Hardy discussing the excavation with the subcontractor on lot 1...


And Zoe inspecting the work on lot 2+3.

A little muddy this week but the soil has been compacted, grading completed, and the building corners have been staked by the surveyor...


The foundation sub has begun laying out the footings by tying a string line between the stakes the surveyor set and measuring offset points from the string. Once those points are set, the areas are delineated with chalk for the excavator to follow.

Our six home project on Rowena Ave. in Silver Lake is officially under construction!
Check in frequently to the project link (top picture on the right) to see how we are progressing...

There was no ceremonial ribbon cutting but breaking ground is exciting none the less!
After a grueling plan check process that required meeting after meeting after meeting, yet resulted in almost no changes to the plans that were submitted, we finally got 'a shovel in the ground'. The first step is to remove several feet of existing soil on the entire site to get down to stable soil, have that 'bottom' inspected, and then fill the hole back in with compacted lifts. This process, know as 'r+r' for 'removal and re-compaction', ensures that the footings of the building will be resting on clean, stable soil.

So we made some custom tote bags to accompany the Architecture + Design Museum installation we did last summer and the NY Times picked up on them and included them in last Sunday's fashion article: Totes as the "It" Bags. As our first and probably last fashion endeavor we are honored to be in the company of Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs!

Link to the slideshow: NY Times Slideshow