Thursday, November 20, 2009 - Nothing in this World is Concrete

I spent most of the month of October writing about the rain. Not quite sure where all of the ideas came from (they just sort of fell from the sky), but it was actually kind of fun. Frustrating, but fun. The second-wettest October in Nashville history left us way behind schedule...a schedule that left us very little room for error or delays. But as wet as October was, November has been conversely dry. So why do I feel like we have made very little progress in the first 20 days of the month? Oh, I remember, there's no concrete. I have spent the entire month writing about how concrete deliveries keep being scheduled, but never happen. Today was at least the fourth day of promised delivery that came and went without the flyash-sand-water combination being poured. Trust me, there is plenty of concrete available; I see it all over town. The new addition on the nondescript building at MetroCenter has a large expanse of new concrete slab flooring. The apartment building next to the school has six new sets of concrete steps leading to the soon-to-be-occupied dwellings. The new car dealership at Cool Springs...no shortage of concrete on that lot. These are things I would have never noticed before this home addition process started. Seems like I may be a bit jealous, but maybe I have a good right to be. Everything was prepped and ready for a concrete pour today. When Cara arrived home she immediately called me and said none had taken place. A call to the contractor explained the convoluted message he left earlier in the week. He says he told me there had to be another inspection of how the addition will tie into the existing house before the concrete pour. I could have sworn he said the inspection would come after the concrete pour. Big difference there. Regardless, it didn't happen today and I am frustrated. Seven weeks since the project start date, and we have little more than a gravel-covered hole in the ground and some pvc pipe...some of it even installed and connected to the sewer pipe. The inspection today caused us to lose our place in line with the concrete pumper-truck. If we can get it Friday we are in business. If not, then we will have to reschedule our place in line at the concrete plant again and hope it coincides with the truck reservation. This town is way too large, right in the midst of a building bust, for our contractor to be having this kind of coordination trouble. I am a big believer that small victories lead to winning the battle. Right now I am in need of any type of victory, and soon, to keep me sane.