November 2011
The masons are making a lot of progress and the walls of the house are likely to be  complete this month. It seems slow sometimes but it's important to realize that once the blocks have been positioned and grouted, that's it! No firing strips, sheet-rock, paneling, plaster, base boards, crown molding, or anything else. The glass inserts will be installed later, but that's more akin to painting than wall building.
Masons prep the blocks and then pump grout into the "tunnels" between them creating the "threads" that knit this "textile" system together. They also make sure that the re-enforcing rods are centered during the setup and setting time.
The lead mason sprays insulating foam between the wythes. In some cases, it's easier to cut it away from the decorative openings after the fact than it is to prevent it from filling them in the first place. But for the lowest course, some simple tools were made to block the foam so that it could be applied thoroughly. See them here.
We've been waiting a long time to use that line! But here we are, and here we go. We watched two of the most prominent being positioned and secured on Wednesday. Really big steel requires big machines and big men to move it, balance it, and install with precision. We watched as the beams were nestled into place and adjusted by mere millimeters with equipment so heavy that it sometimes sank into the soft ground. Plumb, level, and true.
The big beam arrives and gets unloaded along with the other steel components. It's a tricky balancing act to find the center and lift it gingerly off the flatbed and onto the ground. The smaller parts go a little more quickly but just as carefully. When the driver backs his massive rig out onto McDonald, he makes it look easy as he threads the needle to avoid trees, telephone poles, and street signs.