Progress on Re-Digging the Footers

Progress on Re-Digging the Footers

After a long weather delay, they got back to work on Friday, March 2. They started re-digging the footers and pumping the water out of them. The geotextile fabric and loads of gravel were delivered.

What is the fabric?

The fabric is Thrace-Linq® 125EX. I read it off the label.

Thrace-Linq® 125 EX is a nonwoven geotextile fabric manufactured from Polypropylene staple fiber. The fibers are randomly oriented and form a cohesive / stabilized needle punched fabric for use in many applications including, for our purposes, filtration.

Thrace-Linq® 125 EX  Filtration: Restrains soil or other particles subjected to hydrodynamic forces while allowing the passage of fluids into or across a geotextile.

Thrace-Linq® 125 EX is resistant to commonly encountered chemicals, mildew and insects found in soil.

It is a version of the same material silt fences are made from and landfills are lined with.

Progress on Re-Digging the Footers:They worked as long as they had light.
They worked as long as they had light.

They worked until it got dark Friday, then worked all day Saturday. The sky was still blue.

The new bigger machine can straddle the trench as he re-digs the footers.
The new bigger machine can straddle the trench as he re-digs the footers.

They dug out the footers, digging until they hit bedrock.

Very wide footer with the fabric and gravel
Very wide footer with the fabric and gravel
As the kept digging, the piles of dirt got higher and higher.
As the kept digging, the piles of dirt got higher and higher.

The walls kept caving in. The footers were getting wider and wider and the piles of dirt were getting taller and taller. They had to move the dirt from one place to another to get it out of the way as they worked.

Laying out the fabric
Laying out the fabric
Laying out the fabric
Laying out the fabric
Footer with fabric and gravel
Footer with fabric and gravel

As an area was done, men started laying out the fabric, dumping in gravel and folding the fabric back over it.

Pins to keep the fabric from falling back in as the gravel is poured in
Pins to keep the fabric from falling back in as the gravel is poured in

They use these pins to hold the fabric up as they pour in the gravel.

Scooping up gravel
Scooping up gravel
Pouring gravel into the footer
Pouring gravel into the footer
They pressed and pounded the gravel.
They pressed and pounded the gravel.

They pounded the gravel down and measured to be sure it was the right height.

After the gravel is in, the fabric is folded over it.

Adding another piece of fabric where the footer got crazy wide.
Adding another piece of fabric where the footer got crazy wide.

Where the footers got too wide because the walls kept caving in, they had to put another piece of fabric to make the pieces meet.

Sunday - Nothing going on
Sunday – Nothing going on

We went back out on Sunday, but at least when we were there, nothing was going on. A lot was done, but there was a lot still to get done. Before it rains and ruins it all.

Next: More Progress on the Engineered Footers >