Foundation and Frustrations

Building a custom house is exciting and fun and overwhelming and a bit scary all at the same time. We're also finding it is a journey, one filled with daily challenges that test your patience and offer adjustments in your perspective on the project and on life in general. Over the past few weeks, we have pushed forward with the construction of our foundation, which we have inferred from others is one of the more complicated foundations to be built in North Florida in recent memory. And while we are looking forward to living in this house and enjoying it with our family and our friends, we also realize the frustrations that surface during home building are just problems to solve. If it's God Will for us to live in this house, we will. In the meantime, we will do our best, put a smile on our face, treat others with kindness and push forward.

You see, we are on our own. A few weeks ago, our contractor shut down his business. Thankfully, we had someone looking out for us on the inside, and he was able to see to it that our bills were paid on time, and he has agreed to continue on managing the project with me as his assistant and chief buyer. We're hoping Jeff, our builder's right-hand man and brother-in-law, will provide consulting services for us. So essentially, the team remains the same.

This economy has been the financial demise of many contractors and subcontractors, and while we thought we were immune because of the builder we chose, we have quickly learned life holds no guarantees. Contracts are just paper, and forgiveness holds much freedom. It is pointless to be angry. After all, we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. We are blessed beyond measure, so throwing a fit and stewing over this development would be a waste of time and energy.  We have a house to build and much to do, and we will continue on until God says, "No."

During my professional career on more than one occasion, I was promoted into positions where I wasn't sure of what I was doing. That familiar, uneasy feeling has suddenly returned. The blissful state of just being the client has dissipated into more involvement and more responsibility for our decisions, and it's a little daunting, to be quite honest. My plan is to ask a lot of questions, lean on others for advice and trust in the vision Randy and I have for this house.

Despite all of this behind-the-scenes drama, that granddaddy of all foundations is almost completed. The plumbing issue was resolved when Shane learned of a development in Vero Beach that used a strapping system for the plumbing under the slab to prevent compromised support during settling, and he got our plumber on board. They will be working on that this week, and then the slab will be poured. In the photo to the right, you are looking at the driveway side of the house. Where the wall steps down in the center of the photo is where the back porch will be.

In the meantime, I have had a bad case of sticker shock as I am choosing faucets, and our front door has been ordered, I think. We're awaiting word from a contact our builder had in Tampa who makes custom doors for less than a factory prices, and his work is true craftsmanship.

A tricky issue this week was the grading around the house, but we are all pleased with the results. If the grade had been too steep in the back, we would have had to install a railing on the back porch. No big deal, right? Well, imagine sitting on the back porch, enjoying a glass of wine and looking out at that beautiful view. Oh wait, the railing is right in your line of vision. Now that won't be an issue, and the grade in the back and at the entrance to the house is so gradual, you can't tell that the lot was built up to be more than 10 feet above sea level except for the fact that the trunk base of our uneasy live oak is now in quite a pit, posing a new challenge for another day.

That's What It's All About

At dawn on April 5, NASA launched Space Shuttle Discovery -- and we had incredible view! We invited some friends out, and we all shared an experience we will long remember. I'm sharing a few photos, and while they don't show the house or the dock, they depict what we envision for this dream home -- making memories and sharing this blessing with loved ones.

Building a Foundation -- in Florida

Building on sand is a little tricky. Not only do we have 50 pilings made of concrete and steel rebar, but are also constructing a stem-wall foundation. This type of foundation is common in flood-prone areas of Florida. A wall of concrete blocks is assembled around the perimeter of the home as well as strategic load-bearing points. Then, this box, if you will, is filled with sand and dirt, underground plumbing is installed, and a concrete slab is poured on top.

As of yesterday, our stem wall was completed, and we are awaiting inspection before going further. But a dire question lies in wait. The soil analyst predicted three inches of settling, and he originally suggested a 120-day waiting period to allow all the dirt to settle before the underground plumbing installation. However, to avoid this waiting period, a solution was devised to tie the plumbing to the rebar.

But nobody asked the plumber, who is adamant that this idea will not work and could cause plumbing problems for us down the road. We don’t want that, so we’re asking questions to determine the best possible procedure, and we may come to a standstill waiting for the new dirt to settle.

In the meantime, the plumber and other subcontractors as well as inspectors and others have been impressed with the steps we are taking to fortify our foundation and have said that we are doing everything right where others might have cut corners.

As for me, I've been assigned me a few fun jobs, like choosing a front door and faucets. When framing starts, the crew will need specifications for any items that they need to “rough in.”

The photo in the top left shows the rebar before they filled it with concrete and started topping it with concrete blocks.  The other two photos show the stem wall just before completion. The bottom photo is a view facing the front of the house, while in the other, Randy is standing where the back porch will be.