Because we find it somewhat unreasonable and wasteful to cool the whole house down to one temperature, we had already asked various house construction companies during the initial planning phase whether and if so how it would be possible to achieve at least two-zone cooling. Opinions differed here.
German installers would certainly welcome the opportunity to dispense with the laborious task of slitting walls. Here in America, it is so easy to install any type of pipe or wiring. They are simply installed in the wooden studs of the walls and roof. The three trades of plumbing, air conditioning and electrics are now working simultaneously and things are really moving forward on the building.
We are currently in the largest construction phase, which ends with the so-called “frame rough” inspection. This refers to all woodwork such as roof trusses and walls as well as the associated installations such as windows, doors and plumbing. This does not include the installation of the so-called sliding glass doors (sliding doors into the terrace area). These may only be installed after the inspection.
The next stage of construction is the so-called framing. It only takes one day to erect the walls. Whereas in Germany you build brick on brick, here in Florida a few pieces of wood are enough to divide an entire house into its rooms. The walls can also be made of metal, which looks more robust. But let’s be honest, wood is the more natural material.
Once the pipe laying in the ground has been approved, the foundation is filled with sand, which is compacted using a vibrating plate. Now it is time again for the inspector to carry out a compaction test. He measures whether the degree of compaction specified in the construction plan has been adhered to.
A crane is used for the first and last time to erect the roof truss. It seems as if the carpenters are putting the pre-cut wooden segments together piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle. A little acrobatics are required here, as no one is secured in any way.
Creating the tie beam (ring anchor) is a much more time-consuming process than a layman might imagine. When we asked our builder how long the casting of the tie beam alone would take, he replied “4 hours”. We thought that was far too long. But this estimate was not even enough.
The long-awaited bricklaying of the outer walls begins. So far, everything has just been a prelude. But when the outer walls are bricked up, the structure takes on the appearance of a house for the first time. Here we go! The walls are built directly on the previously poured base of 40 x 20 cm hollow bricks in a bond. They must be placed on the reinforcement bars, if available.
Once the pipe laying in the ground has been approved, the foundation is filled with sand, which is compacted using a vibrating plate. Now it is time again for the inspector to carry out a compaction test. He measures whether the degree of compaction specified in the construction plan has been adhered to.
The next step is to lay the supply and waste water pipes, which will later be cast into the floor slab. There is no municipal water here in the north-west, so we are using a well and septic system for our water supply. At this stage at the latest, we need to know exactly where the toilet, washbasin etc. will be installed later.
