LET'S GET IT STARTED!!!

WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PAPER!!! A LOT!!!
It was great to have the groundbreaking ceremony for the Evans family. They were very excited, and Ms. Evans began to cry. I think other people got emotional too. I just kinda stood there and waited for her to finish her speech because I didn't want to cry and then have to go and introduce Dean Jacobs with snot coming down my nose, but I digress.

Today, we bent and cut rebar for the foundation. We had some issues to work out today. Some rebar got cut down. Something happened when the rebar got cut that something else ACCIDENTALLY got overlooked. I, along with other students, did stop to go over the drawing before we proceeded. After we proceeded, we cut down all the rebar to sizes. Some folks got upset because they thought that we went ahead and cut without thinking about. Seriously? The problem was not that severe, and it will get fixed. The goal of this week is to get the dirt into the ground so that we install the rebar so that we can have the inspection so that we can POUR THE CONCRETE NEXT WEEK!!!!

Oh, we must order the SIPs this week!!!!

"Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here." - "Let's Get It Started" by Black Eyed Peas

http://media.www.thetechtalk.org/media/storage/paper1237/news/2008/01/25/News/Habitech.Builds.Home.For.Family.In.Need-3169126.shtml

Getting close

We are almost at that time where we are going to be at the site a lot. It seems as if everytime we come close to completing something, it is not even close. The site layout was off and the people that were still in Ruston this weekend had to re-do the entire layout. Luckily, the Tech Habitat chapter was able to come out and help. The form work is practically done. I wish I could have been in Ruston to help, but I ended up going on the 402 trip to Austin. I love Austin!!! I found some cowboy boots and it got me a phone number!!! Anyway... getting back to the class. We almost had a small problem witht the SIPs panels. The panels will not come pre-cut and apparantly that was going to be a problem with Mark Joiner. NO PROBLEM AT ALL!!! We have to have experts out there to help us cut the windows out.(According to Joiner, we have to thank the fifth year students last year for getting him to change up the codes so that we can do SIPs. So, for those of you who read my blog, thank you so much!) Mark Joiner gave us the permit to do the slab and slab only. Some members of the group misinterpreted what Joiner said about the pier side and we have to go back and change some things. I can honestly say that I am now a little nervous about getting the house going.

Things to do (not in any particular order):

Ground breaking ceremony

Get trees removed from the street-ASAP

Get dirt work completed-ASAP

Pour slab

Order SIPs panels-ASAP

Get some more funding

Design the front porch and back porch

Fix the elevations so that we can get the permit for the piers-ASAP

Change window sizes-ASAP

One Day At a Time

Ms. Evans and her kids came out to the site yesterday to help out. They are so grateful for everything. I can't begin to imagine what their life is like currently. Fred is a riot! Dy'Sane is very quite until she starts running around the site with a rake! Typhonesia is quiet, but her presence is known. She is a hard worker. Only the girls from the group are in the picture. Mike took the picture.

So... we unfortunately picked a pretty bad weekend to go to Austin. Hopefully, the form work is going to get started this weekend and only five people will be in town out of eleven. I'm nervous about being away for FOUR days!! We attempted to do the site layout on Sunday and it was definitely an adventure. I had no idea what the hell I was doing. We managed to get some kind of system down to where we do the layout, but Stevens told us that we have to do it over again. I mean, poorly put together. This is a crucial weekend. We want to pour the concrete next week, maybe Thursday. I almost want to not go on the trip, but I hope to get some experience going on this trip. Chris Kager's architecture firm is going to be a big part of the trip as far as looking at how the houses were designed and also materiality use.

I think we might have the money from Habitat to do SIPs panels!!! I can breathe... sorta. Since Habitat really wants to look at this particular systems, we might be able to get them.

Ok, so an interesting thing happened today. Mike and I met with the president of these university, Dr. Dan Reneau. It was hilarious. Such a nice guy. I just called and his secretary said come today. We tried to get him to give us some money, but he would not budge. So, instead he gave us the name of a gentleman who does the marketing for the school and wants to be kept informed of the progress of the house. I want to see him get dirty! Can I just say that his parking spot does not need to be 24 hours!!!!

"It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good" - "Feeling Good" by Muse

It's about that time!!!

Before I begin with studio, I must say the school added one of the greatest sports to intramurals... KICKBALL!!!! We are called the teabaggers!!! HILARIOUS!!!

Ok, onto to studio... This SIPs is going to drive me up the freaking wall if we don't get the numbers we want from this last company. I got pricing back from the other companies, and I was completely blown away. Heck no, we are not going to spend that much money!! We don't even have that much money yet!!! I got close to the manufacturers and now I have to tell them that we can't afford the product. I am crossing my fingers on the last one. It's cheaper, right up the road, and they have the better product! I'M GONNA GO WORK FOR A SIPs COMPANY AFTER THIS!!!

We decided on a foundation and we are hoping to move forward and start the site layout this weekend. Here's the problem, if we don't use SIPs, we have to go back and redo the drawings. LOL!!! I think we can do it, but hopefully it won' t be necessary. I'm excited about doing two different types of foundation systems, slab and pier system. It's a learning experience. Paul Arden says, "when it can't be done, do it. If you don't do it, it doesn't exist."

"Take the pressure down
Cause I can feel it, its rising like a storm
Take hold of the wheels and turn them around
Take the pressure down" - "Pressure Down" by John Farnham

THE NEW YEAR

Ok, so back to business!!! I haven't written a blog in since last year, but a lot has happened since then. We have a lot to do as far as the drawings go and must to a quick turn around this week in order to get them back to the inspector's office.

I took a field trip to a SIPs manufacturer!! It was incredible how they make these panels. It starts off as a small bead and produces into something amazing. Unfortunately, I came on a day that was not in production, but the gentleman took me through the process.

In the past couple of days, I think the relationship with our neighbor is dwindling. A water pipe busted causing our site to flood. The busted pipe is on her property. She is blaming us for the pipe busting. Due to the water being on the site, our dirt work crew cannot go on the site to remove the stumps until the ground is dry. We cannot move forward until this situation is resolved!

WELCOME 2008!!!

"If you're going through hell
Keep on going, don't slow down
If you're scared, don't show it"-

"If You're Going Through Hell" by Rodney Atkins