At Maison Sic, Patrick works as a navvy. He makes us discover his job, his difficulties and the care he brings to this essential part of the construction.
Patrick's career as an earthmovers at Maisons Sic
A mason by training, Patrick Bourriague works for the builder Maisons Sic for over 30 years. He has converted en navvy 20 years ago after an accident at work which now prohibits him from working at height. A radical change that he does not regret. " I like everything about this job. First of all, the work atmosphere at Maisons Sic is nice. Then, I like working outdoors “, confides the navvy.
Semi-deep house foundations for stability
He is the first responder of a construction site de individual house construction. Indeed, it is he who prepares the foundations ready to receive the weight and the house charges. From the plan oflayout of the house on the the land, it plots and then starts to dig the foundations. Its role is then to lay the shims and reinforcements up to the pouring concrete.
A crucial step, because the objective is to obtain solid foundations and well designed which avoid any risk of settling causing cracks in the new house. To ensure effective protection against humidity and ground movements, it is recommended to build a house on crawl space. This technique allows the low floor to be raised, thus providing better insulation and increased durability.
Soon, the as basely Type crawlspace will anchor itself on the foundations. It is the latter which will integrate the low floor.
Le constructive mode chosen by the individual house builder aims in particular to avoid capillary rise moisture in the house through the floor. " Maison Sic is good quality. A good team always does serious work “, rejoices the navvy.
To go further, see our article on the stages of the construction of a detached house in the South-West.
The foundations of the house, demanding teamwork.
But working outdoors does not only have advantages. Whatever the season, when the earthwork begins, it is absolutely necessary to avoid stopping the construction site. Because the biggest enemy of this work remains the rain.
Beyond comfort, it increases the workload and can even stop a construction site. “ We make foundations deep. If we do not sink immediately, the rain descends to the bottom of the excavations, gullies the ground and closes the foundations.
Afterwards, you have to come back to dig and you often have to do it with a shovel. », he explains. For a rectangular house of approximately 100 m2, Patrick spends two to three days on the site. A time that can double depending on the nature of the land.
A construction site adapted to the nature of the terrain
We find it in Lot-et-Garonne where the construction of a 112 m house begins2. Work is determined by nature of the land. « In the normal earth we are helped by a machine and everything happens quite simply. In some cases, when we encounter a rocky terrain like here, you need a second machine called breakers. As the work progresses, the debris must be evacuated » He explains.
This tool, which functions similar to a jackhammer, aims to obtain a homogeneous floor ready to accommodate the new house. “There are some days that are harder than others. Sometimes it's the earth that doesn't hold. Other times, you have to wait to get the concrete. But I like it, because ultimately, all construction sites are different.”
Find all the details of this project and thevideo interview of Patrick. Other films, available via this link, will help you discover the vast range of professions and know-how of our employees Maisons Sic.
