FOOT(INGS) LOOSE

As a nation we may have no confidence in our Prime Minister but I have every confidence that our builders are going to give us an extension worth every penny quoted judging by how organised they are and how much they’ve accomplished by the end of week one. 

A dirt mountain the size of a miniature Mount Everest sits in the middle of the garden.  Every time I look out of the patio doors, I think ‘Close Encounters’ especially that bit where Richard Dreyfuss obsessively sculpts a mountain out of mashed potato.  I’m half expecting Mount Chi to erupt any minute!

 

Mount Chi - could blow any minute!

The mechanical excavator which only just squeezed through the alleyway made short work of digging out a deep trench for the foundation.  Fortunately for us, the Building Inspector decreed that no reinforcing or underpinning is required as that could have bumped up our bill enormously but for now, moving swiftly on.

 

Eating through the dirt at the rate of knots

Not only do we have a volcano on the lawn but we’ve also acquired a metre deep moat extending out from the back of the kitchen perfect for hiding dead bodies prior to concreting.  

dirt mountain with a side of moat

Sensing danger and a murderous glint in my eye, the other half has been maintaining a low profile under guise of tidying up the garage.  If only he were minted, the temptation to dispose of him ‘Mafia style’ under a ton of ready mix might have been too great to resist but for now, the penniless pauper is safe.

 

Sleeps with the fishes or in this case, ants & cheesy bugs

A truck containing a mammoth supply of ready mixed concrete promptly arrived the following day, blocking in the neighbourhood Book Club in the bottom of the cul-de-sac.  It proceeded to dump its load into the waiting wheelbarrows of our builders who then tipped the stuff into the gaping trench.  Father and son worked like trojans as a whirlwind tag team to get the stuff quickly from front drive to back garden.  A heroic effort by any means.

 

Monster concrete delivery

Several hours later, trench full of concrete and Book Club released from their parking purgatory. 

 

Level markers in the trench

Adding the concrete

Leave to dry under cover so no-one falls in

Mount Chi now has to be moved from back garden to front driveway ready to be collected by the grab lorry but footings completed and ready for the next phase which is laying the foundation blocks.

Here today, gone tomorrow

Footings dried solid after a day or two