Well! Things are happening at Sansui-ji temple! Construction Update--New footings have been poured; new stem walls are in place and walls are coming soon!
We had a bit of a scare after discovering that we were sitting on top the remnants of a coal mine--actually on top of a distribution site, as it turns out. The contractor dug down to pour the foundation for our extended zendo and instead of finding soil, found tons of coal! It turns out that that whole part of the city is located on top of this extensive coal mine. We knew that was deep underground, but not that on our site it's also right at the surface.
The black stuff is all coal!
After careful investigation by many experts, including our builder, our architect, and, our structural engineer, it has been determined that this is not an overly concerning thing, given that the current building has been in this spot for 40 years, and there has been virtually no settling; it has been very stable.
Therefore, we are going to make just a minor adjustment to our plan by digging deeper and increasing the size of the footers for extra stability. A relatively minor adjustment. Whew!
Footing for the extension of the dokusan room - all poured and solid.
We have also received sangha feedback about our interior flooring options. Thank you to everyone who responded. The responses overwhelmingly favored Option A (Bamboo flooring in Zendo and slate tile in entry and other main areas) with 77.8% of response in this category. We also had 22.2% of responders choosing option C (Douglas Fir in Zendo...) and no responders choosing option B. (Please let us know if you'd like for us to forward the survey results including comments.)
These responses weighed heavily in the decision making of the building committee. Also, part of the final decision was needed due to logistical considerations.
So!--We are going with:
1) Bamboo flooring in the Zendo
2) Slate tile in entry ways - the "front stage"
3) Cork in Cloud Hall as it's flexible and warmer on the feet. (Marmoleum was not chosen in part due to it being a fire hazard, and in part, some unevenness in areas where we needed more flexibility than sheet material could handle).
4) For the bathrooms, kitchen, and back hallway, we will use a complimentary tile to give the sense of transition into different areas.
Again, thank you for your responses!