The apartment has a roof!
Finished roof of the apartment.
The day began early, since the first concrete truck was expected at 7 AM. Javi and the driver of the pump truck laid out the long tube that would carry the concrete up to where it needed to be. Although this pump (Picture 1) is a lot smaller — and less expensive — than the boom truck we had been using, and laying out the piping seemed like a chore, the actual pour seemed much easier with this pump. Javi then began the last minute job (not clear why they always have these) of forming the base for one of the pilasters that they also needed to pour (Picture 2).
As before, one person (in this case the pump driver) directed the flow of concrete (see Picture 3), another used the vibrator to get the concrete into all of the voids, while the specialists moved the concrete into place and smoothed it. Picture 4, shows the rough smoothers, who work using a 2×4. Picture 5, shows the fine smoothing with a float.
After the third truck was empty, the last truck had not yet arrived. Picture 6 shows that the roof was about 80% done at this point. In addition, to the roof, they also poured the bases for two pilasters for the deck (Picture 7). Since this all started at 7, everything was done by 10. The smoothers left, but the rest of the crew stayed to clean up the house site. As picture 8 shows, they moved the large stacks of 2x4s and plywood to places where they would not be in the way of the large backhoe and smaller Bobcat earth movers that will both arrive tomorrow. This equipment will do the grading next to the garage/deck. Before they can do this, they must move several hundred garden wall blocks, from an old, badly built, retaining wall, up to where we can use them to form planters and garden beds. Even more exciting, they will dig the foundations for the house.
Picture 1 – Cement pump
Picture 2 – Javi doing last-minute construction of a form.
Picture 3 – The main in the white hat in the foreground is running the vibrator. The man, toward the back in the blue shirt is the pump driver, moving the hose around. The guys in the orange shirts are the smoothing specialists.
Picture 4 – This pair is doing the rough smoothing with a long 2×4. It is amazing how well this father-son pair work together.
Picture 5- The fine smoothing is done with this float. I almost couldn’t pick it up, it is so heavy.
Picture 6 – After the third truck was empty, the roof was not quite complete.
Picture 7 – One of the two bases for the deck that they also poured today.
Picture 8 – The cleaned up house site.