6. Progress

Friday June 20

The plan was to get the footings built today and poured tomorrow. Naturally it had to rain on our parade so they couldn't finish. Monday, time for the big pour and pour it did. So once again we had to cancel the work.

Finally on Tuesday, we were able to get the cement truck here. After all that rain, it did get stuck once but Larry was right there with his excavator to pull it right out.
It felt like we were really making progress. We were gone for the day to visit Janet and friends at her campground so missed all the action but when we got home we saw our footings complete. . . .





well except for one small section where they ran out of cement. Yes I know this is a huge house. . .




Weds, June 25
So the next step, for anyone else like me who has never built a house, is to fill in around the footings with small stone or sand. We're using stone. First he laid down a drain that will soak up all the excess water now and in the future (see it in the top right of pic) and the stone is poured on top.

OK , we know it's big when we have a hugh dump truck in our cellar hole. It takes a LOT of rock to fill this floor.

Luckily for us our feline building inspector approves of all the work that's been done.

This is actually a "before" picture. When we dug up all my perennials we had no where to put them so Doug rototilled the side lawn and made a beautiful garden that I enjoy every day. Figured you'd like to see something besides construction stuff.

5. June 11

Tuesday June 17, 2008


Well I know I'm way behind so will try to catch up. I can't believe how busy we are every day trying to get everything in our lives organized. The cellar hole is complete but I deleted those pics from my camera, figures. However this is the day before taken from my hall window. Everyone asks if we are building a swimming pool It may look like it's only a couple feet deep but see the spade in the back of the hole, (looks like a stick) that is 5'. (June 11th)







Here's another view the ramp in the center is for the excavator to get in there. Figure that hole is as wide as our current house is long. See the addition way in back covered in blue tarp. (June 12th)





This has nothing to do with the new home but thought you might like to share my new independence. Today I made my first solo run. I just went to the library so it was a quick trip - didn't want to make Doug stress over me being gone too long. No problems and if felt GREAT! (Sat, June 14)





Today the wood shed was torn down. You can see where it was by the stone path. We're going to save all the stones, spent many years collecting them, and hopefully can use them in the landscaping later on. (Sat. June 14)



So that brings you up to date. Now we are waiting for the building permit and the plans to be finalized. Still working with the kitchen gal for a final redraw. It's really getting close now and I'm getting very anxious for a new home.

4. June 9

Monday, June 9. the cellar hole is almost finished. I wish I knew how many dump truck loads of dirt have been removed and dumped in the back yard. It has been leveled to probably 5' over where the blueberrys were. "Were" because Larry dug them up and moved them.

Tues June 10

It was really hot yesterday & today - up to 100!! - So Larry got an early start and woke us up about 6:30 am this morning.

This shows how level it is, you can kind of see how deep it is against the tree line. You can see where the blueberries are transplanted. They need serious pruning. Speaking of pruning, notice my forsythia is gone? we moved it to the back 40. Here you can see the back of the trailer leveled out, where the addition came off and a little bit of the cellar hole. think the forsythia needs a little pruning?? That's it in the bucket of the excavator

1. - The Beginning

May 11, 2008

Construction begins tomorrow. I'm waving goodbye to my yard. Everything you see will soon be gone.

The 3 big trees were the first to come down. Pay attention to the lilac bush next to the wishing well for perspective. Remember the camper was parked right behind there. (For now it is up in the middle of the trail.)

Tues, May 13, 2008 Here's the view after cutting the trees. Can you see the lilac? Can you see how far behind that we cleared just today? Larry has removed probably 10 dump truck loads of stumps out of this area.

Here's another view with the lilac in the middle and the tree stumps off to the right. Behind the lilac - way back - is a hugh brush pile. I was really worried about them burning it because it was so hugh. Luckily there was a light rain when they started which made me feel a little better.

This was the view from my craft room. Pretty cool, huh? It literally looked like an inferno outside the window.

