After the excitement of last week on the construction site, which was marked by the return of the Bueno Wellie Wearing Gang* from the honorable trade of concrete levelling and floor finishing supported by the mighty concrete pump, one might think it a hard act to follow but one might be wrong!
Even the most distracted traveler passing down N. Witchduck Road could not fail to notice the medium sized lumber yard that has sprung up on the ODEC “front lot.” Arranged around the site are stacks of roofing trusses and frames that will soon become the skeleton for the roof over the Great Hall and Narthex. To my deep regret I was not “in situ” to watch the arrival of all this lumber and so I am deeply indebted to Mal Higgins and Scott Crumley for their first hand accounts and by all accounts I missed a spectacle. It was Thursday afternoon when the first low-loader arrived at ODEC with its cargo of roof frames and trusses. This was not one of those 18-wheel rigs we see every day plying their trade on the highways and bye ways of the USA. This was one of those extra special behemoths that seem to have more wheels than legs on a centipede and a flatbed trailer stretching some 85 feet back from the cab and accompanied, where ever it goes, by one of those flag carrying, pathfinder vehicles announcing “wide load” to those poor unfortunates trapped behind. Picture the scene, the behemoth arrives at ODEC and is carefully reversed into position by Lerone the driver ably supported by his spotter Krissy. Once in position it's a puzzle for the uninitiated, how do you unload an 85-foot flatbed of stacked lumber with no forklift or crane in sight? Well there is a surprising process so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it weasel! Lerone’s flatbed trailer is fitted with sets of little rollers that in “travelling down the road mode” are withdrawn into the flatbed. When it’s time to unload Lerone activates the electric systems that not only raise the little rollers so they lift the load an inch or so above the trailer bed but also power the rollers so they rotate and gradually ease the load off the back of the trailer. Those of you who can remember the days of air travel may have seen similar technology on the lifts used to load cargo into aircraft. However, the little rollers are not in themselves enough to complete the unload and the next part of the process is…. shall we say, “slightly less subtle?” As the wood seems to mystically glide off the back of the trailer with no visible assistance, thanks to the little rollers doing their hidden work, there comes the inevitable moment when gravity takes over leaving about a third of the wood still flat on the trailer, about a third of the wood now flat on the ground and the third in the middle distorted into an extended “S” bend. The little rollers have done their part and can’t push the load any further so Lerone hops back into his cab, engages a low ratio gear and pulls forward in doing so dumping the final third of word off the flat-bed and onto the ground accompanied by what sounds like a clap of thunder! I think I have had airport baggage handlers treat my suitcase in a similar manner! Turning away from Lerone, his spotter Krissy and their behemoth what else has been going on in the construction world this past week? From the outside the rear wing is starting to look like the finished article, albeit it still without doors, whilst inside Atlantic Heating and Air is continuing with the HVAC installation. At the front, our new concrete pad is now adorned with steel pillars that will eventually either support the main roof beams or form part of the entrances. Around the edge of the concrete pad metal troughs are being attached to the footing bricks in preparation for the wall framing. Turning to the skies, the roofers are in the process of replacing the old shingles on the existing buildings, including Tucker Hall, having already re-roofed Alfriend House. The old, ugly, brick façade picked out with white boards, which gave such “character” to the front the building between the Duty Angel’s office and the day school entrance, is no more, thanks to some rather noisy demolition, and is soon to be replaced by brickwork that will match the new buildings. Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “Bueno Wellie Wearing Gang”*: For those readers who my have missed an earlier blog the “gang” is a team of Spanish speaking construction workers from Richmond who specialize in laying and finishing concrete floors, a very skilled operation. As the team members must wade in liquid concrete, about 4 inches deep, in the course of their work the rubber boot is their preferred footwear. In the UK rubber boots are also called wellington boots or colloquially “wellies” and “bueno” because that is how I described the boots to the gang!
