Well, Well, Well

We're back with another update!

Lots of new things at the site this past week. Dug the electrical and phone wires to the house and the garage. They're plenty deep so I won't have to worry about digging them up when I'm gardening!

Take a look at this well drilling rig! Wow! What a site to watch. We had expert help selecting the site and they drilled 283 feet to find an artesian well!

Now that's pure and very cold water - pouring out at about 2.5 gallons per minute! But the fun has only begun, now we have to figure out what to do with the water in the winter. Hmmm... Sounds like a perfect problem for a water resources engineer - wonder where we can find a good one?

They excavated for the garage footings and placed the forms - we hear that the concrete has been poured for the garage floor, but we're stuck here in the BIG city and haven't made our way up to see it yet.

Better yet, they poured the concrete for the house floor! Oh my - don't stand in there too long guys - you might get stuck. When you come visit us - if there are rubber boots sticking out of our basement floor - you'll know what happened!

Boy were they meticulous - 3 hours later they were still on their hands and knees smoothing it out - let's be sure to get it perfect guys!

They also finished the septic mound and put the tanks in - we'll spare you the photos - although pretty exciting, you'll have to come visit to experience it in person (and maybe use it). We even have our own private porta-potty!

Now for the latest news (up-to-the-minute) - they started framing the house too! Let us out of here! If you see a blue truck speeding by, wave to us on our way up!

A Firm Foundation

Excavating the soil for the footings. They were moving right along until they hit the porch area on the hillside - it was full of large rock and boulders - good landscaping material though.

The styrofoam forms stack together just like legos. These guys are paid good money to play with legos forms all day! What a job - nieces and nephews pay attention to this career. Hope they build it right - experienced legos builders only!

The styrofoam forms were placed on the foundation and then filled with concrete mix. Can you believe the size of the arm with the hose?

But it's really not just all fun and games - as soon as the boom came out with the concrete - the workers put on hard hats and the photographers stayed clear.

What an interesting process. This took them a whole day and they were done.

Finally we can see how the plans drawn on paper feel as a structure! It feels small, but it will feel different with a floor, wall, ceiling - you know the usual stuff that comes with a house.

We asked if they could just turn it a tad - a little late now. WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get.

Here is the final version - the inside area was filled with sand and then they put in all of the pipes, wiring, and drains below the floor and put on a layer of styrofoam (a house built of foam - can this thing be stable?). They also nailed tubing to the styrofoam for the in-floor heat. This is facinating stuff.

We are amazed at the way this works and feel blessed to have such a place. Its fun to stand inside and imagine what each room will look like.

As usual, the Lord has given more than we deserve. A solid foundation is He.

Waiting to Start

Welcome to our new home site!

Glad to have you join us on our newest journey.

The first day on the property was July 4th, 2005 - It used to look like this.... can you see the lake? Me either - just barely on a clear day.

Last fall Joe put our driveway in - nice and wide - but not done landscaping yet! Stay tuned. This photo is looking towards the building site on our property from the driveway - our property starts at the birch trees. Nice driveway!