Having started with a few inconsistencies, but all of a sudden it’s running like clockwork.

RIGHT TO ONE’S OWN IMAGE

He who digs a pit for others… No, no, neither the excavator drivers nor we ourselves fell into it. However, we had to be careful (and especially our dear relatives) of disgruntled construction workers, who wanted to be seen partout not on photo and video evidence. Of course, everyone can decide that for themselves – see “Right to one’s own image” – but well-meaning relatives, friends and neighbors did not have it easy at the beginning of the work. The euphoria that something was finally happening (which goes beyond the delivery of the porta-potty, see: “In the beginning there was a porta-potty”) gave way to the soberingly gruff rebuke of the two workers to refrain from making picture and sound recordings during the work. Since, of course, none of our relatives and acquaintances who live nearby had registered with us when they spontaneously stopped by the site, this resulted in several incidents which had to be followed by appeasing words on our part, but at the same time understanding was expressed to us by the boss. We therefore agreed with the very affable boss that actually none of us has time for such a frippery (= to involve several other people, if possibly recordings of one are made, but which may only be for the documentation of their own construction project and said workers are not to be seen on it) and left it in equanimous agreement also at that.

Hello, Hole!

Finally! After the topsoil has been neatly removed and stored, it’s time to get started. The topsoil is your property as the builder and you will get it back afterwards, otherwise it will cost you a lot of money!

The “piles of dirt” on the sides of the pit grow and we watch from a distance as it slowly progresses. Thanks to good video and photo documentation, we too have the “in the middle of it instead of just being there” feeling. As soon as the hole had reached its final dimensions, the surveyor from Hanover commissioned by Viebrock came by (we reported in a different context) and confirmed that the hole was in the right place, just the right width times length and just the right depth. Green light for the basement floor slab!

If you look at the side edges of the pit towards the neighbors’ garage, it becomes clear why a minimum distance from the neighboring property is also required in this respect. By the way, the excavated earth will remain on the property for the time being, since it will be used to fill in the rest after the basement is completed. In addition, we want to see to what extent the property with its “slope” can still be straightened with it.

The rest is carted away and is another, not insignificant cost factor of several thousand euros. For the total excavation would have to come about 40 trucks, so that you have times an order of magnitude – the rest can not be simply distributed on the property, as we had assumed only in our youthful recklessness. (On the subject of “site-specific work” and the need for price comparison, we had already pointed HERE).

The first appraisal appointment & scheduling at Viebrock

It’s a bit annoying when you don’t have an exact insight into which step happens when. At least for the time being, we have to coordinate the construction with our surveyor, who will pay her first visit to our construction site when the basement floor slab is completed.

The check has turned out without defects, so it may go on!

THE BASEMENT WALLS ARE DELIVERED

At this point at the latest, it becomes clear to us why Viebrock was not able to install flush-mounted sockets on the exterior walls in our basement, which was equipped as a living space. These come in one piece! In other words, finished concrete parts are lifted from the truck and set to fit, so that in no time at all the walls were in place. These consist of an outer and an inner wall. Liquid concrete is poured into the cavity in the middle. Only our three basement windows are left out.