House construction begins

While Max and I were busy working on the shed, Riemco began the house construction process in late October.

Once again, Steve Dewolf removed the topsoil to prepare the building site for the foundation.















Rob inspects the foundation work.








Daily oversight of construction work by Riemco, (either Vice President Rob Riemenschneider, or Construction Supervisor Ron Devine) and consistent communication with Mary and I ensures quality. As homeowners we appreciate how important Riemco's supervision and great communication is to the high quality building that they provide.





Once the foundation was set, R-Value,Inc. began assembling the Insulated Concrete Form blocks (with frames for the openings for windows and doors, as well as all needed penetrations in the walls) This creates the walls into which concrete is poured. The Styrofoam blocks acts as the insulation on both sides of the concrete walls, providing a very energy efficient wall.







Construction Manager Ron Devine consults with the electrician regarding the penetrations in the ICF walls for the electrical service and wiring.










































































After the lower level walls were fully assembled, the walls were filled with cement using a cement pumping truck with a large hinged extendable tube that was remote controlled. Four to five cement truck loads were needed for the lower level walls. As the walls were poured, a large vibration rod was used to ensure that all of the wall spaces were filled.



Once the concrete set, and a capillary barrier of pea-gravel and tile piping was completed, Steve backfilled the soil around the walls and Chelsea Lumber Company constructed the floor deck which would protect the concrete of the lower level, yet to be poured. They also began constructing the stick-built garage walls which did not need to be ICF.











































At the same time that the main floor decking and walls were being constructed, the well was drilled by Cribley Drilling Company, Dexter. At 76 feet a good well in pea gravel was completed.















Following the completion of the floor decking, R-Value, Inc. returned to assemble the ICF block for the upper level.





























In the lower level the floor was prepped with plumbing, electrical piping, foam insulation,and a vapor barrier in preparation for the lower level concrete floor pour scheduled for Nov. 24.
















At the end of the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, this is where the house construction had progressed. Pouring of the upper level walls is scheduled to be done on Monday, Nov. 29 and the lower level concrete floor should be curing at the time of this posting. Stay tuned for that and other pictures and updates.

Happy Thanksgiving!