Rainy Fall

With the weather turning cold and damp we are now going to take advantage of one aspect of the containers: the instant storage they offer. Since prices in the construction industry are as soft now as they have been in a while, we are going to load them with lumber, windows and cabinets so that we have what we need to continue the project next summer.

I guess, however, that we won't try to load anything into the upper container. I don't think our old muscles will quite be up to the task.

One piece of advice. Don't bother to mix 26 sacks of premix by hand if you can help it.

Since the sun is still shining, we got a 10 inch fir log from the neighbor and peeled it so that we could use it for a support column under the corner of the upper 20 footer. We debarked it with a draw knife and a broad axe.

Then we stood the post over a vertical steel plate with 2 holes in it, and secured it with 10 inch bolts.

After a few days wait the self loading log truck arrived to position the containers. It had a 15,000 lb capacity, but that is when the arm is close to the truck. Therefore it was necessary to move the big one one end at a time (it weighs about 8,500 lbs).

The smaller ones (4800 lbs) could be moved in one swing. Here the last one is being positioned up on top of the two others, where it will be welded in place. It will then need a support column underneith the corner, so we put in some temporaries with jacks to hold it in the meanwhile.

Then, things started moving faster. Three days after the pour, with good weather, the first

container arrived, that one being a 40 footer.

The containers were delivered on a special trailer that had an axel that could move forward or back a total of 15ft., as well as a chain winch to offload the containers. It was quite slick.

Then the ready-mix truck arrived and after some attempts, the driver told us the obvious - it was wet and he couldn't back up to the place of the pour.

Fortunately several friends had arrived to attend the festivities, so we all jumped in and did it with wheelbarrows.

Here you can see the end of the 12in. culvert that will bring in air to the vegetable cooler from the shaded gully.

moving along

So, after receiving the permit, the forms for the pads that would hold the containers went in. That's Pam checking the plans.