catch up

the walls were topped off with mortar - pops manned the mixer while i troweled the tops smooth. the anchor bolts were wirebrushed clean.

additional anchor bolts needed to be added. one due to the lengths of available sill plate, and a few due to the bolts not protruding far enough above the wall. i'll need to be more cognizant of the bolt height next time. i used HDG wedge bolts, predrilling with a masonry bit and my el cheapo hammer drill.

sill plates were purchased from wyoming mill - 2x10s. they overhang the wall by two inches to the exterior, so they will cap off the two inch thick foam sheathing which will cover the walls.

speaking of foam sheathing, i found two inch XPS at Lowes that i'll be purchasing shortly. home depot has a two in polyiso rigid foam, but polyiso isn't recommended for below grade.

so after cutting the sill plates to length, i laid sill sealer on the wall then put the plates on and bolted them down. i used a socket adapter on my cordless drill for the nuts.

then i marked out the four corners of the floor framing on the sill plates. the band joist of the floor will be set in about two inches to permit two inches of rigid foam to the band's exterior. however, the walls and thus the sill plates aren't perfectly square, so i marked out a perfect square with nails at each corner. i still need to review these marks with measurements to ensure quality layout. the rest of the house will square up to these marks.

this morning i ordered the floor framing lumber from a place in maryland. they stock #1 southern pine at great prices and using this species instead of SPF/Hemfir #2 i can downsize my joists and rafters. for nearly the same cost i get more manageable lumber sizes, a superb species, better grade of lumber, and the smaller width boards tend to be better quality. i am looking forward to meeting the lumber tomorrow ;)

also this week i applied waterproofing to the block walls. it's a cementitious product called super thoroseal which bonds to the block walls and forms a waterproof, resilient barrier. this in combination with the overlaid rigid foam boards taped at the seams will keep the crawl dry for sure.

today i found corrugated drain pipe and filter fabric at lowes, and if i find nothing better at home depot it will work fine. i need to estimate the amount of gravel needed and place that order. however, taking care of the lumber tomorrow is my current priority. i want to keep it out of the little rains we may experience the next two days.

i also need to gather remaining materials - HDG nails, shims, adhesive, sheathing - to frame the floor.