This morning, I was on site at Parkview Mountain House reviewing construction progress and finalizing some finishes with our contractor. And during that time, he said two things to me that I was frankly happy to hear.
The first is that we are his only client -- ever -- where they didn't need to touch the construction contingency line item. (Knock on wood. We are about 2 months out from completion at this point.) And the second is that he loves working with us because we are also his most decisive client.
Now to be fair, both of these things are easier to do when you're not building your own home, or something else for yourself. The process becomes less emotional and more just about business.
Even still, this is generally the aspiration with all construction projects. As an owner, you want to leave your contingency untouched. You want to minimize changes. And you want to make decisions as fast as humanly possible.
In fact, this is a prime example of the mantra that "any decision is better than no decision." And that's because poor decision making is the kiss of death for construction projects. You need to keep things moving.
I also find that decisions tend to seem more daunting in the moment. When you're staring at 37 different shades of white paint and being asked to pick just one, it can be easy to get analysis paralysis. Is a yellow white with a subtle green undertone really the right one?
But more often than not, when the project is done, you're probably not going to remember the other 36 shades of white you didn't select. Or least that's been my experience. So choosing speed over perfection is typically your safest bet.
This was a big week for construction progress at One Delisle. On Friday, we poured the first bit of our raft slab foundation on the west side of the site. Big concrete pours like this usually take all day and this case was no different. The team was there late into the evening. And then today, the first of our two tower cranes was erected:
https://videopress.com/v/FpI5u6Nx?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true
The crane going up is always a big milestone because, in my mind, it signals the start of "real" construction. What I mean by this is that all of the stuff that comes before -- demolition, shoring, and excavation -- is really just to get the site ready for building. Well, now we're ready, and that means we're about to go vertical.
A big thanks to the team for working around the clock over the last few days.
This past week we poured the first bit of concrete in the giant rat slab foundation (or mat foundation) that sits, or will sit, at the bottom of One Delisle. At its deepest point, below the building's core, it will be over 4m tall. Meaning, the area occupied by the gentlemen in the above photo will be fully covered in concrete when it's complete. Note the height of the rebar in the middle of the photo. This picture doesn't even do it justice, though. You need to be on site and down in the bottom of the hole to really feel it. There's a lot of bar, and it's going to be very deep.
In our case, this raft slab foundation will, as it sounds, serve as the building's foundation. This is what the tower will rest on. However, raft slabs can also serve the function of withstanding hydrostatic pressures from below (groundwater). That is the case with the raft slab foundation at Junction House given that we have a watertight "bathtub" design for the underground. However, that's not the case here at One Delisle, as the groundwater levels aren't as high and this will not be a "bathtubbed" underground. So the job of this giant slab is as a mat foundation.
Disclaimer: I am not a structural engineer or a hydrogeological engineer. What do I know?
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