Building is hard, the rowhouse foundation edition.

The rowhouse project foundation, as I predicted, isn’t easy to build. All attempts I made to ward off problems preemptively were not successful.  The issues tend to deal with translation from computer screen to paper plan to a large hole in the dirt.  The surveyor is meant to be the translator in the critical step from drawing to dirt. Unfortunately the footing contractor determined (too late) that the survey points were inadequate leading to much debate and consternation about how to proceed (over a weekend). Have I learned my lesson in how to make sure a foundation is surveyed properly?  Should I not know by now what details must be on the plan such that the cribbers can do their job?  You’d expect so considering the number of houses that I’ve built over the years.  Hopefully this job site suffering can teach me some more lessons on what not to do that I can benefit from next time.  

 

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the footing form work is underway.   

 

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Some of the unfortunate details that needed deal with before work began.