Field Notes: Normandie Terrace

Foundation Work, Below-Grade Excavation, and the Case for Sequencing

Project Team

Contractor: FORMA Construction
Architect: Butler Armsden Architects
Photography: Saul Estrada

Normandie Terrace is back in motion, and the current phase is one that demands precision above almost anything else.

The project involves a deliberate two-stage permitting approach: an initial demo permit to get work started, followed by a full building permit submitted in a later phase. Now that the full permit is in hand, the team is moving again, this time on below-grade foundation work that is critical to the overall architectural program.

Right now, the focus is on excavation and shoring. The team carefully opens hand-dug shoring pits slow, controlled work that lacks the drama of framing or finishes, but is foundational in every sense of the word.

The below-grade work creates new usable square footage at the home’s lowest level, a key part of the architectural program. None of it is possible without getting the foundation right first. Sequencing here isn’t a logistical detail. It determines what the finished project can actually be.

For now, the update is fairly contained: excavation is underway, sequencing remains critical, and this phase is laying the groundwork for what comes next. There should be considerably more to share on Normandie Terrace next month as progress continues.