I snoozed and lost you?

I hope that isn't the case! I wasn't actually snoozing that much. I've been working some nights and weekends to meet a deadline.

Then, this past week I had to let my oldest kitty go. We were best buddies for 16 years, but her body just couldn't hold up any longer. I'll see her again, I'm sure, though.

Lileee enjoying the sun

Before I catch you up with the progress on the house, let's go through a few terms. I, as a layperson, found these phrases quite confounding. So, I asked my big brother, James, since he used to be a construction manager.

Case and cable is the first mystery phrase. Casing out the forms is the placement of additional wood pieces to
fill areas inside the form boards where concrete is not needed at the same level. An example is when they pour a garage that is a few steps lower than the finished floor of the house. The concrete contractor is basically building a mold to hold the concrete in place until it sets.

The cable part of this phrase refers to cables being placed into the beams and across the cap (top 5 inches of concrete) of the foundation to strengthen it.

Case and cable

Beam and poly is the second befuddling phrase. Forms surround the perimeter of the future slab. The opening within the forms is approximately 12 inches wide. These areas will be poured full of concrete to make the exterior beams of the foundation. The beams will hold the weight of the exterior walls and some of the weight of the roof. Empty spaces in the interior of the forms will be filled with concrete to create interior beams.

Beam and poly edge

Poly is plastic sheeting that separates the dirt from the concrete. It is be placed over the dirt to form a moisture barrier. The water lines are placed on top of the poly (second plumbing rough).

Okay, enough jargon! I hope these pictures give you an idea of what these terms look like when put into action.

Moving on to more exciting things next time!

Completed beam and poly