On this hot July day, we spent the entire morning and afternoon at our workshop site, laying reinforcing rod inside our concrete form. The plans called for a grid two feet on center over the entire slab, as well as additional reinforcements along the edges where the timber frame posts will rest. Over the course of the day, we laid about forty sections of half-inch rebar.
Working with rebar is a dirty business, and it didn't help that it was the hottest day of the year, with temperatures topping out in the mid-90°s. We frequently retreated to shaded spots, and drank ice-cold well water from our Thai tin cup. Tyler also employed a time-honored cooling method we used on our world bicycle tour: spraying my face with a shockingly cold mouthful of water.
There are many aspects of foundation-building that aren't my cup of tea. If I never have to lift a massively heavy pressure treated foundation form again, for example, I will die a happy woman. But, I really enjoy using a rebar tying tool. I like how it spins, and I find twisting wire ties together to be really pleasing. Good thing, because this was my job for the majority of the day (photo from cottage foundation).
Meanwhile, Tyler was busy measuring, cutting and delivering rebar so I could place and tie it.
Though we started around 7AM, it wasn't until 5PM that we'd secured the last tie (this included a trip to a local masonry outfitter to buy more rebar). When the work was done, we escaped to a shady spot and collapsed in an overheated, undernourished heap. Somehow, we neglected to break for lunch, having worked the entire day on a bowl of cereal.
Finally, we drove, utterly disgusting and covered in smears of dusty rust, to the Battenkill river for a dip (we were inspired to do so after giving up on doing anything productive yesterday and going tubing with our friend Jenna). The water was icy cold, but oh it felt good after a long day of hot, gritty work.
The only thing left to do now is lay our radiant heat tubing!