Putting the Footings to bed

 Winter was coming and I needed to protect the footings.  Back-filling will protect the outer footings but I needed a way to protect the footings on the inside of the basement.  One way is, and quite common on construction sites is the use of straw. That was the way I was heading until I mentioned it to the guy that was back-filling the basement. He suggested to avoid straw at all costs, it would work but it would be hard to deal with after the fact, it gets soggy and stinks.  He suggested  11/2-2 inch Styrofoam insulation 4 ft out from the

The Mike Holmes pose

 wall all around the footings.When the snow accumulates in the basement  it would also act as more insulation. This would be better than straw with no clean up and you keep the insulation there when you pour you basement floor to make a warmer floor.

Now that I have put the footings to bed for the winter, it is now time to sit  and look back at all the hard work done this year and wait until next summer. I might take a break next year from building and just relax but we will see.

John having a good time

A well desired break