The Wonka truck

I had never seen a concrete truck that mixes onsite, so this was entertaining. When its running, it makes all these chugs and whishes, and blows little bits of cement dust while churning out the concrete, like something in a Wonka factory. Sweet. The driver said the concrete we got was extra strong and quick-drying. It was supposed to be for a septic system, but that job canceled. So supposedly, a superior mix of concrete for the same price.
The block was late in being delivered yesterday, but it is onsite, and should be all set today. Rob will paint the inside with a sealer, and line the ground with plastic. We have a pile of dirt from the clearing that we can put around the house to create a slope.
Tuesday night we had a hugely productive meeting with Roberto, who is our framing crew leader, and Michael, our diligent building supply rep. Michael had a bunch of questions regarding methods and materials, and Rob and Roberto had all the answers. 2 x 10's here, 2x 6's there, 5/8ths plywood for the roof, not 1/2" as called for. 1 box of nails to start, and they fit a Hitachi 22 degree gun. Stuff like that. We finalized the deck and porch designs (except for the porch railings, which is my special concern), including stairs. Roberto's crew will do the porch footings also. So I think the roof trusses and first lumber are being ordered today.
I had two surprises yesterday. First was my trying to order temporary electricity. I thought from my readings that the foundation had to be in before I could order, and from ordering water hookup I thought the electric company would do all the temporary work. So, you know, just call and request, and it would be done. duh. I have to find an electrician to set the pole, per code, and have it inspected by the county, THEN the electric company will connect it. Luckily Roberto has a generator that will run the saws, and ours will run the compressors, so it shouldn't delay things to not have electric on site yet. My other surprise was that the inspection department is going to stand on their insistance that all the windows be DP 50. That means our windows will exceed the standards for even New Hanover county, which is closer to the ocean and experiences higher winds. I was able to get an exception for some glass doors we had bought at Habitat Homestore, which are DP 47. They don't make doors any higher. So luckily we only had 2 windows we had bought that don't meet the standard, and we bought 2 more that do.
My goal today is to contact as many of the mechanical trade subs as possible to request bids. Oh, and get the temporary electrical pole in.
And here's your entertaining thought of the day - Rob volunteered to be an assistant cub scout leader. Picture him in a blue button-up shirt and neckerchief, surrounded by 6 year-old boys...