Week 6 of the remodel was a big one: Enzo and his team started laying the actual foundation for the new sections of the house. Hence, the title for this post and the accompanying photo gallery, which I’ve been itching to use for weeks.

As you look through the pictures in this set, you can see the progress the team made from Tuesday through Saturday. On Tuesday, the rough concrete foundation was in place, but it remained encased in the wooden molds into which it had been poured. By Saturday, the molds had been removed, the concrete had been topped with a sill plate to which the frame will be anchored, and floor joists were in place for most of the new great room. The sole unfinished area was the back corner of the old garage, where the old garage wall was still standing: they’re still using our original electrical box, despite the fact that the temporary power pole has been in place for a several weeks now.

Unfortunately, as hinted at last week, this stage of construction led to the loss of the rose bush near the kitchen window, as well as the Nile Iris that had been a fixture in our yard since the day we moved in. I’m trying very hard not to think about the amount of landscaping work we’re going to have to do to fix things up when construction is complete.

As of this writing, we’re still trying to work out a solution to the problem with our fireplace I mentioned last week. The architect had hoped that perhaps there was enough shear wall support in our existing master bedroom walls to make further work unnecessary; she even asked us to dig up the plans from that remodel, which the previous owners had graciously left us. Unfortunately, that avenue did not pan out, which leaves us to decide whether we want to relocate the sheer wall, which involves additional construction (and perhaps some paperwork and back-and-forth with the building department), or have the fire box inside the living room. We’ll probably have to make a call in the coming week.

Gallery: Week 6: Foundations