For most of the week I rented a jackhammer to cut the "key" of the footing. this is the deepest narrow trench at the bottom that locks the footing into the rock. The jackhammer broke out the rock and laborers shoveled it out. In addition to the keys, we also cut the bases for concree columns that will support the central tower all the way to the roof. The columns are 18" in diameter, with a large square base set in the rock.
After the bulk of the rock was removed, there was a lot of "fine-tuning" to do. All measurements were double checked, and details were cut by the smaller impact hammer, actially a roto-hammer that can have the "roto" part turned off. Because of the limited access, this footing and all future footings for this project are being done by hand-held equipment, and the dirt is carried out by wheelbarrow and bucket to the front of the garage to be removed. This week Mike came back and took yet another 4 truck loads away!
After weeks of renting a jack hammer, I finally broke down and bought my own!
It's is GREAT! I don't know why I waited! I found a website (TYLERTOOL.com) that sold me a factory reconditioned Makita for almost half the price, and it cost me about the same as renting for 9 days! By the end of next week I will have broken even! Not only will it save money, but it is really perfect for the job. The rentals were either too large (90 lb. or not large enough (25 lb.) My Makita is 35 lb. and so far has done the job admirably!
Also this week, the steel was delivered for the cellar and livingroom floors. I had the column steel pre-fabricated, and they are very well done!
Next week, we finish the cuts and lay the steel!
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