Friday, August 25, 2006
Fifty-eight days after the slab is poured, THE STEEL ARRIVES! The long (very long!) wait is over, and the only pause left in the process will be waiting for a Sunday in December (or maybe January) for us to move in! I have been told that things are now going to start happening, and not stop until the end. YEA!
Last night a truck with steel decking showed up before church, and was unloaded first this morning by the Design Build Construction Company out of Maize. Then three other trucks showed up, and were each unloaded. It reminded me and Mike Dirking of huge tinker toys! There were vertical support beams, horizontal support beams, roof trusses, decking, and a bunch of things I had no idea what they were for. After all four trucks were unloaded, the next several hours were spent sorting out the pieces. Considering each piece weighed many (hundreds to thousands) pounds, this was not a quick process.
In the mean time, Mike removed the front four feet of the entrance "lid" by cutting it in two foot strips. Each strip weighed 1.25 tons (it would have even been worse if it had not been poured around styrofoam rods), and took a fork lift to remove.
Finally, the celebration time was at hand, and the first piece of steel was attached to the slab! One piece down, 999 more to go (actually 4,246)! Soon there were six vertical support beams installed, with their horizontal beams laid at the foot of each pair. Unfortunately, some safety cables were left back at the Maize office, and nothing could be lifted into the air and left overnight. So we will have to wait until morning. Hey, we've waited this long - what's one more day???
Oh - I think there was more done on the office renovation. I did hear some banging and sawing noises coming out of there today. But I didn't even go in! :) If you have not visited the garden foyer bathrooms recently, make sure you do this weekend. For on Monday they will be closed for six weeks, and when they open again, you will not recognize them!
Today's Picture Gallery (39 pictures)
Last night a truck with steel decking showed up before church, and was unloaded first this morning by the Design Build Construction Company out of Maize. Then three other trucks showed up, and were each unloaded. It reminded me and Mike Dirking of huge tinker toys! There were vertical support beams, horizontal support beams, roof trusses, decking, and a bunch of things I had no idea what they were for. After all four trucks were unloaded, the next several hours were spent sorting out the pieces. Considering each piece weighed many (hundreds to thousands) pounds, this was not a quick process.
In the mean time, Mike removed the front four feet of the entrance "lid" by cutting it in two foot strips. Each strip weighed 1.25 tons (it would have even been worse if it had not been poured around styrofoam rods), and took a fork lift to remove.
Finally, the celebration time was at hand, and the first piece of steel was attached to the slab! One piece down, 999 more to go (actually 4,246)! Soon there were six vertical support beams installed, with their horizontal beams laid at the foot of each pair. Unfortunately, some safety cables were left back at the Maize office, and nothing could be lifted into the air and left overnight. So we will have to wait until morning. Hey, we've waited this long - what's one more day???
Oh - I think there was more done on the office renovation. I did hear some banging and sawing noises coming out of there today. But I didn't even go in! :) If you have not visited the garden foyer bathrooms recently, make sure you do this weekend. For on Monday they will be closed for six weeks, and when they open again, you will not recognize them!
Today's Picture Gallery (39 pictures)
