Second Home 2nd Floor Forming

Our Second Home is moving right along as well. With the first floor walls and columns all formed up, the crew has begun work on the second floor. Rumor has it they will construct a temporary roof over the entire floor (you can see where it has been started) to keep out snow and ice, two variables unacceptable in concrete construction. We are on schedule for our concrete pour, and I will have that posted with a possible steel work post in between.

First Home Complete Drywall

Home One is looking great with the scaffold removed and the siding all wrapped up. Takada-san and the boys have finished hanging drywall in the interior of the home, and have finished the flooring and most of the interior finish work. Another point of interest here in Japanese home construction: performing all finish work before the other interior sub`s have completed their bits. The washitsu (Japanese style room) is progressing nicely, and the boys were installing the tracks for the shoji sliding doors. Really, really nice work.

Second Home Column Forms

Hokkaido styles. 5:30pm, pitch black, -7 degrees Celsius and snowing. This is how we do it here. With the rebar work all wrapped up, the mobile crane was back to start setting forms for the columns that will hold the second floor. I like the way the snow forms perfect little snow pillows on top of the columns. Too cool.

First Home Siding and Flooring

After a fairly large snow fall, our first home has been graced with a nice shade of white. The siding crew was just short on material, but by looking at the left side of the home one can garnish an overall image of the home will look like when complete.
Takada-san whipped his way through the first floor flooring (even though the planks are half the width that he is used to, doubling the amount of time required to lay them), and will install the stairs and start the second floor flooring today. It`s looking like there will be no problem having the home ready for the new owners, with time to spare for moving in and setting up furniture, electronics and the like.

Second Home Column Rebar

After a successful pour yesterday, the steel crew has begun to extend the rebar in the columns while the scaffold guys re-erect the scaffolding. In the video you will see the process utilized to join two pieces of rebar together. After heating the steel, a compressed air is used to squeeze the two bars together. Another extreme measure here in Japanese construction. Why simply tie the bars together with tie wire when you could actually join them? Fascinating.

First Home Siding and Flooring

Our Second Home is seeing great progress. The boy`s have almost wrapped up the siding, and Takada-san and his crew have began the flooring inside the home. I would imagine the siding should be done by tomorrow, and knowing Takada, it wont be long before the flooring is finished.