Things have started to accelerate rapidly now and I will tell you that every single minute spent in the hot sun, bathing in sweat, has yield constant education. I have drawn foundation plans for clients and practiced them while "apprenticing" with architects. In fact, I have seen them during construction in one phase or another but I have never had the opportunity to see one from beginning to end. That has all ended now and I am up to my chin in dirt, cement, and forms. IT'S AWESOME! Sorry. At any rate, the experience is extraordinary and if it were not for the fact that one needs a lot of equipment, I could probably pour my own foundation soon. This not withstanding, Ron Messina (my foundation/excavation guy) has been exceptional. He is a mostly one man operation and loves what he does. Better yet, he is very good-natured about having a novice in the hole with him. It probably helps that I have a decent understanding of the process and pick things up quickly, but none the less. Here we go.
Ron and me building the forms that will hold the footing cement. The footing is a 2'/60 cm wide concrete pour which the foundation walls will stand on.
A picture of the #5 rebar hanging from its supports. Rebar is a 1/2"/1.25 cm diameter piece of steel which adds strength to concrete. It allows the concrete to absorb more stress. I got a quick lesson and then hung all the rebar.
The footing frames ready for concrete 
The truck arrives and pour begins. The pour is a fast and focused process. It's heavy and it comes down the shoot quickly and must be distributed, adjusted, and smoothed before it sets up
The completed pour. Note the wide box at the middle of the picture. This is the pad for the double fireplace chimney
The walls framing comes next. The 10"/25.4 cm wide X 7'-4" high foundation walls will stand in the middle of the footing we just poured. That process will be featured in Part II.
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