The Story of the Sewers!

Since my last post, we have come a long way on our journey to build an addition to Tony Graham's Toyota Showroom. In the last blog, I started with my experience of learning something unique in Physics for me; thereafter, we progressed quite a bit.

We have completed all the underground storm and sanitary service lines. I have come to understand that services are quite an important part of the project. It might be a boring step in the process because the trades keep excavating and laying pipes and barrels every other day. But the key point is the grades, the slope, and the elevation at which it is designed.

And the second most important is backfilling the soil, making sure the base on which the pipe is laid is compacted to maintain the slope. Spring line so that the pipe stays where it is supposed to be, and the 1 foot ensures the top of the surface won't sink in.

And trust me, it is the most boring part of the project, and even more so for a site supervisor, because we were waiting for our building permit. We did have our temporary work permit to start digging the ground for services, but it was a 2-month wait. For me, sometimes it was productive, sometimes it was endless scrolling, and sometimes it was personal work. But I used to ensure my schedule was up to date, that my inspections and compaction tests were scheduled and conducted, and that health and safety inspections were performed every hour, which is the most important part of my job. But the fun part of these 3 months is having that morning coffee with the trades, especially with KWC trades. They were fun, hardworking guys and "SMARTSHOULES" - Smart + Assholes + Souls. This is my own creation, but please don't judge.

It's been a week since we completed services. I am writing this on April 5, 2026, on one of the waterfront trails in Ottawa, seeing the spring setting in it is cold with wind, but a little bearable. We have already excavated the footing, formwork, and rebar, and are looking forward to concreting on 6th April, 2026.

Now I realize my trades used to say, "Enjoy the free time while it lasts; after the services, you will be drowned in work." And now I feel it. I have been continuously coordinating and communicating with stakeholders, learning new things, or, I would say, recollecting what I learned in my Bachelor's in Architecture. This new stuff and recollection are giving me a dopamine hit every other day I sit in that Site Trailer.

Ciao for Now! See you in the next blog. Peace!