The First Module Form

Because the lot is so narrow, we had to create a ramp through some trees to be able to come around the narrow path around the wing/retaining wall footer with equipment. More fill was brought in bring up the level around the footer.









The form truck arrived from Minnesota; so now each module will be poured one by one.


The one that is formed up to be poured first is for the kitchen/living/dining area.



My excavator is starting to form a retaining wall out of large rocks at the back of the house.

Monolithic Footer Complete

Watching this house go up is more like watching a bridge or multi storied building, there is so much steel and concrete involved. The engineer required that the footer be poured at once, so now there is a bold outline of the house with wing walls on the site.

Excavation and fill to support a massive weight

It has been a long time since the last post because it has been a long and trying process getting the plans from Earth Sheltered Tech. altered to FL code. Since the last bought of hurricanes in the state, there have been code changes, so that requirements that allowed one of these structures to be built in Vero Beach, have been made more strict in terms of load bearing calculations today. Basically, this meant that I had to add about 100yds of concrete and more steel to the existing plans. Because of the added weight, I had to truck in over 130 loads of compactable fill to to create a firm pad to begin to pour the footers. So now the house will be built atop a mini mountain, that will be even more pronounced once the house is covered with earth. The rock pictured will be used to support the sides of this "mountain" ---the sides and back of the pad will have to be supported by them to keep the fill in place. I will need to build a stairway to get out of the back of the house to the back yard. And it will be a rocky climb around the sides of the house to the back also. I have tried to plan so that no truck will have to access the back of the structure. My lot is only 130 feet wide, so to access the rear, I would have to use the adjacent property. The last photo shows the start of the footing forms. We should begin to pour next week.