists. Stronger than ever!

Pipes!

Nice pipes, boys!

This was our bad corner for drainage, having attempted perimeter drains ourselves years ago. This MUST be the highest point (under the back door) and we did not dig deep enough for a slope that would carry water away easily. Now the job is done RIGHT... the second time.

Wait - snow????

nope - just pipe flakes.

Didn't it rain!

I feel for these guys working in a basement swamp!

Noah, where is your ark?

Nana's flowers carry us through.

Beams out, Scotty!

Nickel Brothers returned to collect their massive steel beams and to lower our house back down - only one foot higher than it was originally.

It is time to pull out the Jenga blocks.

It fits!

Our palace

Step out the back, Jack.

Dad drew up a cool vision of our back door entrance/exit. Two feet below grade, with the shed closer than expected,  we need room for moving bikes and the likes. 

Here are the post footings - the first step in creating that angled decent to the basement.

The black goop

This tar-like, black paint seals all of the concrete below grade (ground level). It is thick and toxic!