Start and Stop Progress

The rain has finally stopped and the sun has come out again.  Who would have thought after this last summer of 96 days straight over 100 degrees that we are asking for sunshine.  The sun and a slight wind with low humidity has made the fill dry out significantly and we are back to work.  The first thing the plumbers did was smooth out the mess they had previously made of the fill then they were off and running.

The plumbing isn't complicated especially since the house is single level and all plumbing is concentrated on the back side (North) side of the house and with exception of second bath,  centralized around kitchen, pantry and master bath.

The plumbers worked for about 3 hours and began to run into the rock problem.  They were able to achieve most of the Eastern pipes which were at the highest points where they could just dig into the easily moveable loose fill.

Notice there are two sizes of pipe running through this trench which are the black (4-inch) and grey (3-inch) lines.  Black is for Kitchen sink, dishwasher, toilets and clothes washer and gray is for tubs, shower, sinks, condensate from ERV and Minisplit and water heater heat pumps.  

From this picture it is clearer how the lines are separated.  Almost all the pipes are for gray water with the exception of the large pipe which is for the master toilet.  On the left is the master shower, in the middle is a vent and line for the Hot water Heat Pump.  It is difficult to see the black water line since it is buried beneath the gray water line.

This shows better the cleanout for the black water which goes through the side of the slab. Notice in all of the install, no lines are on the outside wall but all on internal walls to reduce any holes in the envelope.  Some will be required such as the Minisplit Heat Pump will be on the inside East wall and cannot be avoided since the condenser has to be outside but the hole will be small.

This was interesting how the foundation guys filled the forms then trenched out the front entrance which isn't more than 3 feet wide.  Reinforcement bars and tension cables will later be placed in this area to keep this section from cracking off.

When the plumber left on Thursday before New Years, he had marked the trench that needed more depth. This is where the black and gray water lines will exit the North side of the garage to the septic system.  The lines will remain separated until outside where there will be a switch allowing the gray water to be directed to the sewer or to the surge tank for reuse.  The line will have a backflow protector on it to keep the black water in the back water line.

This was after the backhoe did it's work or some of it anyway.  It may not be obvious but the backhoe dug down about 2 feet to get to the right level for slope to the septic tank and pulled out many rocks.  I am afraid to see how much this is going to cost me.

This is only a portion of the boulders they removed.  I afraid they did not complete what they needed to do since the trench did not run in the other direction which which would be for the other toilet and tub/sink and ERV condensate.  They plan to come back on Tuesday after the New Years.  Oh, and by the way, the trenching has just begun since the foundation guy will have to do many many trenches for the beams.

Oh well, it is going to be an extremely strong foundation that will NEVER shift or move.

I was checking on the rest of the property and found the rain has refreshed the little creek and pond at the back of the property.  Good opportunity for a larger pond and it obviously holds water.

Beautiful time in Texas.  Winter is usually sunny and pleasant.  It is 70 degrees today and the forecast is 60 to 70 degrees for the next 10 days.  Great construction weather.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!