ready to get to work...

I've been waiting all week for this...I'm ready to get some work done! Aside from working at my day job, I've spent this week planning the form-work for the concrete walls. I've settled on a form-tie system consisting of all-thread rod, washers, hex-nuts, and tack-welds. I'm going to return the pre-fab Simpson form ties because they just won't work with my construction style. In the spirit of keepin'-it-real... I'm working with base ingredients here... no proprietary crap is going to contaminate my authentic house.

Form trial run:

...this is a negative of the concrete work... I think it's going to be awesome!

End-grain shot of six 10-ounce silver bars... cashing in some precious-metal investments at the wrong time (way, WAY down from where I bought it). I consoled myself with the thought that, if I had kept these in cash form, they would have been spent long before now. Even selling at a loss, I'm ahead of my paycheck-to-paycheck habits... yay! ...but, it was hard to let go of these; precious metals in your hand develop a severe sentimental attachment... but I have more sentimental attachment to our house, so... goodbye and safe travels!!! 

The reality of an artsy-board-form finish... lots and lots of table-saw-time... ripping and ripping and ripping... And this is just scratching the surface. I console myself by saying, "this is one more surface that I won't have to paint." (I absolutely HATE painting!)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!