It is amazing how much work is involved at this early stage in the construction. “Building forms for the frost wall” sounds quite simple, but it really takes a lot of careful and sustained work to build a form solid enough to survive the pressure of the concrete. It’s also fiddly work fitting sheets of metal reinforcement into the middle of the 8 inch space, making sure that the sheets won’t get pushed to one side when the concrete is pour in. You can’t make any mistakes, like the two little oversights in the construction of the footer where the forms got slightly pushed out by the mass of concrete (we forgot stakes on one section and another section just gave way). You have to build a really solid, straight wall, then tie it, using 15 ties per sheet to the inside wall which will move out to 8 inches and hopefully end up as straight as the wall it’s tied to.
The MB hasn’t worked with these metal “form ties” before so he has to work out how to install them. Amazing to watch how he systematically solves problems: each one gets a solution which also probably requires another power tool. I love seeing these power tools being brought out of the garage to solve problems. It's like a modern form of magic.I haven’t seen him defeated yet and, if necessary, it gets brute force (which he has in large quantities) and a determined kick to drop into place. I get to use a compressed air drill and a metal grinder which hoses my pants with sparks as I cut up long sheets of iron to make keys to lock our ties in place. Must remember not to make any mistakes using these things...
Well, Wednesday it pours, then showers, then rains again. The MB may solve technical building problems, but the weather he can’t beat. It just requires patience, lots of old-fashioned patience. I keep remembering that we’re retired so time isn’t such a precious commodity. The MB is still in the land of the working masses where time is money. So relentlessly moving forward in his masterplan, today he strikes up his excavator and moves heaps of roots away from the building site. Unfortunately the excavator needs some technical help because it keeps wanting to slide out of its track. No worry: the MB brings out another tool to force the track back into place. The photos with this blog show the MB manipulating his track... Then he rips out huge roots and we decide where the drainage pipe is going to emerge.
Then a trip to Louisdale, to the Home Hardware store, a deserted space over which Paul Landry in his back office presides. We pay him for the electrical work his man did at the building site and quiz him about using his plumber and ventilation man to satisfy the BI (building inspector). Paul gradually opens up and when we talk about Brad Marchand, the Bruin hockey star who will score and assist in the Bruin Stanley Cup victory on this historic day, Paul beams with pride: the Marchand family comes from Louisdale!
Hockey is an instant reference: I remember all those early morning practices I shared with all those Canadian parents, all those games I opened and closed the gate for the kids, all the street hockey on Adam Street, the pads, the sticks, the skates, all armour against the winter.
I guess I am Canadian.
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