Two Men, some beer, and a backhoe...continued

What started out as a small project to smooth out the dirt on this side of the garage turned into a huge project and a few thousand dollars. Just like everything else in construction.

Backhoe man started talking to us about a drive up to the walkout. I really wanted a drive because I've been hauling stuff through the house into the basement, and the few times I've been able to pull up to the walkout, it was a bit scary. And we also wanted a parking area behind the garage. (Note: The trees above will be relevant later in this post)

So the money pit begins....(note how high the dirt is on our siding in the above picture..it needs lowered about six inches...ten if we want a drive or a patio)

little bitty gravel for the concrete approach to the drive, and bigger gravel for the parking area.

We now have ample parking for company.

And this is smoothed out...which was the original project. (these are the same trees I talked about earlier. This is the other side of the house)


and we have a road from the driveway to the walk out basement. It will get covered in gravel...I think. Sometimes I just go with the flow and don't ask what the plan is.

Either way...I can drive right up to the walkout basement now. We still need to work on lowering the dirt here though.

but first, the approach to the garage, which was not in our plans, is being poured. We were just going to have gravel...

but backhoe man likes things to be perfect.

And the one hour it rained all week that week, was of course right after we poured concrete.

So, while concrete was being poured, backhoe man kept telling me what a better job he could do if I'd let him yank those trees, that they are in his way. The trees I told you to note for later in the above pics. I've been fighting having those trees yanked since we bought the land. I do not like taking out trees, no matter.... He said we could actually landscape that area. The trees that are there are volunteer something, mulberry and a hazelnut. You know I didn't tell him he's right, but he was right. So I gave him permission to yank the trees. The biggest one, the hazelnut...was HOLLOW in the center. It probably would have come down on our garage someday!

so now the trees are gone, it's very bare (and sad) but Dave promised me we'd buy some evergreens this fall. I wanted evergreens because I'd like a clothesline on this side of the house, out of the view of company, and evergreens would hide the view. Don't want company seeing my underwear! Nor do I want mulberries on my clothes.

to be continued again......

Cindy

Two men, some beer, and a backhoe!

The first of July I drove up to this scene....

Our neighbor and my husband were having a discussion over some Coors Light about the mess the yard is in. When I pulled up I told them the party is over!

This needed smoothed out by our garage/drive way. The neighbor has a backhoe and loves using it.

Dave and Winston were taking roots out of the soil after 'backhoe man' smoothed it out. That is the edge of the walkout basement. Dave would throw the roots over the edge, into a burn pile. The only problem is, Winston loves to play retriever so every time Dave would throw it, Winston would run down and bring it back!

Dave wasn't getting very far!

To be continued............

Gas line and other stuff

Ok - so I'm a bit behind in blogging on the house project. Why? Because I've been working on the house project. Blogging had to be put on the back burner....but today we are taking a basement break and I thought I'd show you where we're at.

Dave has finished the heat duct work in the basement. Now remember, this is not to heat the basement...we're going to have electric baseboard heat in the basement since we won't always be in it. This duct work is for the rooms above the basement.

So now when we move to the rooms above the basement, we won't have to put in duct work.

I sealed the duct work with this gray goopy stuff.

Dave finished the wiring, duct work and gas line in the fireplace (above the basement)

and got it sealed off. This helps keep humidity and birds out of the basement!

He also built a bulkhead to hide the duct work in the basement and I've been applying the drywall mud in the appropriate areas, trying to skim it on and not glob it on.

And I've been putting insulation in the ceiling. After taking 4 hours to do six ceiling bays, I did not turn down the help when my Pa offered to help me!

With his help, I only have three bays to go, but I'm waiting on Dave to finish running a water pipe. I have to say, the ceiling insulation is very hard work. You have to wrap the duct work first, then put in the insulation over your head. The little glass crystal thingys in the insulation fall all over you, and you have to wear a mask. It's impossible to wear glasses with a mask because they fog up instantly, so you have to either close your eyes or use a lot of solution for them. Plus you have to wear long sleeves and even with long sleeves you itch like crazy. Not to mention there was a heat advisory out. This is just plain old hard work.

The gas pipe is also done inside the

basement ceiling...

and the week we were on vacation,

the gas company showed up and ran the pipe outside.

First you have to locate where it's going to go, and locate where everything else already is, such as electricity, sewage, water, etc. There were flags all over the yard.

Then another big hole was dug...We have actually called in the troops to help with our yard. That's another post.

This is Master Welder Greg, who they called to come and weld the line.

Viola' we have gas!

Cindy

We have water!

A week ago Monday, we received a phone call early in the morning, on our first day of vacation. The drilling company would like to change our scheduled drilling time to dig a well. They wanted to start that morning.

This is what I saw by the time I got there.

They were already set up and digging a hole.

I don't know what all this stuff is...

but they worked together very well. They hardly had to talk to each other, they each just knew what needed to be done and did it.

I see why we couldn't have the well installed below any trees.

After digging 120 - 140 feet....

they started installing these pvc pipes. He's cleaning the ends so the glue will adhere.

They actually hit water at around 75 feet, but our contract said they had to hit limestone, not gravel. A neighbor's well was at 75 feet and he's having problems now.

They put the pipe in the hole,

one by one,

gluing them together. Seems simple really.

Sure looks different than the old days where they had a brick well and a bucket on a rope!

They came back the next day to install the pump and waterline that goes into the house.

The inside work isn't near as interesting as the outside.

This guy is pulling in the water line, but Dave did all of the inside electrical and worked with them the second day. Other wise we would have had to hire an electrician too.

And after they left, he enclosed this wire inside another pvc pipe so it wouldn't be hanging there. It looks a lot nicer. I forgot to get a picture of it.

So when I got there last Tuesday, they had started tearing up the yard, trenching in the water line.

It was a bit unnerving for us, with them being this close to our foundation and digging with machinery.

This pump is connected to the unit inside the house.

Note to self...

Do NOT park on back of property when trenching is going on

if you plan on leaving anytime soon.

We had them connect to an area in our yard where we plan on having a garden.

and it works!!! We have water!

bye bye

big trucks.

Now we have another mess to contend with...

{sigh}

Cindy