Many Blocks

Rough calculations show that we will need about 1500 blocks to do this job. We have already had one delivery and have used most of them up.

Other than the pile up where the patio is supposed to go, there aren’t many blocks left. I don’t know why construction workers like to remove their shirts and fry themselves in the sun, but they do.

“Hey boss, here comes the truck.” It will take a couple of days of hard work to put them where they belong.

“Put those blocks right over here.”

Here is a good view looking north. The old house is on the left, the basement in the middle, the patio to the right, and then the pool. Don’t forget, this is only half the project. There is still a two car garage that measures 24’ by 36’ to be attached to this basement. That will extend over into that long pile of earth. The footers have to be laid out, the earth dug out for them, and then they will have to be formed and poured. Four foot block walls will then be laid. There is much work to do before I am needed to start framing. As I write this it is June 9, 2011, two days after the work was actually done. I plan to leave Monday morning, June 13, with my tools. If I were to drive nonstop, Google Maps tells me it is 1392 miles and will take me 22 hours and 58 minutes. I will pass thru or around cities like Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, etc. I can’t ask you to pray for this trip because by the time you read this I should be there working on the framing.

Here is a view of the basement looking south where there will be a nice window in a south wall. You can easily tell what was just laid by the darker mortar lines.

There is the east wall with eight courses of blocks. That leaves five rows to go. Basements usually have twelve courses, but that make for a low ceiling, so I specified an extra course.  The patio will cantilever over the block wall for two feet toward the pool. It would be nice if the pool was about two feet lower, but when it was placed there Jon had no idea there would be an addition built where it is now being built.

The blocks that were delivered are going to be used to build the north wall of the basement (which is also the south wall of the garage) and the wall under the old house.