Once again we went down to the house at lunch time. Boy, do these people work fast! The basement was completely excavated and cement pads or “footers” were framed and filled with cement. These footers are four foot by four foot cement pads (one foot deep!) that will support steel posts. These posts which reach up and through the first floor ‘plate” are what the wood posts will then rest on. Rather than just placing the wood posts directly on the plate or on the perimeter of the foundation, this method provides a much more rigid and secure support system. Remember, in post and beam construction, it is the wood frame that supports the entire structure, not the walls which provide the support in regular ‘stick’ construction. They also added an additional cement pad for extra support for the staircase.