Red beams, fallen trees, no basement

Even though the basement is at a standstill, there's still a little work being done at the house.  The weather is starting to get progressively warmer with fewer cold nights.  There have been a few days that have broken the 70's so I'm really hoping that building will start again.  The framer said that the plan is to get the basement dry, call in plumbing to install basement rough in drains, sump pit, and sewer stubs.  Once that's approved by the inspector, the basement slab will be finished to allow for a stable base for the temporary supports.

 The beams have been painted a bright red.  Matt the framer said that he bought it one day and just always likes to use it to try to get a rise out of our builder, Ken.  I don't mind the color since it's going to be hidden by deck headers.  The posts and interior steel will be painted as well.

The beams were fairly free of rust, but any that is on the surface needs to be cleaned with a wire brush before the paint is applied.  Here you can see how the joint on the round part of the wrap around porch is connected.  A plate is welded to the top of the post, and some connector plates are welded to the beams.

The paint is just an oil based Rustoleum.  I don't think I'll need to repaint these ever again.

There must have been some high winds because one of the oak trees near where the ground transformer cabinet will be decided to fall down.  There was some damage to the stacked LiteDeck, but it wasn't too bad considering the weight of the tree.

 I enjoyed my time in my sunny woods cutting up the tree and stacking it in a temporary location until I can collect all the firewood, split and make a formal stack.  Since it's oak, it will make some great firewood.  Part of the tree was hollow from carpenter ants, which I suspect contributed to its demise.

When the fill sand was brought in with the mini-Cat, a good amount of the Form-a-drain was damaged and needs to be repaired before the basement goes in.  I'm pretty sure they'll need to dig out these areas and replace the sections.  If it's done incorrectly, the drain could fill with sand and gravel and the slab could be undermined from the material loss.

 At least someone is enjoying my house even if I don't get to live in it yet.

 This beam will support the rear deck, which will be covered with LiteDeck and stone tile.  You can see they put a cinder block wall on the existing brick ledge so the LiteDeck has a ledge to sit on.  The LiteDeck sections will run in the same direction as the house.