The Temperature of Dirt

In another episode of “Things I Never Thought I’d Learn About,” I expand my construction knowledge in regards to the temperature of dirt. Yes, that’s right, this week we have been regularly taking the temperature of our foundation dirt to see if it qualifies for supporting concrete footings. Qualifying checklist: drive a metal stake down into the ground to make sure you don’t hit frost or ice, take the temperature of the dirt to see if it’s above freezing, make sure there’s no standing water or pumping water (this means when you step on the dirt, there can’t be any water that squeezes out around your feet). Last weekend, with the combination of Kris’ snow mitigation topper and 3 propane heaters running pretty much non-stop, we qualified!! Then Wednesday came.

What happened on Wednesday you ask? Well, Mother Nature brought us yet another foot of snow! Ah yes, another winter storm to truly put Kris’ topper to the test. After 3 days of shoveling, numerous wipe-outs on the ice covered tarps, and removing 15+ buckets of muddy water, you might be surprised to hear us say it actually worked quite well…given the amount of snow that fell! We’re not dry enough for concrete unfortunately, but this weekend is bringing sunshine and 50+ degrees which will help tremendously! We also have the propane heaters down to a science. Pre-snowstorm, it was 83 degrees under the topper and the ground was actually steaming! Ha! Cook that water out!!! Those heaters will be up and running all weekend. We have more snow predicted next week but not as much, so we’re aiming for concrete the following week.

Cross your fingers that concrete is pouring soon, because this will be a huge hurdle crossed and the home build should ramp up to full speed!