What can I say? I had to call in sick to work. Cough Cough and one more Cough. I've never seen a crane of this size that can lift and transport 165 tons up close. We only need a 90 ton crane but why not get a bigger one if you can. Of course I asked how much it cost.
I arrived at 7:12 and the crane was there as well as the first modular unit. There were two units 15'-10" wide and another two at 8'-0". The 15'-10" trailers required safety drivers behind them and cost an additional $1,800 than a typical trailer. Now you know.
The first unit ready to go. We had to wait almost two hours until the crane was ready to lift.
I knew this would be done in a day but being there and seeing it took my breath away for the second time in my life. The first time was when I asked Daniela to marry me on the beaches of Colombia in the spur of the moment 12 years ago. That day with Daniela everything went wrong and not according plan. Yet in the end it was the exact way it had to happen because on that beach I knew Daniela was for me. You never know the outcome unless you keep moving forward. I got lucky with Daniela that day (actually every day) and today after 18 months of frustration we realized that we did it. We still have another 4-6 weeks but damn it we have a HOME!
There are a lot of photos so please enjoy.
8:00 - Basement framing was completed yesterday with 15 minutes to spare. Looks good. Lots of storage space and big windows! The wall down the middle will hold half of the modular units. I hope it stays strong!
8:15 - Our purple dumpster for all the trash that will come off of the modular units. It will fill up about half of the trash. However, for typical construction this dumpster would be filled every 1-2 weeks.
8:30 - The crane cost 1.2 million or the equivalent of 3 of our houses. I guess if a tornado came rolling through it would be better to take out our house than the crane. Now you know.
9:25 - First modular unit being slowly set. It took about 37 seconds to get the trailer to the house. The walls lined up perfectly.
9:40 - The kids play in the basement with the first unit installed.
10:00 - The second unit being installed. The crane does the heavy lifting but the guys guide it into place.
Both units fit perfectly on the Superior Wall! I was nervous because with prefabricated systems everything has to align perfectly. Field modification are complicated and costly. On my first try with the help of Superior Walls, Excel Modular Homes and Carbide Construction we got it right!
11:15 - The third unit being set.
11:20 - Notice all the wires coming out from the floor. Those were fed through a conduit and down to the basement. From the basement all the wire will be taken to the panel and connected.
11:23 - The wires have been placed. Notice that there is a ceiling for the first floor and a floor for the second. That equals about 20" of space from the ceiling to the floor which will help acoustics. Also it provides a space in the first floor ceiling to run all the conduits and equipment.
11:40 - Looking down onto the first floor ceiling above the powder room and main entry. The sides are nicely insulated and all the drywall is also glued to the wood.
12:00 - The master bedroom with a wall in the middle to support the ceiling during transportation. I told Daniela it was a separator for us when we fight.
13:15 - The fourth and last unit being striped of building wrap. This wall will stack against the other second floor unit.
14:30 pm - Roof is on hinges to transport flat. Once the modular unit is installed the roof is lifted into place. Even the cellulose insulation is in place.
14:35 - Even the shingles are installed!
14:40 - Daniela and her cousins family taking the first tour of the house.
14:45 - A typical wall section showing the extra structure needed for transportation and lifting the unit from a trailer to the final location. This is a plus in that the structure is stronger, however, that equals less insulation which equals a less efficient building envelope.
14:50 - Sneak peak at the main living space. I'm standing in the living room, the guy is in the dining room and at the end is the kitchen. Excel Homes could have provided all the cabinets and flooring but we did not have enough time to pick custom materials. Event though the house was installed on site today it was actually built back in mid-January.
14:55 - From nothing comes our home. I think Pedro will be upset that the dirt mound will be eventually be removed but he will have a nice yard to run around with his brother and dog.
16:00 - Now that the main units are installed and the house is watertight the additional featurs are installed. This includes the porch and chimney. Due do the backfill not in place yet the porch is being cantilevered off the side. It will remain like for about 2 weeks.
16:40 - Porch installed. Maybe we will keep the ramp instead of installing stair. That is called value engineering.
17:00 - View from the side. The garage foundation work is in the foreground. The units only clipped some tree branches that we will prune. Not too bad.
17:05 - A hard days work or is this worked off in one of the bedrooms taking a nap?
17:10 - There it is. One day. All done. There it is. I do not understand why all homes are not built like this? It is makes total sense! You save time, money, waste and headaches. I'm using modular and paneling systems from now on. There is no other way around it.
There you go. 30 days and we got to this point. That includes about 4 days of no construction and another 3-4 that were only half days. I think it would be a reasonable assumption to get to this point in 15 days if organized and scheduled correctly. That would be amazing! I now have a new goal to strive for. Onto all the finishes!