Another week has gone and work continues on site. However, not as much has happened as one might have hoped. Nobody is at fault, just a combination of the type of work that needs to be done and the weather. It has been a very wet period in Italy and that combined with a site that is of clay, means mud and lots of it. We are at the stage that we need to dig and bore the foundations. The piles have to bored to a depth of twelve meters. This is done with a large auger or earth bore, if you like. There is the real possibility of the hole collapsing before it can be filled again with the reinforced concrete. Further, manoeuvring the rigg the site now, would also make a mess of things. The only solution has been to wait and prepare the site with some crushed stone and gravel.
The site was prepared at the end of last week and the bore has at last arrived on-site. The first holes for the piles are already created and the reinforcement cages have been lowered and the concrete poured. The prefabricated cages are 6m in length, with two for each 12m hole. It seems a bit over the top to be using twelve meter piles on a single family home, but the area is high risk for earthquakes. Italy is prone to frequent tremors and we are in zone 2, the second highest risk area for major earthquakes with risk of damage to both property and life. Better to be safe than sorry!
I hope we can get out of the ground as quickly as possible. It is below the surface that the money can get sucked up without you ever seeing the benefits! Of course every penny spent is usually a good investment upon which to build, but it is also where the many of the unknowns are. However, we made a number of ground surveys and hopefully there will be no surprises.
In the meantime, I have spent some of my time organising the finances, talking to banks, reading the latest on the Italian budget proposals regarding the various tax incentives and on a more fun side, drawing the bathroom layouts. I am happy with these now and have sent them over to Diego and his team. Jokingly, he responded, typical architect! Can never leave things alone until the walls are physically in place. :) The financials are a necessary evil in any project. You just have to keep on top of things, if you want it to go smoothly, and keeping yourself informed is part of it.
Whilst we are waiting for the rest of the foundations to be poured, next time I thought I would tell you more about the various building bonuses and maybe a little more about what exactly we are building.
I hope you are enjoying the posts. Tell me what you like and/or dislike about them. I know a lot of you are Norwegian (my home), is there anything I can explain better or needs translating? Do any of you dream of a place in Italy? Can I help you begin to realise your dream?
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