Day 60: Surprises, Police Cars, and 330 Linear Yards of Victory
While we had our share of surprises and unfortunate events (oh boy, did we ever!), I'm happy to report we had another absolutely fantastic week at the site. A ton has been accomplished, and we're positioned to make even more progress in the coming weeks.
Progress happened on multiple fronts, but let me tell you—it wasn't without drama!
Outdoor Courts: Boulder Victory Dance
The area where our three outdoor pickleball courts will live is finally taking shape! We got most of the excavation done, which means we've officially dealt with ALL the ledge and those infamous boulders! At least in that area.
The team installed 80% of the retaining wall (required to keep land from tumbling onto the courts), and it looks absolutely stunning!
Internet: The Utilities Miracle
We finally got internet service set up! Dealing with utilities companies—including internet providers—is notoriously time-consuming and frustrating. But honestly? Even though there were several delays and rescheduled appointments with Comcast, I feel like it could have been much worse.
I guess I have a pretty low bar when dealing with these utilities companies.
Building Components: When Things Go Very, Very Wrong
All building components arrived and are stored on-site! It took 8 massive trucks to deliver everything—primary structural steel framing, secondary framing, metal cladding, insulation, and fasteners.
After smoothly receiving five trucks the week before, we figured the remaining three would be even easier. We were wrong.
The very last truck broke down 500 miles from Boston. No problem—the trucking company sent a different truck to deliver the next day. Our plan: unload early morning, then do our scheduled concrete pour at 1 PM.
Plot twist: We arrived to find police cars in the driveway.
Here's what happened: The truck driver was apparently an overachiever and arrived at 6 AM instead of our permitted 7 AM start time. But that wasn't the worst part.
Maybe because he'd been driving all night, maybe for other reasons, he made a series of spectacularly poor decisions:
Instead of waiting at Weston Nurseries, who graciously agreed to host trucks, he drove to our gated and locked site
He drove in cabin-forward instead of backing up which would be much easier to maneuver
When he found the gates locked, he proceeded to the neighboring retirement community
When he got boxed into a dead-end parking lot, he decided to back up without any guide to help him navigate
Result: Truck stuck, bushes demolished, garage roof damaged.
Hence the Police.
I started panicking—not only would we waste the whole day, but this massive truck was blocking everything, including our concrete delivery and retirement community residents.
The Hero Moment: The driver delivering our retaining wall blocks turned out to be an incredibly experienced truck operator who managed to extract the stuck truck without additional damage!
Everything cleared just in time—blocks delivered, concrete pump arrived, and we started filling foundation wall forms.
Precision Under Pressure
The concrete team took extra time measuring and re-measuring every form and anchor bolt location. I'm so glad they did—they found a discrepancy that would have caused massive problems during metal building erection.
Fun fact: The tolerance on our foundation prints requires ⅛-inch precision, which my contractor says is "less likely than getting a perfect 10 in gymnastics." No wonder the team was triple-checking everything!
We successfully poured 330 linear yards of concrete that day! The team came back the next day to strip forms and prep for the next pour (hopefully this week).
This team is absolutely amazing!
The Bottom Line
All in all: a very productive week, full of stress, but also full of achievements and victories. In the next couple of weeks, we'll finish the foundation and start building erection!
I can't wait to see some vertical progress!
Sometimes construction feels like controlled chaos with a side of police intervention, but when you have an incredible team and a little luck, even the craziest days end in victory.
