The Diary Game: Building Benchmark on Site

Hello everyone You're welcome to another exciting episode of my daily diary, I'm yours truly @dotman777. Today was a physically engaging day out in the field, diving deep into the technical side of construction work. If you have ever wondered what goes on before construction of beautiful roads you're seeing around you, today's post will take you right into the heart of the foundation process.

I woke up early this morning and did the necessary things. From praying to God, brushed my teeth and washed dishes and I also swept my room. I woke up around 4 AM and started with morning devotion as usual I also cooked rice and finished up with everything before 6am. I dressed up and went to the yard, on my way to the yard I discovered the ground is wet when I was closed to the yard though the weather was cloudy and there was dew. I made it to the yard signed in, packed up instruments and headed to the site.

Today we constructed benchmarks, we started with fixing up our instruments since we were with the necessary materials starting from the cements, stone dust, sharp sand, spade, hammer, caution tape, water, iron rods, pegs and hand trowel. All the surveying team worked together today to construct the BM from where we stopped and replaced those damaged unknowingly by excavators.

Surveyors first determine the exact spot where the permanent reference point is needed, ensuring it is in a stable, undisturbed area where it won't be easily shifted again by heavy machinery. We dug a small hole into the earth, and a wooden formwork (mold) is constructed to define the shape usually square or rectangular of the concrete pad. We then mix the cement, sand, granite, stone dust with water we then poured firmly into the formwork.

All the pillars are being barricaded with wooden pegs and caution tapes to keep workers and equipment safely clear while other departments work on site, benchmark serves as a fixed point of known elevation which is essential in construction. Without a reliable BM, cumulative measuring errors can occur across a large site, leading to uneven floors, drainage failures, or structural instability.

We worked for hours till the closing hour though we had lunch break for an hour before we resumed the second half of the job. By the time we packed up our tools, the sun was high, my boots were caked in red clay, and my muscles were aching from hours of bending, mixing, and leveling. But looking back at the secured, neatly pillar guarded by its caution tape, there is a unique kind of satisfaction that comes with laying down work that will endure.

I got home and felt tired, I washed my dirty clothes and went to bath. After this, I watched a football match between Brentford and Chelsea, where Chelsea suffered a heavy defeat to Brentford for the first time in the Premier League. I already ate bread before watching the football match, I bought the bread on my way back home. Thanks so much for taking your time to read through my diary.