Workday this Sunday the 22nd 8am!

be there or be square

call/email with questions!

We've got ramp!

Despite the heat and August sun beating down on us yesterday, we managed to get 90% of the framing for the ramp completed-and I only had to go to Lowe's twice! I don't think I am going to miss transporting hundreds of pounds of lumber in my car and on my roof-rack down 29 once this project is over.

We still need to install 8 more joists, attach the guard rails, lay down decking, install the handrail and pour the concrete pad, but things are looking good! The obstacles that we have managed to overcome in these past two weeks alone gives me hope that this ramp can and will be done by the end of September.

We still need to acquire decking material for the ramp and are looking for donations! Please e-mail me with any suggestions for places to find affordable decking in and around Charlottesville, or someone willing to donate materials to this worthy cause!

Another big thank you to Tommy and to the new additions to the FBD crew, Nathan, Sally and Kate (who traveled all the way from UNC to help out)!

Next (mini) workday will be this weekend (time and day TBD) to complete joist installation and prepare for concrete slab pour.

Look forward to seeing you at the site soon!

FBD, Back in Action!

Hello again Freedom Friends!

So I know it's been a while since our last project update...but I come bearing news of serious progress! Yesterday, our small yet determined build team set all but four remaining posts, framed the lower and upper platforms, installed the ledger board at the house and fixed many issues that had cropped up throughout the construction process. With the ramp finally taking form above ground, it is much easier to envision how the family will be able to use the ramp as both a means of access to their home and an outdoor gathering space for friends, family and neighbors.

A HUGE thank you to Tommy who, with his construction knowledge, work ethic and impressive tool collection, enabled the team to achieve the day's goals.

Another big thank you goes out to our commuting manual labor, Lars and Mary, for giving it their all as honorary Freedom by Design members. Couldn't do it without you!

Life Lessons Learned:

1. a square deck/ramp is a happy deck/ramp

2. appropriate tools = more efficient construction and fewer headaches

3. running two saws at the same time can and will blow a fuse
4. epoxy glue sets faster than you thought possible

5. fresh bagels and ice cold water make for a happy build team


As summer break comes to a rapid close, the next few build days will be critical to getting the project done by a tentative September deadline. Time to rally the troops so Mary can ride in style up and down this ramp ASAP! Next build day: August 8, 2010!

revisiting excavation

the past few weeks have been an adventure, to say the least!
we've been battling the weather (thanks tropical storm ida!), inspections (thanks city of charlottesville!) and a deluge of concrete/footing dilemmas. needless to say, we're learning a LOT about the construction process.

as you know, we dug the holes a few weeks ago.
then, we fixed the holes and poured concrete. tommy came by and helped us mix a sturdy, soupy batch of concrete. each of the 22 footings, 24" inches in diameter, needs 6" of concrete...that's a lot of mixing!

the footings solidified well. then we double checked and found some fun errors. more excavating and soil compressing set everything up and now we are ready to set the posts and backfill!!

anyway, this project is still going strong! we've had a great turnout for work days and we've had a great response from the city offices and united rentals. lowe's and nature nurture have been great too, and where would we be without martin's hardware?

please come out and help over the next few weeks! we WILL finish this before the semester ends!!

CONSIDER IT...EXCAVATED!!!!!

hi freedom fans!

this weekend was a monumental step in FBD's fall 2009 project - we dug all 20+ footing holes, graded the front yard and replanted a rosebush! along with finding artifacts (and by artifacts, we mean bricks, remnants of past flower beds and more bricks), we figured out that there are atleast 4 different types of soils and clays in gladys' and mary's yard. plus, we got to use an AWESOME two-person auger which was super exciting (check out the extreme spinning action in pictures below...thank you united rentals!) we had to haul a TON of soil from the front to back yard, and we probably should have brought a wheelbarrow from the beginning, but it was all part of the process. with rain looming overhead, we decided to wait to finish with the concrete footings. it doesn't look like much now (since we covered over all of our hard work with "sod") but this is a huge task to keep us on schedule.

ANYWAY. this week we'll be pouring the concrete, generously donated by allied concrete. then this saturday will be putting in the posts and working on the framework! hopefully the rain doesn't fill in all 24" of these giant, gaping holes!

2k9 - the year of the build

welcome to freedom by design 2009!
we're looking forward to a productive fall - we're finally building a ramp for gladys!

stay tuned for more information about building days, progress and the completed project...

post-paintjob

This post is long overdue. It's been a hectic start of a summer.

We finally finished with the paintjob the first week of May'08.THANK YOU for all the FBDesigners at UVa and all the volunteers.
The paintjob project was suppose to last no more than a month. It ended up taking the entire semester. Mary and Gladys' house is a lot taller than we anticipated.
It's finally done and it came out great.


It would have been nice to leave all the colors in. But that would be against the housing codes in that area. It looks nice in the pale yellow that Andrew and Ryan picked out.


Everyone worked very hard and Gladys looked on.


Stephanie and Carmen measuring the slopes around Mary and Gladys' house the good old fashioned way - with a rock on a string.


Ryan taking the measurements down.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in this process. Our first project ("Project Paintjob") took a lot longer than anticipated but it came out great and it's a lot better of a paintjob than this house has ever had.
Thank you to Sherwin Williams in Charlottesville for donaitng much of the painting materials. And Thank you to the Order of the Pantheon for donating money for our project. And THANK YOU for everyone in the School of Architecture at UVa for showing your support!

Our next project will be a multi-use ramp design. We're looking forward to it and we hope to get more support from all of you as well.