Laying a Foundation is Hard Work!

My first full time gig in construction started about a month after I turned fifteen. Earlier that spring, my dad asked if I planned to get a car when I was old enough to drive. “Of course I do!” was my immediate response, and he went on to let me know that I’d probably want to consider making some money so I could pay for it… He connected me with a guy he knew who owned a residential contracting crew nearby and the rest, as they say, is history! That crew was building close to where I lived so I was able to ride my bicycle to and from work the entire summer. Before getting back to how important a strong foundation is for even a modest home, I want you to picture a fifteen year old kid, weighing no more than 130 pounds, carrying a lunchbox and water jug on opposite sides of the handlebars with at least 25 pounds of tools in the nail apron around his waist, riding just a half mile home after trying to keep up with grown men all day in 100 degree heat. Let’s call that a life-shaping experience!

Leading up to that summer, I had helped my dad and his friends with small home improvement projects; vinyl siding, shingle roofs, and some replacement windows. In transparency, about all they allowed me to do was keep the worksite cleaned up, some basic measuring, and occasional cutting. Every now and then, I climbed onto a roof with them so I could at least feel like I had made a real contribution. All said, even that limited exposure helped me develop the basic skills necessary to perform adequately in this new full time (summer) job - but I was most definitely not prepared for the physical demands.

While I had some decent carpentry skills, I wasn’t close to being capable of the precision necessary for really any of the finish work. That landed me with the guys starting the projects and doing the framing, and just like those skyscrapers, the start to even a basic home is the foundation. I was quickly trained to operate a shovel while digging footers; no, not a piece of excavating equipment - a shovel like you dig holes with! I was the guy in the footers, cleaning out the loose dirt left behind by the backhoe. I also became very familiar with a sledge hammer, driving the grade stakes for pouring the concrete to the appropriate depth. I had the privilege of working at the dumb end of the transit - meaning I held the stick, attempting to adjust the height of those stakes without driving them too deep and having to start over.

In a best-case-scenario, we were able to get the inspection done and the concrete poured before a heavy thunderstorm passed through. That wasn’t always the case though. On the days we got to the jobsite after a hard rain, any footers that had been dug but not poured were usually filled with water. That water had to be removed before inspection or concrete, so guess who was typically given that task… As you may imagine, a lot of rain on red clay (especially down in those footers) made for a slimy mess. Even in dry conditions, footers are hard work. Add an inch or so of rain to the mix, throw in that red mud for good measure, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a downright miserable day!

As difficult as that could be, I think the worst part of it all was realizing very few people would ever know what went into the process. Similarly, identifying and beginning to model our core business values can seem like it’s going unnoticed early on - and maybe even for years. With the possible exception of setting trusses and installing the roof system, laying the foundation for a home is by far the most difficult and physically demanding part of the entire process. Being the first, and often only, person to exemplify the core values we’ve defined for our company can feel equally demanding! And just like dipping the water out of those footers, feeling like no one sees the work we’re putting into living out our values can be hard to overcome - so we’ll work through that next time.