On Thursday the work on our concrete block foundation, front wall and fireplace began. And it was HOT. In Nashville we hit a record temperature of 109 on Friday. The block workers busted their butts for us and we’re grateful! Turns out half the crew was Salvadorian which is kind of cool because Precious is half Salvadorian, too. Jason took all these pictures while I was working during the day:
It look me forever to figure out the direction of this picture. The corner coming at you is the my office/laundry room/mudroom. Beyond that is the garage.
The beginning of our wood burning fireplace. Woo hoo!
Jason said when the guys take a lunch break, they lie down in the shade and take a nap. Apparently they also eat tamales:
I took the pictures below in the evening, when it had cooled down to approximately 95 degrees. You’ve probably noticed our concrete block is straight stacked in a modern, art-deco style. That was our architect’s idea. We like the grid pattern it creates.
The concrete block will be exposed inside part of the house…in the dining room, the den/playroom/4th bedroom, a tad in the nursery (I think) and the fireplace.
The left side of the picture is the corner of our garage and the right side of the picture is the wall of our courtyard which will lead up to the front door. That front wall is going to get a lot higher.
Here’s the garage. We’ve never had a garage before so we’re pretty excited about keeping our cars out of the heat and rain, as well has having lots of storage space. Those two openings are for access into the crawlspace under the house. That pile of dirt back there will be filled in around the house so less of the foundation is visible.
It’s dirty, dusty, dry and hot—but it’s our home!
myMCMlife.com 
I’ve been following along for sometime…just wondering though why all the blocks are lined up…here in Canada the joints of the blocks have to be staggered for stability…I actually thought that was the way concrete block was always laid…must be done differently where you are…
Cheryl from Ontario
Cheryl, it’s definitely not geographic. Most concrete block for foundations are stacked staggered here too. Straight stacked is more often used in commercial architecture than residential. It’s a visual preference and just as stable. Different techniques are used to achieve stability including rebar and metal frames that look like ladders. That’s not very technical but it’s the best I can explain it!