Friday May 16, 2008

Larry dug up all the rest of my perennials - lilys & iris' - with the excavator and put them by the well.. We made many people happy sharing them and the rest Doug planted along the side of the driveway - the only place we figure won't be disrupted this summer - I hope! It's so light now with all the trees cut.

Monday, May 19 2008

more clearing and leveling. We're up to 25 loads of fill to level the site. It got a little soft at one point and Larry got stuck- luckily he knows how to get himself out of a predicament.
See how far away from the house he has cleared?

Friday, He moved the Shed and the swing. The shed went to the back woods that had been cleared and the swing is in the front yard. We can't seem to give it away so Larry eats his lunch on it each day. He cleverly put 2 boards under the shed in a V shape and hooked a chain to the V point. Worked slick.





This is the remains of my perennial garden, not much left anymore.

While all this is going on I've been trying to empty everything from my craft room. Who knew how much I had accumulated there. WOW. Doug kept saying I'm going to kill him with all the boxes I kept packing. It took 3 of us an entire week to empty it. Now everything is in the garage.

Monday May 26, 2008

Memorial Day, Larry showed up in the afternoon itching to work so he and Doug first picked up the deck and moved it in it's entirety to the back by the shed.

Next came the oil tank that was under the deck. They were able to empty it into the tank Doug uses for the garage. Larry took the tank. Can you see the shed and the deck steps to the left of it way back there?

Sunday June 1, 2008

We finally got the craft room empty about 3pm. Don't think we could have done it without help. (I'm not sharing those pictures!) Mom moved a ton of stuff with her wagon, my friend Kathy helped pack my scrapping stuff one day, and Deb & Larry helped to move my computer to the bedroom temporarily.

Doug then started dismantling all the cupboards I had in there . We'll save them for use in the new house.

Monday morning He was at it before I even got out of bed! First he had to cut the roof apart. When Larry built the addition, he left a space against the house. Turns out it was perfect for us now. Notice there is little damage to the house when it was pulled away. See Olive, she had to check out the addition one more time. She kept going in and out of both.

Notice the kneewalls (slats of wood) under the addition.

Now you see 'em

Now you don't. They had a little slip but by afternoon it was jacked back up and on it's way to the "back 40".

Ok, I guess that's it for now. To read in order next read "New Home Adventures" and the the one after that.

I'll try to keep up with it now.

3. June 4

Weds. June 4, 2008

More digging. Our back yard is nowhere what it used to look like. What was my beautiful perennial garden is buried under about 3 feet of dirt.

In the afternoon we went to the builder to try to finalize the plans. We got a lot done but still need to work on the kitchen. We have an appointment with a kitchen designer for Monday morning. We think we've decided on a siding color - cypress green - it's a soft medium green.
I like the tan/beige but I swear every house I see has that color now and we want something different.


Thurs. June 5, 2008
The weather forcast is for lots of rain and our land has a lot of clay which doesn't drain well so early this morning Larry showed up with a drain pipe. He had to dig a deep path for the pipe.
We came back in the afternoon to find the cellar hole about 1/2 done. But what a lot of dirt had to be moved!! It's all in the back yard so far. (By the way Janet, we forgot about my garden by the blueberries. Doug went our early in the morning and got most of it out so don't worry.)

Doug pushed me out back so I could see what it looked like. The 3' high stone wall is being buried.
Notice how high the dirt is over the rhubarb.

Friday June 6, 2008

Today we woke up to pouring rain so no work is done today.

2. New Home Adventures

Tues. June 3, 2008

We started off the day by knocking down the chimney. Now we really have no heat! I had to go to work but before I left we took a picture of Doug & I groundbreaking. How exciting! Larry started by scrapping off the loam/lawn into a pile to use later an then began the big dig - 32' x 60'. He had one oops when he cut the water line. He quickly got the pump shut off and repaired the pipe so we do have water.