MORE PIERS

With framing and electrical work in Container 1 completed (as of summer 2022), there are several options for next steps. 

Insulation is a possibility. We’ll be using spray foam, and there’s no reason not to get at it on the walls where the other work is already done, as well as on the ceiling. After all, any help in keeping the Mississippi heat out while we continue our work would be a good thing. But I want to wait to insulate until later. In part this is because there’s a psychological satisfaction in doing at least something toward the next container, given the long-term nature of this project.

What we can’t do yet:

• Flooring — We haven’t yet decided what kind of floors we’ll have, though we’re considering unusual options like epoxy and concrete. Whichever, a consideration will be the connections between Container 1 and Container 2, and between Container 2 and Container 3. A steel plate will be welded across the gap between containers, and that plate will sit an eighth-inch above the subfloor. So if the flooring we choose is spreadable, such as epoxy or concrete, we’ll need to wait until all three containers are in place and framed. 
• Drywall — This obviously comes last, after insulation and flooring.
• HVAC — There will eventually be a package unit on the roof, with ducts run to five or six ceiling vents around the house. This will also come after all three containers are in place.
• Plumbing — All of the plumbing (kitchen, bathroom and tankless water heater) will be in Container 3.

Given all these considerations, we decided that on my (Clay’s) next trip to Mississippi, around Thanksgiving 2022, we’ll plant the concrete piers for Container 2.

The seven piers for Container 1 were put in place last year in two installments (pun intended). My friend Sammy and his crew came and dug the holes using a rented auger, then I ‘d take the next day to put the tubes and their Redi Bases in exactly the right spots.

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I’d plumb the tubes, then backfill and tamp the soil, and finally trim the tops of the tubes to exactly—knock wood—the right height. On the third day, Sammy et al. would return with a cement mixer, and we’d fill the tubes.

Considering that the digging and concrete work took three or four hours each time, and that there are five piers to build this time, I’m planning on a full day for digging and another day for the concrete.

Meanwhile, Calvin has a to-do list for the fall, including framing above and below the bedroom window, and attaching backing in wall corners for drywall.