January 14 - Lowdown on the Floor Prep

A Full Moon on a Crisp, Clear Evening - 

It snowed Tuesday morning then cleared up and turned cold in the afternoon. By evening, all the clouds had gone and left a brilliant full, or nearly full, moon. There are even a few stars visible in the picture. A serene and welcoming sight.

Meanwhile, inside the building, Greg started digging trenches in the sanctuary. The main trench work is for the ducts that will carry warm and cool air from the furnaces and air conditioners into the the sanctuary. Now that we have some real winter weather, with a good imagination you can look in the trenches and feel the heat coming from the soon-to-be heat ducts. Some of dirt from the trenches was needed in the kitchen area to bring the floor  up to the required level. While I was on site that transport was being done with wheel barrows. Soon after I left the small loader showed up and moved the dirt much more expeditiously.

With all the petroleum powered equipment in use, it is important to monitor the carbon monoxide level so it is not too high for safe working conditions. A meter with an alarm was added to the on site equipment to do the job that the canaries formerly did in coal mines. I was told that an reading of 50 or below for an eight hour shift is considered safe. In addition to the meter, a couple of exhaust fans are now operating in the sanctuary.



In addition the the trenches along both side walls and along the front wall, a size large trench was cut right down the middle of the floor where the center aisle is going to be.

Preparing the Floor -
After the plumber was done roughing in drain lines on the kitchen side, the trenches were filled and the floor was smoothed out. Once the dirt was at the proper level, a truckload or two of sand was added.
A two man drag plow was fashioned from three pieces of wood to help smooth the sand.

A layer of poly keeps the ground moisture below. This is then overlaid with two inch thick foam panels. Bob and his daughter Stella are shown putting a panel in place.















The foam was laid with the Dow trademark stamp showing on the top. When one piece was custom trimmed with a hole for a pipe, it was discovered that the blank side was up on this one panel.

Bob grabbed a marker and added the trademark so that all the panels would be upside Dow.

Bob was asked about aligning the panels where the bump out met the main floor area. Must the seams be staggered there also? "Certainly," he responded. "To do otherwise would be unseemly."

Stella demonstrated that she did not need dad's help to transport foam sheets.


The next step is for heat coils to be attached to the top of the foam. Training for that process will be in the coming week.









Curious Sights on the Building Site -

The fire breathing dragon has attained a new, elevated status. It is reported to be at 'hair-singeing height'












To do all this floor, and under floor, work, the building contents had to be removed or shifted about. The picnic table was stored outside. So, when lunchtime comes, the bench must be first scraped, which Brian does with great energy.





The diners decided that the bench was a bit too cold for comfort so a two inch foam pad was added.

Mark, being more sensitive than the others, needed a bit more insulation.

The bosses study the architect's plans.

Brian draws his own plans using his cell phone as a stylus.

No, Brian and Davin are not worried about the posts getting too cold. The posts are not made from treated lumber so they are wrapped with Flexwrap so the bad stuff in the concrete does not infect them.

On a beautiful, mild winter day Jacob and Brian dig out some long hidden rebar. The rebar will be used in the concrete floor.














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