The next to the final stage of the construction is the pouring of the concrete - first comes the piers, with cement poured around the H-beams buried 16 feet deep; then the base of the wall which will sit on top of the piers and form the foundation sitting in the earth; and finally the retaining wall on top holding back the neighbor's backyard hillside...
The players in this building of a grand pyramid like structure are the construction supervisor who is overseeing the entire construction process, the Marlboro man with the concrete pump, and the big guy with a pot belly bringing in the cement truck with some five cubic yards of concrete... |
Because access to the back yard isn't possible for these trucks, they are parked out at the curb out front, and a large hose is laid out from the pumping machine to the back yard. The cement truck operator turns the valve and the cement pours from his truck into the pumper, which pumps the cement carried through the pipe into the back yard. The pump operator worked from the site where the cement was being poured, this being 30 yards from his pump out front - he operated it with a radio-controlled device stapped on his hip like a Colt 45...
Pretty amazing, all this - and, the final measures of this massive project are a sight to behold - so hold onto your hats... |
