Year 2, Day 17: 14 November 2013

The roof-level concrete was poured today.

The tarps were all rolled up in neat bundles this morning.

The knee-wall at the southern end of the construction
is several feet lower than the walls of the rest of the building,
allowing for this good look at the how gang forms are put together.

The tarps were brought back up to roof-level
and later in the day were spread over the concrete.

Year 2, Day 15: 12 November 2013

It was brutally cold this morning, especially for this early in the season. Remnants of yesterday's snow still clung to the tarps as the crew prepared for another day on the job.

There was a lot of housekeeping going on this morning, clearing extra building materials from the upper level of the substation. Here the crew attaches a large bundle of rebar to the crane so it can be lowered to the ground. 

Year 2, Day 11: 8 November 2013

Even though the crew was on the job for several hours today, at this point the work does not present very many exciting photo ops. The building itself is still shrouded in black tarps and is quite ominous looking. Here at the south end, materials are being organized, stacked, and put out of the way. 

Year 2, Day 10: 7 November 2013

Because of the torrential rains yesterday, the concrete work that was supposed to be done had to be  postponed until today. I was off fighting the good fight most of the day and wasn't here to get pictures of the actual pouring of the concrete; but honestly, if you've been following this blog for the past couple of months, by this point you should be well versed in the fine art of concrete pouring. So here instead are some before-and-after shots. The first five pictures were taken about 8:00 this morning; the last three late this afternoon. The last two walls--the south and east--were poured today. 

A glimpse at the interior of the substation

The new concrete is shrouded in tarps while it cures. The bottom picture shows that the inside of the covers is lined with reflective foil to keep the heat in and speed up the curing process now that the weather has turned cold.

Year 2, Day 8: 5 November 2013

 The work today centered on completing the outer layer of gang forms on the east and south walls in preparation for the next round of concrete pouring. 

Installation of a metal form for another of the arches seen in other
sections of the building is completed along the south wall.

The metal form in the previous picture is covered with plywood
as the gang forms are put in place. 

Year 2, Day 5: 2 November 2013

The concrete was poured for the top section of the north and west walls today; the east and south walls should be poured in a few days, weather permitting. At this point, the goal is to get the roof on within the next couple of weeks so that the inside work can proceed when winter arrives. 

The concrete pump arrived early this morning.
Farwell was closed to traffic, but crowded with parked vehicles
since there was such a large crew on the job today. 

This picture gives some indication of the height of the roof.
The point where the rebar is more dense and
bent at a 90-degree angle is where the roof will eventually be;
the top few feet (where the rebar is less dense)
will be a half-wall rising above the surface of the roof.

Awaiting the arrival of the first cement truck.

The cement truck arrives, and the crane is raised
to prepare to pump concrete into the walls.

At the south end of the site,
a section of floor was also poured.

Bringing lumber up to the work area

The crane is very versatile in its ability to reach
different areas of the worksite.

Pouring the north wall.

Meanwhile, back at the south end.

At the end of the day, the newly poured concrete was covered
and left to cure. In the past, the coverings have looked almost like
quilted blankets filled with cotton batting; but these heavier black covers
were used today, perhaps to accelerate the curing process,
which takes longer in the colder weather.

Finally, here is my favorite shot of the day.

Year 2, Day 4: 1 November 2013

I didn't have time to take many pictures today, but here are a few that i got on my way out this morning. The heavy rain has slowed things down this week, but things were bustling today, and i suspect that there could be another visit from the cement trucks tomorrow.