Foundation complete!

Now that deserves an exclamation mark!

[Our apologies for the late post. For awhile, we didn't have anything new to report, thanks to freezing weather and other delays, and then when we did, reporting took a back seat to life. But now we're back, in full force.]

After skillfully arranging all of the lego pieces, the guys were finally able to pour the cement in the blocks last Wednesday. With our foundation finally poured and curing, we were ready for our appraiser. For those unfamiliar with progressive construction mortgages [John says: "progressive" as in based on progress, not "progressive" as in left-leaning politics], the homeowners (us) receive the value of their mortgage in installment payments called "draws." The draws are based on the portion of the construction that is completed. Our appraiser visited the site on Monday, and assessed the work to date as 15 per cent complete, which is exactly right for the first draw. The first draw covers the completion of the excavation, footings, and foundation. This is good news for us, and for our construction crew, who are paid based on the appraiser's assessment.

We also had a meeting with a potential stair supplier yesterday. Our house design includes two sets of free-standing stairs: one set going from the first floor to the second, the other from the second floor to the third. Both sets of stairs have open risers and a single centre stringer (steel beam thing that supports the stairs) instead of conventional side stringers. The stairs, as they are designed, are unique and dramatic. They may also break the bank, so we're trying to find ways to still get the look we want for less. We're expecting a revised quote for the stairs tomorrow.

The crew is now working on wrapping the foundation with a waterproof membrane, which you can see in the bottom left part of the photo above. (That's the garage door opening on the right. I take the blame for the terrible photo; the perspective is totally crazy.) At the same time, they're framing the steps to the basement, which will have its own separate entrance from the backyard. Next they'll pour the concrete for the basement steps and the support posts in the backyard for the deck off of the second floor.

We're really looking forward to stage 2: walls, windows and exterior doors. Once the shell is up, we'll be well on our way.