The first challenge of building the house was the footings. The basis of every house start with the footings, and we wanted to make sure everything was done perfectly. Of course, when its your first time doing house footings, that is a big undertaking, but research had been done, and we had advice from other builders to help guide the process. One of the most important steps was making sure the footings were at the correct height and that everything was level. We used a transit and sight to get everything just right.
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| Footings before pouring concrete |
We used 2x12" boards and 2x10" boards for the footing forms. There were also two places where the footings had to be stepped down, which can be seen in the photos below. Rebar needed to be cut, bent and placed into the footings, and then tied together. Rebar is basically steel rods that are added to provide strength to the concrete. The size and placement of the rebar is dependent on the house plans, and the building code.
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| Tying rebar in the footings |
We were ready for the first concrete pour for the footings. Unfortunately, as soon as the concrete truck pulled in, it started to rain! One of the steps needed extra bracing during the pour, so that was intense, but both Dad's were there to help, and the job was completed without loosing too much concrete. The second pour for the frost wall went without a hitch (pictured below)!
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| Waiting for concrete for the frost wall |
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| Footings after being poured |
Once the footings were poured, we were ready for our first order of Fox Blocks, the ICF materials that we will be using to build the house. The blocks arrived and the frost wall was built.
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| First trailer of Fox Blocks! |
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| View of the frost wall before being poured |
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| Securing large joints with scabs of plywood |
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| Frost wall and footings for the lally columns ready to be poured |
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