hello. thank you for visiting!
i have received my degree in interior architecture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and am pursuing my career in the design industry.
my website/portfolio:
www.denisesmithdesigns.com
please feel free to contact me, for freelance or other design opportunities.
cheers,
denise
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
02.27 | POUR!
I cannot believe this day finally came and went. about 8 of us started at 8:00 this morning with Bojangles biscuits—my treat! (because I woke up excited about the day and I wanted everyone else to be happy with me. ☺ ) and it WAS EXCITING! we all got busy placing ladders and walk boards such that the entire top perimeter of the walls were more easily accessible.
over the next couple of hours, i made 2 trips to Lowe's for supplies--lag bolts & screws. we're always needing something on this 5.000 sq. ft. monstrosity.
before I knew it, the concrete was being poured. it sounded like heavy, heavy rain on a tin roof. there was something peaceful in it—maybe it was just the satisfaction and contentment that we had made it to the pour. I dunno. but as the concrete hose made it around the first corner of the house, the icfs started separating from the corner window buck and concrete was seeping through—uh-oh! I didn’t have a drill on me, Adrian did. I scrounged for some wood scraps and Adrian screwed them in place. it still wasn’t holding the concrete well, so we had to redo all the bracing and scabbing around the window. it was a little scary, because we had to be really careful about which ones we removed and replaced. whew! got through that one ok.
that little incident put us both on our toes, so I quickly grabbed a drill, tool belt, screws (i hoped we wouldn’t run out), and some scabs for any further incidents. we staged scabs at both ends of the house for efficiency--no time for running to the other end of the site for wood when there’s a bulging icf on this end. thankfully, that was the only real scare of the day. the rest of the pour was fairly uneventful--well, we didn't have any blowouts anyway.
the weather held up for us the first half of the day, but it started raining around noon or so. out come the raincoats for those that had them. several people didn't have a raincoat, even though an 80% chance of rain had been forecasted for days, and the pour was gonna happen--rain or shine. ???????? come on! it's $10-15 and assurance of dryness and warmth. don't get me started.
around 1:30, i called 'lunch'. the early crew had been going strong since 8am, and many were wet, cold, and hungry. since concrete won't wait to set so that we can eat, i went to jimmy johns to get lunch for robert, jason, allen, and me. i'm the only one that ate right away--oh well, it'll be there when they're ready.
the rain kept pouring, and the site was becoming a mud slick. periodically, we had to fill voids under the windows where the concrete didn’t flow well. Um, buckets of concrete are heavy! and it gets tricky carrying them in the mud and muck. I am sore, and I’m glad it’s Friday—or more glad that tomorrow’s Saturday.
we were one concrete truck load shy of finishing the pour. the top portion of the 13-course atrium walls need to be finished. jason will return tuesday with one more truck. we have the day off on monday...thank you, Robert.
over the next couple of hours, i made 2 trips to Lowe's for supplies--lag bolts & screws. we're always needing something on this 5.000 sq. ft. monstrosity.
before I knew it, the concrete was being poured. it sounded like heavy, heavy rain on a tin roof. there was something peaceful in it—maybe it was just the satisfaction and contentment that we had made it to the pour. I dunno. but as the concrete hose made it around the first corner of the house, the icfs started separating from the corner window buck and concrete was seeping through—uh-oh! I didn’t have a drill on me, Adrian did. I scrounged for some wood scraps and Adrian screwed them in place. it still wasn’t holding the concrete well, so we had to redo all the bracing and scabbing around the window. it was a little scary, because we had to be really careful about which ones we removed and replaced. whew! got through that one ok.
that little incident put us both on our toes, so I quickly grabbed a drill, tool belt, screws (i hoped we wouldn’t run out), and some scabs for any further incidents. we staged scabs at both ends of the house for efficiency--no time for running to the other end of the site for wood when there’s a bulging icf on this end. thankfully, that was the only real scare of the day. the rest of the pour was fairly uneventful--well, we didn't have any blowouts anyway.
the weather held up for us the first half of the day, but it started raining around noon or so. out come the raincoats for those that had them. several people didn't have a raincoat, even though an 80% chance of rain had been forecasted for days, and the pour was gonna happen--rain or shine. ???????? come on! it's $10-15 and assurance of dryness and warmth. don't get me started.
around 1:30, i called 'lunch'. the early crew had been going strong since 8am, and many were wet, cold, and hungry. since concrete won't wait to set so that we can eat, i went to jimmy johns to get lunch for robert, jason, allen, and me. i'm the only one that ate right away--oh well, it'll be there when they're ready.
the rain kept pouring, and the site was becoming a mud slick. periodically, we had to fill voids under the windows where the concrete didn’t flow well. Um, buckets of concrete are heavy! and it gets tricky carrying them in the mud and muck. I am sore, and I’m glad it’s Friday—or more glad that tomorrow’s Saturday.
we were one concrete truck load shy of finishing the pour. the top portion of the 13-course atrium walls need to be finished. jason will return tuesday with one more truck. we have the day off on monday...thank you, Robert.
02.26 | pour [-1] | hunker down!
it was a beautiful day—about 65 and sunny—perfect. the sky was blue and we were all excited about tomorrow and having trouble focusing on getting our work done (including me—I am human). while the others got busy finishing the bracing, Robert assigned me concrete calculation duty. we had to get an accurate estimate of how much concrete it would actually take to fill all of those walls with 6” of concrete. Robert taught me how to use his handy-dandy contractor’s calculator, and with a little bit of measuring and “cipherin’”, I calculated the amount needed for each wall—105 square yards total. WOW!! that’s the calculation that includes the windows. Jason, with loflin concrete, said he had estimated 80-85 yards, and had ordered 10 loads for the pour. we’ll see—I think we’re gonna need more.
the rest of the day was spent tidying up the site and double-checking everything. we also spent time scrounging the site grounds for 3” screws because we’re running very low, and we’re not going to need anymore after the pour. we found quite a few—hopefully that will tide us over.
the rest of the day was spent tidying up the site and double-checking everything. we also spent time scrounging the site grounds for 3” screws because we’re running very low, and we’re not going to need anymore after the pour. we found quite a few—hopefully that will tide us over.
02.25 | pour [-2] | finishing up
everyone was busy today either bracing walls, plumbing walls, or scabbing gaps in the walls. my day was filled with bracing the window buck openings so the bucks won’t collapse under concrete pressure. the weather was nice today and it felt good to be working outside and slinging a hammer. sarah, Ashley, and I (and a couple more here and there) finished with the bucks by the end of the day. all of the plumbing and most of the bracing was finished as well, so the bracing will be finished tomorrow.
I believe we’re actually gonna pour on friday. yea!!
I believe we’re actually gonna pour on friday. yea!!
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