To the layperson’s eye, and I count myself among their numbers, outward signs of construction progress over the last couple of weeks might seem a little hard to detect but, like the proverbial duck appearing to be floating effortlessly along on the surface whilst its little legs are going ninety to the dozen below the surface, there’s been bags of action behind the scenes!
To me a construction project is a relay race with the “building-baton” getting passed on from one construction leg to the next with the “baton” being the construction plans. Just like a relay race there is a right and wrong way to pass that baton and in construction passing that baton is all about making sure the completed work provides a firm basis for the next phase. In our case there was a need for a bit more work and that entailed revising parts of the site construction plans, a practical demonstration in the wisdom of “measuring once and then measuring again,” something that every bit of DIY work I have ever done stands testament to my failure to follow that piece of advice! With corrections in place construction is again moving forward at a pace……weather permitting of course, and I’ll come back to that in a minute. Over the last couple of days our sand heap, having passed “geo testing” (a technical term that basically means the heap is packed down enough for construction – bit like making a sand castle with a plastic bucket) so it can support the next phase, which is digging the “footings” for the rear wing. As you would see, if you visited the site, those footings have been dug and now the outline of the rear wing is marked out by trenches, about 3 feet deep, that makes the site look like a model for a First World War a movie set. Next week, weather permitting, concrete will be poured into the bottom of those trenches to form the base for the concrete building blocks that make the foundation for the walls. Meanwhile, our site contractor, Higgerson, will start excavating the storm water settling tanks beside N. Witchduck Rd. A piece of work I’ve mentioned in my previous blogs and that bring me to the weather or to be more accurate, the weather forecast. This week the weather forecast predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms all week and, as we’ve learnt, you don’t move earth in the rain. So Higgerson, not wishing to turn the site into a quagmire, held off moving earth in the expectation it was going to be very wet, so no digging. As an aside our ODEC team postponed lifting the labyrinth bricks for the same reason (a relief to my back). In the event after a somewhat inclement start it has been rather a nice week but even so the forecast has been for rain and then more rain and by the time it was obvious the weather forecast was not quite on the money, and not wishing to leave large open pits beside a public road over the weekend, it was too late to start the digging. Next week should see significant progress on the site so let’s hope we get a dry, or at least predictable, week. In the meantime I hope you have a blessed weekend, stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach.
1 Comment
Mal
6/20/2020 09:02:17 am
David, I can attest to the digging going on behind the church. Piles and more piles. Thanks for the update on what it all means.
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AuthorDavid Beach is our Building Project Manager, and has been an active part of our parish family for more than a decade. He is retired from NATO and the British Army and is a joy and blessing to all of us. Archives
July 2021
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