It is now the seventh week of the build and unfortunately there is little visually to share that demonstrates a large difference as the house is being completed. Most of the work this week has been in the interior, closing up the two modules to make the building air tight including patching cosmetic damages from their time on the road. This is also the beginning of the Trades making their appearance on site beginning with the drywall/finishing crew.
If you were to enter the house at this point you would find no evidence to indicate there are two separate modules joined together. The final hardware to make the building whole have been installed, covered and hidden under the final pieces of flooring or drywall which was left unlaid at the time of travel. This hardware is huge plates of steel fastened with bolts to ensure the midline of the building will remain level over time. In the last home we lived in, also a modular home built some 35 to 40 years ago, had a little wave in the middle where the two halves joined. You could tell it was there but it was not any concern. I am sure these metal plates are now installed today to prevent this, only time will tell but I am betting there will be no “wave” in our future.
The other progress of note this week was the pouring of the floors in the basement and garage. Three cement truck loads and a very long day later, the crew from Turncliffe Contracting completed both tasks with a high level of proficiency and expertise. What surprised me was the age of these individuals. It has been my experience, although very limited, this type of work is lead by a well seasoned individual and a support crew who have come up the ranks of time. Well there was a well seasoned lead for sure, but his outward appearance did not match the level of experience exhibited. He was a third generation young man continuing the family business and it showed as the years of wisdom that have been transferred from generation to generating down to his steady hands masterfully levelling the concrete and managing his young crew both with words of encouragement and criticism along a few moments of frustration when there was the expected action of the crew was not in time. This was an old master in a young body.
Next up I have been told is a crew to complete the exterior such as the remaining siding and the basement windows to close up the house. This will hopefully prevent the prying eyes from coming around to look at the house. Just the other day our new neighbour informed us that an individual climbed into our basement to have a look about. I will admit that when I was a young lad I too visited a few new construction sites to have a look around, but this was a grown stately man. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round
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