Entry 12: Foundation During Final Exam Week

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As all of you are currently busy with final exams this week, I just wanted to show you some of the most recent photos taken on Monday the 11th. The concrete has been poured for the footings and the wooden boards that you see the men working on are the frame for the wall of the basement, which will be filled later with concrete.

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Best of luck on finals and be sure to check out the blog over break as Jordan will be keeping everyone up to date.

-Scott

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Entry 11: The Basement Foundation

Hello blog faithful,

Here's the latest on construction, written from our team member, Chris. If you were wondering what will be happening over winter break, have no fear, our team member, Jordan, lives in enemy territory and will bless us with his blogs and photos as construction moves along. Here's what's going on:

Wide angle view of the dug up site.

The excavation of the basement floor continued this week. Because the topsoil was rather weak, as is commonly found, it was removed altogether and hauled off the site. The topsoil will not be saved and used for landscaping, either. Duke University has certain specifications for the soil mixtures used on its property (a special blend reffered to by most as "Duke Soil"), and so a new batch of soil will be created to meet these guidelines.

Some steel used in the foundation.

And while the soil quality further below the surface is also poor in some local areas, Ray Pruitt, the project superindendant, described that the soil they found on the site was actually quite good. After doing numerous soil borings, it was initially feared that rock may have been present below the surface. But after the intial phases of excavation, only a hard, clay-like material was discovered. That material is actually preferable for construction because it compacts and holds together well.

Construction workers on site.

In the meantime, construction crews are working on the footings for the home, and hope to start pouring the concrete walls of the basement by the end of the week. In the photo above, note the orange painted lines in the background. These are the boundary lines for the walls of the house.

In other news, another safety orientation for Duke students was held today, increasing the number of certified visitors to 7. Look out for future orientations, which will most likely begin after we return from winter break.