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The Concrete Pump The Bueno Wellie Gang Truck and Pump United Wednesday, 0600 a.m. and a slightly misty morning around the ODEC campus illuminated by the many vehicle and working lights surrounding the Great Hall’s and Narthex’s sand pad. In the dark of the morning, an hour and more before sunrise, the muffled sounds of heavy machinery are suddenly swamped by a cacophony of yelling and shouts as our old friends, the bueno wellie* wearing, concrete smoothing gang from Richmond arrive on site to get this little party rocking and rolling!!! Yes it’s concrete pouring time and by midafternoon the Great Hall and Narthex will have their concrete floors! Before me, wedged between the N. Witchduck Rd’s verge and the edge of our sand pad sits the concrete pump truck with its hydraulic rams, to level and stabilize, extended to their very limits. Above the pump’s delivery system is slowly unfolding, as if a waking giant was stretching out an arm to retrieve a morning cuppa* from a bedside table* (Brit author so you get Brit metaphors!), as Clive, the operator, maneuvers his charge to make sure it can deliver concrete to the furthest reaches of our site. I was very taken by the concrete pump used for the rear wing but the machine before me is, my friends, in a completely different league. When fully extended the delivery arm cuts a graceful arc from N. Witchduck high into the night sky to the far reaches of the sand pad, as Mr Crumley pointed out it actually has a red light to warn aircraft of its presence. This is spectacular! Let me veer away from the descriptive and give you some of the “numbers.” The concrete aficionados amongst us may recall from the rear wing that the distance from the compressed sand pad to floor level is 4 inches. Yes, it was surveyed incorrectly at the rear and had sand not been added we would have had a concrete floor in the rear wing that would have done a bomb shelter proud. However, I digress, the survey is good at the front so our new concrete floor will be 4 inches deep and, of course, cover the Great Hall and Narthex floor areas. Now I used to be able to work this out (and that was using a slide rule*) but I take it on good authority from Clive’s boss that we are looking at 135 cubic yards of concrete and at 9 cubic yards per concrete truck we will need 15 deliveries to feed the beast that, with the help of the “bueno wellie gang,” will cover our floor in concrete to a depth of 4 inches. Enough of the numbers, back to the action! It’s now 0625 a.m., the wellie gang are all “bewellied*” and an eerie silence has settled over the site, no doubt to the great relief of the immediate neighbors, as humans and machines are poised for the first concrete delivery. Its now 0630 a.m. and suddenly with a fanfare of crashing gears and screaming engines (actually the engine wasn’t very loud so put that down to poetic license) the first concrete truck arrives on site. In an impressive display of driving skill, the truck is flicked into the Sentara car park entrance and then reversed back across the road, a bit of right hand down and the truck is backed-up to where it can disgorge its load of concrete into the pumps feeder. From the shadows a "man with wheelbarrow" strides onto center stage, he is the concrete tester charged with making sure the mix is what it should be and it is to him the honor of receiving the first concrete goes. With wheelbarrow now full he disappears back in to the gloom, concrete now pours into the feeder and, with revving engines, is then pumped high over our heads and to the furthest reaches of the site where it is met and spread out by the waiting wellie gang. It’s a pattern that repeats another 14 times, as soon as one truck has fed its load to the pump another takes its place. At the sharp end of the action, the wellie gang’s spreader-in-chief continues his wrestling match with the hose that spews concrete at his direction, a dance punctuated by short and well deserved breaks as one concrete truck leaves and another arrives. Now it’s after 0900 a.m., the pump and its supply convoy of concrete trucks have already gone leaving behind a blanket of concrete that covers the entire sand pad. To one side the wellie gang take a well-earned rest whilst the concrete starts to cure to just that right consistency for them to spring back into action smoothing the rough surface into a polished finished complete with freshly cut expansion cracks (101 lesson from Scott Crumley: concrete expands when it gets warm so the purpose of the cracks is to provided a little space for the concrete to expand into without causing damage). A subtle signal ripples through the wellie gang and it’s time for action (actually the signal was far from subtle, the gang boss stood up and screamed out what I take to be Spanish for “I say chaps lets crack on shall we?” The gang deploy to their respective smoothing duties, some operate the ride on giant skimmers that ply their trade across the site like overly aggressive floor cleaners, others have rakes to push, pummel and bully the concrete into place and some have hand trowels used with great dexterity to get into every nook and cranny. Now the job is done, the bueno wellie gang, machines, trucks and concrete pumps are all gone and we are left with a smooth, almost iridescent concrete floor that lays testament to the skills of drivers, pump operators, logistics planners and, of course, the Richmond based bueno wellie gang. The wellie gang is gone but certainly not forgotten, maybe you’ll see the wellie gang in your neck of the woods sometime in the future, if you don’t see them, you’ll certainly hear them, quite possibly all the way from Richmond! Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach “bueno wellie”: Wellie is colloquial English for a wellington boot, the then leather foot wear invented by the First Duke of Wellington (he of the Battle of Waterloo fame) that is now worn as the rubber boot across the world. Bueno because the Spanish speaking concrete spreading team all very much favor their rubber boots! “cuppa”: Colloquial English for a cup of tea “bedside table”: English for a nightstand "slide rule": If you are of a certain age you'll know what a slide rule is, if not then find some one who is and ask them to explain! “bewellied”: A word I made up to mean “people who are wearing wellies,” similar context as bejeweled is to people wearing jewelry. The Bueno Wellie Gang in Repose
In this, somewhat delayed, blog I want to report a case of “half inching”* on the ODEC campus!
