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Gimme Shelter!
The Project: A 2,163 square foot house utilizing dry stack concrete block construction with a central courtyard and based on the Spanish colonial-era missions in San Antonio. The Challenge: Can a forty-something married couple design and build an attractive, efficient and mostly paid-for house while remaining sane, solvent and married? With no actual prior construction experience? Hmmmmm - let's check in on our Contestants and see how they're doing... |
| Crew and concrete pump truck show up at an hourly rate that a Dallas lawyer would be proud of. The boom, the truck and the activity are all pretty impressive. My only activity is signing checks to contractors at this point. |  |
| The crew starts directing the concrete into place. The thought occurs to me that this is the last moment this ground will see sunlight in my lifetime. Makes it all seem very real at the moment, for some reason.... |  |
| After the pour, the crew starts the all-important work of finishing. Since the house will have stained concrete floors, a smooth quality finish is especially important. |  |
| The crew finishes pouring. Note the central courtyard - all rooms in the house will open onto this. A fountain in the courtyard will help keep the center of the house cool in hot Texas summers. |  |
| The crew has finished up, leaving my checkbook a lot lighter and me a happy and somewhat frazzled camper. |  |
| Next: 5,000 concrete blocks show up on site - some assembly required. Click here. |
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