Pouring the Barn Footings

Pouring the Barn Footing
July 18, 2016

Monday: Volunteers gathered to begin pouring the barn footings at 10:30 am. Some have spent the night on the property, while others have arrived between 9 and 10 am from their homes up and down the Island. The crew’s number climbs to 11 volunteers with three giving service by preparing the afternoon and evening meals.
Having easy access to every footing on the barn, it’s been decided to use wheel barrows to deliver the concrete. Three wheel barrows create a steady flow from the Truck to the footings, where it’s met with two shovel technicians who help settle and spread the material. They are followed up with a person leveling the concrete and then a seasoned vet and accomplice finishing off the surface.
The job gets everyone familiar working with both the concrete and with each other. The Surespan driver mentions in passing how impressed he is with the speed, efficiency and hard work on display by the group. The work plays out very smoothly and gives everyone the confidence to tackle the larger job of pouring the tricky house footings and the walls of the barn once they’re formed up. For that, a pump truck will be hired.
The task is completed by 12:30 and everyone is eating by 1pm. The job clocks in at almost half the budgeted time. The meal is very much a “just desert”. The stormy weather we’ve been tracking online for the past few days, arrives. Lightning, thunder and a deluge of rain. If the water collected in the wheel barrows is accurate, almost 2” falls over the afternoon. This pattern of pleasant and inclement weather plays out throughout the week. It’s generally great weather for working, as temps don’t seem to climb to our usual seasonal highs.
More to follow …