In recent blogs I’ve made note of the departure, albeit as a temporary nature, of the Higgerson site construction team most ably led by that expert of all things sand, earth and below the ground called Ryan Hobbs. Well on last Thursday afternoon whilst wandering the ODEC grounds I unexpectedly came across the redoubtable Ryan looking as bemused as I have ever seen him. On enquiring of his plight, I learnt that at some time over the preceding 8 days a person, or persons, unknown had half inched* the Higgerson equipment trailer that had been left on site waiting for Ryan and his team’s return. The missing item, a large, black enclosed trailer had been left wedged between an excavator and a large, pneumatic street brush used for cleaning the site – the sort of thing that fits on the front of a large tractor. Some perpetrator had seen fit to drag, no doubt by truck, the brush away from the trailer and then with easy access to the tow bar had made off with trailer and contents. In a perverse sort of way it is fortuitous the trailer and equipment belongs to a company such as Higgerson for although my sympathy goes out to Ryan for his loss I know that had it been a small contractor then not only would a trailer have been stolen but also quietly potentially a business and livelihood ruined. Rest assured my next blog will get back to the business of construction with an exciting and exclusive report but until then stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “Half inching” Cockney rhyming slang (cockney is a Londoner born within the sound of St Mary-le-Bow church), half inching rhymes with pinching which in itself is colloquial English for stealing. A No-Frills Warehouse Like a butterfly slowly emerging from its chrysalis our rear wing is gradually metamorphosing into the building we would recognize from those renderings we’ve stood and admired for so many months. Windows and the wood trim have been installed, an additional window to bring light into what will be our new accounting and finances offices is in the making and the moisture barrier’s white, plastic sheeting is steadily vanishing behind the rich tan-browns of the outside brick walls. But let me take you into the “belly of the beast,” deep inside the dark recesses of the rear wing, let me tell you what’s going on in there! When I was a young and impressionable lad my parents took the family on holiday to the Principality of Wales, for those not familiar with the geography of the United Kingdom that’s the bulge on the west side of Britain that sticks out into the Irish Sea, For a holiday treat we took a day trip to visit a disused coal mine that had been opened as a tourist attraction. I remember standing in an underground chamber illuminated by strings of hanging lights and surrounded by steel pit props (apparently the days of wood props and beams were well past – probably something to do with “health and safety”) for a young lad it was an awesome experience one I never expected to enjoy again. Well I was wrong, the rear wing might not be a couple of hundred feet underground but standing there in the middle of the building and surrounded by the steel frames now festooned with strings of work lights I was, for a brief moment in time, that young lad again! All around me the “It’s Electric Inc” electricians were pulling cables and installing the power sockets whilst above me in the rafters the “Atlantic Heating and Cooling” engineers were installing the duct work that will provide cool air in the summer and heat in the winter to the offices and meeting rooms below. And what of the front? The familiar face of our old building is now encased in the concrete block sheath that is the firewall, designed to prevent a fire in one area spreading to another. I have to say it’s not an appealing look, vaguely reminiscent of a no-frills warehouse, but not to worry for the firewall will soon disappear from view behind the internal walls of the Narthex. In front of that firewall the sand pad is now surrounded by the footings which will soon be supporting the steel frames that will be the Narthex’s and Great Hall’s walls. As you may recall from the rear wing’s construction before any framing can take place the concrete floor has to be poured (I feel a concrete pump in our future) and before concrete the utilities pipework has to be installed and that work is ongoing as I write. An orange excavator scarcely big enough to accommodate the operator, in sharp contrast to the yellow monsters that roamed the site for many weeks, is busily cutting the