Once you have a foundation you build a house, right? Well, not according to the architect, engineers, builder and the City. First you have to install drainage. And a lot of it if you are building on a slope like we are. In fact, managing water, from around the foundation and off the decks was a major concern for the City. It's a part of the reason we have cantilevered decks instead of posts and why the permitting process took so long.
The foundation in place. Neal, the excavator guy, came back and after backfilling some around the grade beams, installed drain pipe all along the foundation of the house - amazingly called "foundation drains". The foundation drains all run to a sump pump installed in the crawl space, which then pumps any water collected from the foundation drains and the garage drain out to the street. While we waited for the City inspector to approve the drains Neal backfilled the garage with gravel up to the entrance point for the conduit from our future heat pump.
The conduit installed across the gravel and into the crawlspace, Neal proceeded to fill the garage with more gravel to about four inches from the top of the foundation.
 |
| Scott with Neal, the excavator guy |
Now this likely sounds fairly mundane to you, our reader, but to us it was something we had been awaiting for almost seven years. What was our view from the back of the house? It didn't disappoint!
The City inspector approved the drains and Neal got back to work. First laying landscape fabric over the foundation drains, he then maneuvered his excavator to backfill gravel around the foundation.
