Our very very very big day

 

We arrived at our High River lot just minutes after the truck rolled up with our house all freshly wrapped. At a mere 10 feet wide when fully folded, it seemed smaller than it should.

On site was a huge crane which carefully lifted the house off the flat bed trailer, swung it around, and set it down on the requisite screw piles. 

I looked up from my vantage point in the adjacent parking lot where I was taking a time lapse video and observed a large number of people with their phones out, recording the moment. In addition to large contingent from SEED Homes, there were several insurance representatives on site and a number of citizens. 

After the utility corridor was welded on to the screw piles, the east floor section was unfolded followed by the west.

The amount of blood, sweat and tears that it took to get to this day cannot be overstated. Team leaders like Stephen, Darren and Chad were running on very little sleep. The execution of the unfolding was a significant milestone for us, personally, but professionally, for the SEED Homes team, it was the realization of a vision. It also marks the beginning of a move into the affordable housing market that has the potential to be a game changer.

I remarked several times during this very long day about the extraordinary blessing of good weather. We are experiencing the longest fall in my memory. We are almost at December and we are still getting plus temperatures during the day and there is not a drop of snow anywhere. Yesterday would have been a completely different experience if the crew had to deal with snow and cold weather. 

Things were much calmer and slower today. The set up crew spent the day folding up the north and south walls. Tomorrow a smaller crane arrives to hoist the roof sections into place. Windows and doors will start going in tomorrow as well. 

I was feeling a little under the weather today. While house arrival day was exhilarating, it was also emotionally draining. I was glad to take a slower day to recover.