WAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOO...

May 9th...WAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOO...That pretty much says it all.  POWER!!!!  We have power now and we couldn't be more excited.  Well we might get more excited when the house comes but for now this is awesome.  It came in a few days early too.  It is so nice to not have to listen to the generator anymore or to have to go out and fill it up and start it every time we want power. 

Unplugged...YAY!

Basement...Day 4

Tuesday May 8th...bright and early, like 6:30 a.m. early, the truck was there to drop off the blocks to start the basement walls. 

It isn't even completely light out yet.

Then the boys of Zim-City were back again and started the walls.  It was really neat to see how fast and smooth they could put the bricks up and before we knew it...it was early afternoon and they were heading home again.  They only put half of the height of the walls up and then stopped to allow for those to dry before going the rest of the way up. 

 

Eric helping lay block.

The prep area.

Steve made it across the catwalk.



Loren our block layer.




Eric and the crew.



Basement...Day 3

May 7th...Now that all of the digging and dirt work have but completed for the most part it is time to start the cement work on the basement.  We had Zim-City Masonry for our cement guys and they are awesome.  They were at the house bright and early Monday morning to start the footings for the house and garage.  They made quick time and were out by early afternoon and we were left to wait for the footings to cure. 

The house footings.

The adjoining house and garage wall.

The cement is here...Steve taking over my supervising job.

Pouring the footings.

The garage footings.



Almost done.



Basement...Day 2

We ended up getting rained out in the afternoon on the 5th so the basement work continued on the afternoon of the 6th.  First thing we decided was to take down the ugly oak tree.  It must have been on the property when there was horses or something because there was barbwire growing through the tree.  It was really neat to see that but I am glad to see the ugly tree go. 

So Eric got to jump up in the excavator to dig out and push the tree over.  And anyone that knows Eric, knows he was having a great time.  Although, Coleton didn't think it was to fair that Dad got a ride and he didn't...maybe next time. :)

Eric starting on the tree.

Clearing out the brush and barbwire.

Starting to dig on the roots to push it over.

The tree looks bigger when he is next to it.





Starting to go over...

Going...

Going...



Gone!  And look at the rot!



The tree pretty much just fell apart.



The entire center was completely rotted.



Trying to move it just made it break apart more.

Eric cut up what was left.

And only one branch survived.

The brush pile is getting bigger and bigger.

Then it was back to digging to finish up the hole for the basement so the masonry guys could start on Monday morning.

Dean kept on digging and digging...

And Eric was spreading things out to start the new grade that will be up to the garage and house.

Coleton and I supervising the digging, he loves all the equipment.



And the day is done...up there is a hole complete and ready for cement.



Basement...Day 1

On May 5th we started digging the basement for the house.  Dean Bitner arrived bright and early with hyis backhoe to start digging away.  He also took out all the stumps from the tons of trees that we have taken down over then last couple weeks.  Things went pretty good and the pictures say more than I ever could.

That is a lot of stumps!

Dean our digger in white.



The hole on the property where we are going to put the basement.



The pond.

Another line of stumps.

The look from about my kitchen window.

It's here...YAY!  Coleton loves it already.

Unloading.

First bucket...



Let the fun begin!




First stumps out.



The kids were so excited to see the equipment working.

Stumps piling up.

Wow!

They see to be everywhere.

And someof them were huge.

Shaking off hte extra dirt.

Another stump.

Starting to dig the basement.



Eric moving the stumps to the burn pile.



Eric and Dean looking for the stakes to mark out the corners of the house.

Aubrey in the start of the basement.

Getting bigger...



And bigger.




And the end of day one.