February « 2006 « remodeling for geeks

The Neighborhouse Project 2

Here are more photos of the project across the alley.
The stemwalls are done, and the fill is in place almost ready for concrete. The house sits a lot higher on the lot as the building codes have been changed, requiring the the floor to be 14” above grade level.

Here is the foundation just prior to pouring the floor. The dividers are in place in case there is some sort of delay with the concrete delivery and also to manage the concrete.

Pouring slabs is not just a matter of placing forms, and filling them up. You have to tamp it, smooth it, and finish it. You may see a lot of guys standing around watching the truck deliver concrete, but trust me, these guys work their asses off to get a smooth finish.

The interior floor concrete is in place and the finishers are getting ready to smooth the floor.

Here is the finished product with the sun porch on the left, and the garage on the top of the photo, putting the garage at the front of the house.

Garages in the front of your house have always seemed to me to be such an ugly detail, but in the case of this house, is sort of a no win situation as the house itself covers so much of the lot.

Water Slide

My buddy Mike, who taught me just about all I know about recycling cars and parts, having worked in his wrecking yard for 4 years, has a new project going. He is building a waterslide for a friend.

The frame work is made entirely of recycled metal fencing.

It will enclose the swimming pool pumps and filters, which are one of those things that go with having a pool.

Here is another view.

The slide itself is a recycled PVC drain line.

The plans include covering the exterior with wire and concrete, and installing misters inside the slide.

The Neighborhouse Project

This is a photo journal of the new house being built across the alley from me. There are gaps in the early photos due to a harddrive crash.

I Live in an old neighborhood. The houses around here were originally built in 1952. On my block across the alley was a house that had burned. The woman who was living there was the daughter of the orginal owner.
She was living in the camper on the right.

A neighbor coalition bought the property, moved her, knocked down the old house and cleaned the lot.

Nothing happened for months.
Then in late December was a flurry of activity culminating in this shot of the perimeter bearing walls which are 14” above grade with the new building code.

I lost the photos of the concrete footer, the form work for the stem walls, and the plumbing lines.
They are there. This is the project after the plumbing waste lines are in and prior to pouring the concrete for the floor. Phoenix doesn’t do basements. After all, we are in a valley and when it does rain, it rains a lot.