Stucco & Turtle Tracks

The exterior stucco is progressing and we should see some color on the outside in a week or so.  Check out all the turtle tracks and nests on the beach.

Turtle Nests Everywhere!

Under the guise of the night, turtles shuffle onto the shore, lay their eggs in a nest by the dunes, and scoot back into the ocean.  The baby turtles face many dangers from the time they are laid as eggs to the moment that the first salty wave breaks over their head.  Mostly, we can't ensure their safety, but we can help:  Firstly, by keeping a close eye on pets.  Secondly, by installing turtle-safe lights.  These lights are required along beaches because won't confuse the turtles as they make their way towards the ocean. 

Installing turtle-safe lights is just one of the precautions we have to take for this house.  My dad just finished setting up a lightning protection system.  Additionally, with the stucco still in progress, the windows and doors were layered with plastic as protection.

The aluminum roofing is up.  When I saw it from far away, it reminded me of Vector's house in Despicable Me, because the blue roof almost camouflaged with the noontime sky.

I didn't get a photo of the roof, but I thought
this was a cool angle.

In other news: some errors with the windows were fixed up; and the ocean is still a little chilly, despite the thermometer hitting around 95 Fahrenheit every day.  (We still swim, even if it's a little cold!)

 Stick around for frequent updates on the construction of 65 Degrees, the lair of a surfing mad scientist.

Windows

Windows are in.  The roof underlayment is on the sloped roof.  Here is a photo facing west.

Ready to Build!

We have all of the permits necessary to start construction!  There is a permit from the Florida DEP for the new building, one from the County, demolition permit, well abandonment permit, permit for the new well, septic abandonment permit and another one for the new septic system.  Seven permits for one house.  We'll need two more for the pool (State & County).

Well Abandonment

The current well was too close for comfort to the new septic location.  Before we could get a permit allowing the new septic system, we had to abandon the well.  To achieve this, the well was pumped full of concrete.

After the demolition of the current buildings, we will begin construction of the new well.

Soil Borings

Soil boring were taken down to 40 feet below the surface.  Naturally, the soils are sand with bits of shell. 

Once the density and type of soil was known, I was able to design the size and depth of the foundation pilings.