trenches for the utilities and already the first white, plastic pipe is sticking out of the sand marks the location of the future coffee dispensing station. Meanwhile another battle with the complexities of the existing buildings has been won with the electrical power restored to the Historic Church. And there’s more! A fiber optic cable has been pulled from the Historic Church Sanctuary through the new underground conduit, via the new roof space to the Administrator’s Office, and is ready to be connected to the network switch so the Church will, at last, have a permanent connection to the internet. Much more to be done and no doubt many more challenges to overcome but we are certainly on the way! Stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach The Very Small, Orange Excavator
Construction continues at a steady, almost tranquil pace, now the big yellow machines, having done their work, have moved on to construction pastures new leaving behind tracks in the sand and two new entrances as a testament to their labors! We also have a very fine, exposed agate path (I’m picking up some of the terminology at last) connecting the N Witchduck Road crossing point with the Bell Tower so now we can park in the Sentara car park (which is available to us at anytime during these COVID-19 times) and walk on an even surface from car park to Bell Tower with nary a damp shoe in sight.
So what do I mean when I blog “almost tranquil pace”? Is nothing happening, has the frenetic pace of construction tailed off, has the momentum left the job? Far from it, the tranquility is solely due to the recently departed machinery leaving the site in the hands of bricklayers, electricians and carpenters all plying their skills with far less noise! At the front the bricklayers are continuing to raise the firewall that is gradually wrapping the end of Tucker Hall, the old entrance and around past Father Bob’s now ex-windows to the front of the Angel’s office in a concrete block curtain. At the back the rear wing has windows, a wood trim, the electrical system is being installed and outside the finished brickwork is being laid. Above, as already reported, we have a roof that whilst not yet shingled is nevertheless dry! If I paint too rosy picture, then stand fast for all is not sweetness and light. There are, of course, the normal challenges of any new construction; scheduled trades that don’t turn up, inevitable design elements that don’t translate from the drawing board to reality, weather issues etc. but for our construction “the biscuit”* goes to the existing buildings and in particular those bits and pieces that lurk in ambush underground. Last week it was the day school’s sewer lines “lurking in ambush” with no rhyme nor reason for there being an extra line and taking all of Mr. Crumley’s detective skills to resolve the problem. This week it's the three-phase power supply to the Historic Church (powers the air conditioning) lurking in ambush and requiring even more detective, and almost forensic, skills to resolve. Let me give you a layman’s (for that is what I most certainly am) taste of the three-phase power problem! Stay with me, this won’t take too long! Three-phase power to the Historic Church comes via a heavy cable from a panel in the electrical closet behind the Sexton’s office in the main building. That cable follows a path that can only have been devised by someone intent on giving the electrons flowing through that cable a sightseeing tour around the ODEC campus. The cable runs from the panel then underground towards the Church, it then doubles back, breaks surface but only to disappear underground to make a loop outside the back of the old library…….yes, that is completely in the wrong direction. The cable then makes an underground beeline for the Historical Church Sanctuary where it reappears just outside the wall. No surprise then that the cable was damaged when the rear wing footings were laid, even less surprise that no one could fathom out where the problem lay and total amazement that Mr. Crumley and the team from It’s Electric were able to trace the cable’s route and find the fault. Power will be restored next week. That's quite enough three-phase from me, stay safe and stay healthy, David Beach. “the biscuit”: as in “to take the biscuit” a British idiom meaning something has become bad, annoying or objectionable e.g. “the journey was bad but the traffic jam at the HRBT took the biscuit” |
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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