I Don't Envy Them At All

I DON’T ENVY THEM, AT ALL

they’re up against a growing wall.

I’m sitting in my little home office keeping myself busy. Whether writing or editing my photos or doing research for another topic about which to write, often, I’ll glance out the window to my left. Cars pass by. People are coming or going. Landscapers arrive to tend to the lawns of those who can afford to have someone do the work for them. Same with the people who take care of privately owned pools. Yes, we have people who, for a price, will take care of everything you own – providing you can afford such maintenance. It doesn’t come cheap but for those who can afford it, they, well, they just sit back and watch it all happen.

Our street is narrow. While we can accommodate one car in each direction passing each other, it gets a bit crowded when you filter in the trucks and trailers that belong to the landscapers, etc. We don’t have soft shoulders where these vehicles can park. They certainly can’t park on the front lawns of the houses that need their attention. While their trucks MIGHT fit in the private driveways, their attached trailers won’t. Ah! The dilemma of it all!

Now, we have an additional problem. In my neighborhood, we still have a few privately owned vacant lots. Yes, they are privately owned. Their owners hope that one day soon, they will retire and build their dream home here in southwest Florida. I don’t fault them for that. We did it! However, when we had our house built, there were only eight houses on the street. Now, there aren’t even eight lots left. In fact, there are only two. Progress is taking over.

I directed my attention to the once-vacant lot across the street. The owners decided it was time to build. Now, the fun begins.

The builders, using their excavator, graders, and other smaller dirt-digging equipment they might need, don’t come just wheeling down the street. They come on several flatbed trucks, or if they’re small enough, on trailers towed behind heavy-duty pickups. Oh, my dear! Where will they park?

One week later, the soil has been prepped for the beginning of construction – which means laying the footers for the foundation. Oh, boy! Here comes the cement truck. But it’s not alone. There’s a small truck with wheelbarrows, shovels, long-handled trowels, large wooden forms, and only they know what else because I sure don’t! The footers should take the morning to frame, and the afternoon to pour. Then, it’s about a 48-hour wait for the cement to cure.

It's now quiet. So quiet! No construction. Oh darn! Here comes a landscaper with all his equipment. There goes the peace and quiet.

It’s been almost two weeks and the construction crew hasn’t returned. Hmm! Wonder why!

At the beginning of week five, I heard a very loud rumbling sound. It was so loud, it made the house shake. I walked out my front door, and saw a very long, flatbed truck that was loaded with cement blocks. If you’re not familiar with the “piggyback” trucks, I’ll briefly explain since we’ve all seen them on the roads. The “piggybacks” are flatbeds with a forklift attached to its back. When the forklift is lowered, the driver then uses it to unload whatever the flatbed has hauled to the construction site.

The flatbed driver parked in the only place it can park – on the street in front of where the new house will be built.

I’m going to add, here, that in this generation of homes in southwest Florida, none of them are built using wood. They are all made with concrete blocks. The wood is for the framing of the roof and whatever will be needed for the inside.

Our second round of cement trucks has just arrived. He’s going to pour the foundation of the house. Slight problem here. The electrician hasn’t yet set the cables and wires in place. The plumber is also late. Yes, they all go under the foundation. Cement guy doesn’t seem too happy that he has to wait. The electrical stuff and plumbing should have been done at least two days ago.

I know all this because I sat for almost a year and watched as my own house was built.

A few hours later, the wiring and plumbing are in place and the grader arrives to push the needed dirt on top of it all. He flattens and tamps down the dirt. His job is done. He drives his grader onto his trailer and leaves, making room for the foundation to be poured.

Two more days of silence. Where’d everyone go?

With the cement foundation poured, the 48-hour wait for it to cure is on!

I’m sitting here waiting and watching for the next round of cement trucks. It’s time for the cement block to be put in place. Anticipation is brewing. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new house will look like.

A port-a-potty now arrives and is placed near the sidewalk. Great! Just what we need to look at. Wish they could have put that thing a bit further to the rear of the construction site. Oh well.

We’re now at the end of the fourth month of construction. The concrete blocks sit in their rightful places on the footers. However, the rest are still sitting on the ground waiting for the crew to cement them in place. The following day, about six pickups arrive and what’s left of the vacant lot is littered with cars and workers.

Uh! Another rumble?

Yep,

Here comes another cement truck with more wheelbarrows. You can’t cement the blocks in place without cement, right?

Uh, oh. My neighbor just arrived home from – wherever. His house is directly next to the construction site. His problem is that the cement truck has parked right in front of his driveway!! I watch him patiently sit for ten minutes. The truck driver doesn’t move the truck. He looked right at my friend and ignored him. Maybe he thought my friend just wanted to pass him. Yet, my friend put his car’s directional blinker on, indicating he wanted to turn into the driveway. My friend leans a bit on the horn in his car. Ah, now the truck driver understands! Ten minutes later, he moves his truck and places it on the small patch of vacant land that is left on the construction site.

All this mass of people and vehicles, and we still have much to go on the house. What I’ve just mentioned is only part of the outside. There is till the trusses (the roof’s wooden structure), roof tiles, and lumber for the inside studs. The screening for the lanai hasn’t yet been delivered. The a/c unit still must be installed, along with the plywood, and sheetrock. The plumbing fixtures, countertops, flooring, etc. The house is not yet at the halfway point of the construction and the bulk of the needed vehicles to complete the job is still nothing more than a job order on paper, so far.

Yes, it is an inconvenience for anyone who lives near this kind of construction. We would sincerely love to be able to drive down our street, pull into or out of our driveways without wondering if we’ll be hitting the truck parked in the street.

However, while we’re being inconvenienced, I can’t help but feel bad for the crews that are building these houses. They’re the ones who need to find a place to park so they won’t inconvenience us. They need to be sure that they’re not blocking someone else’s driveway or ripping up someone’s lawn with their heavy trucks or equipment. Their space is extremely limited, and their trucks are very large.

Nope, I don’t envy them at all.