Yesterday was the final pour of concrete for the foundations. It is such a treat to watch the coordinated mayhem of professionals doing their well-understood roles in a project.
Six men worked together to fill all of the oiled framework for the riser ring (thanks for the correct terminology, Mark). One operated the cement mixer. One wrangled the hose that delivered the cement to each section of wall. Sakaguchi-san used a power tool to mix-shake the cement and get the gravel evenly distributed. Shimizu-san and a youthful worker were on mallet duty, tapping each section of frame to force the air bubbles out. Maru-chan, the boss, went around topping up and smoothing the whole thing.
It took a bit less than two hours to fill the framework and then a bit longer to do the finishing tasks of cleaning the splatter off each anchor bolt (with water and a paint brush), confirming alignments and levels, and setting the massive bolts for the hashira, the main pillars which are located at the north corners of the house.
Fujii-san says we have the nicest foundation in the whole neighborhood. I am in complete agreement. And we all know that from a good foundation, all kinds of great things can happen.
