Weeks 23-25: Unveiling the Basement Walls

The back yard is showing such a difference in blooms from a couple weeks ago!  The remaining rose bushes are out in full force, with other blossoms besides.  I love to see the flowers and trees carrying on as usual while the house is in (some level of) destruction and chaos.  Of course, the landscaping has its turn coming as well, but for now—carry on, blooms, carry on.

Meanwhile, the basement walls have cured and the frames have come off.  The waterproofing and drainage systems are well underway, with soil being backfilled against the walls afterwards.  Now it is much easier to see the boundaries of the basement, though the concrete is by no means the finished surface.  Still, the different areas are easily identifiable and the windows are obvious.  The grading on the outside of this area, at the front of the house, is currently one of the more pressing items needing some decisions.  Because of the egress windows, there are portions of the soil that go quite low, making for a tricky transition (visually) between the basement and the front landscaping. (see pictures below)

This picture is taken from the master bathroom (or
approximately where the trash cans were) looking
past the kitchen and through the dining room.

Looking the same direction as in the previous
photo, though from a slightly different angle.  It
is fun to be able to see the basement open like
this before it gets all closed in.

The following pictures make it easier to see what I was talking about regarding the exterior grading.  In the first picture below, you can see that the top of the basement wall is about level with the ground beyond (see the base of the palm tree off to the left?) but the windows obviously go lower than that level.  We have 2 different heights of windows: the shallower windows are simply for design aesthetics,  while the longer/deeper windows are egress windows (escape hatches per code requirements.)

This view is from the lower entry—at the point where the stairs will
go down into the basement.

A view from the corner of the property looking toward the front door.  The
basement walls and windows are visible mid-photo, with the existing brick
retaining wall a bit to the left of center.

The next photo shows a closer view of the area between the basement wall and the brick retaining wall on the left.  This area, in front of the dining room, is a sort of 'dry creek' (an effect furthered by the bridge walkway leading to the front door,) and its shape and profile is the portion of grading that is under discussion.

The basement from the opposite direction (by the front door).

A view straight through the front of the house (from the front of the dining
room) towards the stairwell.  Can you see the chandelier still in the entry
way?  What about the stone @ the great room fireplace?

Hoping my tree gets unburied soon & sending up a prayer that this giant
pepper tree will be able to withstand the stress of this rebuild.

For reference: window size comparison...there was a proposed window size
reduction in the laundry room (right) that looked funny to me and now I
know why! Because it is (and should be) the same size as the window right
next to it. (mystery solved/sigh of relief/but of course)

This is a sample of the concrete block that is planned for part of the house's
exterior.  I like how the brown aggregate shows through.  Ours would be 8"
square (instead of 8"x16" shown) and only the veneer instead of the whole
block.