March 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Excavator Use #3 - Dig the dump truck out of the...
Jan 2008 - So technically this isn’t my excavator being used, and technically it wasn’t successful but it sure was fun to watch them try. :)
Morrison Gravel came out to spread several trucks of 3/4”- basalt on the driveway to firm it up. One of the drivers “sneezed” and drove off the road and was perched precariously in the pond just shy of tipping over. One thing...
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Excavator Use #2 - Land clearing
The day we got the excavator we began clearing out the scrub trees, stumps and old foundation that sat in the way of the new house site. Here Sally shows she’s no slouch in running heavy machinery.
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Excavator Use #1 - Joy Rides
One of the first things we used the excavator for was a joy ride for the kids. Sometimes it is the simple pleasures that are the most fun.
2 tags
101 Uses for an Excavator
I’ve been thinking recently about how many different uses there are for an excavator and I’m more convinced than ever that everyone needs one. I’m not sure I’m up to 101 yet but I’m well on my way. I’ll have to see how many diffecent uses I’ve done so far and what documentation I have for them. Stay tuned
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February 2009
1 post
1 tag
Slowly I Turned... Step by Step... Inch by Inch
After another long hiatus working on keeping a couple of our other balls in the air, we finally got a bit more work done on the house. Not much, but progress. Monday, the boys and I finished clearing out the concrete forms, stakes and rebar left over from the footing pour and stacking them out of the way. At least I hope they are out of the way because I hate moving stuff twice! I also started...
December 2008
1 post
1 tag
Another day...
Well it has been a long dearth of posting here and while I have been negligent with both this post and the house, we have made a lot of progress around the farm. I’ll detail out more of what has been going on in subsequent posts, but I thought I’d give you a glimpse at some of the activities over the last week. For the most part all of the outdoor work during the week is all after 3 or...
September 2008
1 post
1 tag
How hard can a footing be...
It has been a while since I have updated the blog and a lot has happened.
The footing layout took quite some time due to the complexity of the footprint and some days I wondered if we were making real progress or not. One day the resident safety officer arrived (Judson) who promptly placed placards all over the job site with instructions for various items like “Yield to traffic on...
August 2008
5 posts
1 tag
Setting forms
We finally quit digging down long enough to build up! We started setting the Form-a-Drain forms on the North side of the house and were able to complete about 100’ of it. It took some time to figure out the secret for how to quickly make the pieces the right length but after about 75’ I figured out to always cut them 3.5” shorter than the length I wanted and it comes out...
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Back on plan
After the little escapade with the loader last week things were looking up on Friday. We were able to clear the dirt out of the foundation area we had piled up and re-graded the floor into a semblance of level. My brother came by after work to see what he could do to help and as I was showing and telling him about the track from Thursday he noticed a leak on the loader. No big deal I thought, it...
1 tag
Taming the west
Most of you are aware that we live on a “hobby” farm and have a few bovines. Due to other areas of focus, we usually only pay attention to them at birth, death or escape, and usually wish for an early death for a few of them when they do escape! Anyway, we have been taking quite a bit of time this year trying to get the herd in better shape so we can produce a regular supply of grass...
1 tag
Not according to plan
Well the inevitable happened today and things did not go according to plan. Originally I had planned to finish digging the footings today and begin setting up forms on Friday. After a good start of finishing the North, East and West footings, I decided to switch over to the loader to move the pile of dirt out of the middle so I could lay out the interior footings and dig them next.
Well I had...
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Finally an update!
Let me begin by apologizing to those of you who faithfully re-read the post below! L Your perseverance has finally paid off and you will no longer be suffering from déjà-vu all over again.
First, a brief update on the house. Dig, dig, dig. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Second, a slightly longer update on the house. Since the last update we have been slowly cutting the hill down to size in order to fit...
April 2008
1 post
1 tag
Ground Breaking News
Today we technically “broke ground”! While I wouldn’t call this our “official” ground breaking, we couldn’t resist testing out the “new” excavator. :)
Of course, Michael isn’t the only one wanting to take it for a spin. Sally takes a turn to show how it is done!
January 2008
1 post
1 tag
House Progress
Well after nearly 4 years, we are finally moving on our building permit! We successfully submitted our permit on Wednesday, January 9th!!!! We are making steady progress and checking the status online almost everyday. So far we have either passed or been determined not to need review for the stickiest areas of drainage and impervious surfaces! Good news indeed!
As of today we are at week 1 of an...