Caterpillar arrives

Guess what was waiting for me at the Hill today? Yowsa. The new excavator guy, new from last years no-show guy, said he was going to bring over the machine today. He may start stumping tomorrow or Saturday. Let's hope so.
This thing is huge isn't it? He has to dig out some huge stumps and a ton of not so huge ones. He has to move logs and take down some trees.

Excavator

Excavator returned my latest message (which I left today) and said he is bringing his machine over tomorrow and start digging stumps out Fri/Sat. Yeah! I will have to go out there and get some video of it. I asked him to leave some holes from stumps (I marked) for me to put bushes in. lol Because it is way toooooo hard to dig and plant more than an inch or two with all that shale and barely any topsoil. Excavator guy, said I can leave all the messages I want. lol

And, concrete guy said he is coming out Saturday at noon to look at site, show me window samples, look at new plans, etc. I talked to him at length last year, but we never met and since the plans have been redrawn I have to give him a new set. He wants me to call him in the morning to remind him.

Broken promise

I know I broke my most recently made promise to you all that I would resume my blog. :(

But, I am here! Yahoo.

So much happens so fast.

I have been waiting for an excavator to start stumping.

I called him in February, saw him in March, was supposed to start last Monday, said he couldn't and would call, left him a message...

How many messages do you think is appropriate? Not stalking or insane message leaving?

One a week.

Safe.

Leach Field Construction

This was the day the trucks started coming with the sand.

2 days and 32 dump truck loads later...

Guaranteed Septic Sand

After the sand field was put in, I dug out a required amount of holes the required depth according to Health Dept. regulations. The County Guy came out and passed the perc test on the sand. If it didn't pass I would have had to have all the sand removed...Yes, all the sand removed and get different septic sand and do the entire leach field installation again. And, have it perc'd again.

This is why it is critical to purchase guaranteed septic sand. If the company guarantees it it means that if the sand fails the perc test the company will replace it at no cost. I never did find out if it means they will pay for removal and all redo excavation. The County Guy told me that there were two people that year that failed the perc and had to redo the entire field. One had sand not guaranteed and the other had sand that was. Must have been a nightmare.

Gratefully the sand I got is all good.

There has been some erosion since it has been a year and a half, but the new excavator guy said it isn't too bad. Of course I need more sand to make up for it and also to finish grading the slopes properly.

Home Construction Time

It has been a year and a half since I last posted...a lot has happened. In the past few months things have picked up and I wanted to start where I left off, but that requires too much brain power, so, instead I will tell you today's thoughts.

Home construction time isn't the same as Eastern Standard Time and it doesn't have 24 hours in a day - 7 days a week. Construction time is it's own thing.

I met an excavator at the property and can't wait to hear back from him on estimates for his work. He said it will be this week.

Last August I met with five excavators and spoke with another guy just about the septic. This is how that went:

Two separate guys each who were to price up the septic, stumping, and digging the hole for foundation never got back to me. A third, was way to expensive, so he was out of the running. A fourth was hired for the septic work (put in pipes) and told me he would start on Sept. 12, he has never been in touch with me. The fifth, was just in it for the stumping and foundation, he was hired to stump back in August and never came. And that one septic guy I spoke with about septic only and mailed septic requirements to, never got back to me.

Can you believe it? Are they all on some other time frame? Does this September mean next June?

I really hope this new guy works out. Pray for a good low price and that he is on my time.

Otherwise, I may chase down one of the ones that was hired and never showed up. I mean how many excavators do I have to talk to?

Septic Field

To wrap up the sand post from July 2010... all the sand trucks came in over a two day period delivering guaranteed septic sand. 32 truck loads!

The road had a tough time holding up to all that tonage. The excavator had to continuously dig up shale out of the hillside and dump it in the ruts. All the drivers were great even though they had a tough job of getting in and out of the site.

The excavator told a driver we were going to need about four more loads when I had told dispatch two. It was pretty funny that the company took his word instead of mine, but I found out about it before the delivery was loaded, so I was able to stop it. I have to remember that construction places are used to the male excavators or male GC's calling for deliveries not the girly homeowner. lol

Of course without fail there was equipment trouble with the excavator, some hoses blew. Time was lost with that one, but it all worked out. Good thing my instinct told me to only get two last loads because the excavator wasn't working to spread any more than that.

Why I didn't post

By summer, when the sand came, I was so worn out and I kept thinking the months of busting my butt, working at the site and at my job were responsible. I had a harder and harder time standing up. I had to sit down.

All the time.

I had had two different weird rashes under my armpit and it was diagnosed as one thing then another.

In August I finally went to the doctors and I had strep. While at docs, I had a few blood tests, too. One came back positive for Lyme disease.

Again!

No wonder I was sicker and sicker and soooooo tired.

Then I had another throat infection, then infection in the glands of my eyes, then a reaction to the eye drop medicine...

End result, I wasn't posting.

Sand truck Round Robin

The sand trucks are going to start coming in tomorrow morning. I hope I can get to sleep tonight! The sand is for the leach field (septic system) and a huge part of this project. Well, honestly, everything seems like a huge part of this house building project. If u are out my way...bring cold water, we will need it. lol
5 trucks with four loads each will start arriving at 8am tomorrow. That is just tomorrows load. Whew.
Probably going to need 800 yards total. Let's all pray that that is all we need.
20 yards per truck. 400 yards tomorrow. At $11.00 a yard plus 8%tax. To be paid at end of each day.

From the folks who would deliver on my Hill, prices came in (plus 8% tax) at 16.50, 13.00 a ton, 12.00, 11.90 with no tax (sign capital improvement paper), and the winner at 11.00 a yard.

I am almost sick to my stomach. As super excited I am, I am also very nervous. It is a ton of money all at once! I like things spread out....like 10 dollars here, 5 dollars there. lol

County came back out today and was so nice. He said I could leave it the way it is (that Sammy staked already) or move it 15 feet. Sammy and I agreed to split the difference.
Sammy had chosen the most perfect spot that was very level. County thought if we went into the knoll more we would save on the fill for over the pipe from the septic tank to the field. So the way it is staked now works great on its own, but we may be able to maximize the fill for later by tightening it up closer to the knoll now. County, Sammy, and me all agree it is probably 6 of one a half dozen of the other.

Wish me luck. I should bring my respirator, at least dust masks for tomorrow. I bought some of the medical kind as they are flatter and don't fog up my glasses as much as the contractor type do.
I will be chipping branches while Smiley is excavating and the truckers are coming in and out.

Sammy swears he is coming this Friday and Saturday to cut trees. He said maybe Thursday, but definitely Friday. Yahoo!!!!

I told him I want to get the sand leach field in this coming week, so that it will happen while bro is here to help me. Even if it is to check specifications, etc., or see how many truck loads really arrive, whatever.

If he is able to help out that will be great. I still would like him to cut more hardwood and red pines and some small white pines.

1. Leach field and roadway should be cut down first. Building site last.

2. Leach field tree stumps should be cut flush to ground.

3. Roadway tree stumps should be cut flush to ground for vehicle to drive over (or pulled).

4. Anything tagged with an orange tape is to be cut down.
If it is hardwood, it needs to be cut into stove lengths.
If it is red pine it should be topped and de-branched.

1. Any small white pines (too small for lumber) with a yellow ribbon should be cut down into stove lengths.

The leach field is now 100 x 60 and is perpendicular to Rt 32. I have placed red flags at approximate corners.

We still need area around leach field for heavy equipment access and for Health Dept. request to allow sun and wind to get at leach field for evaporation. This means no shade over leach field.

We have to use our best judgement as to whether some additional trees need to go. We do need room for 10’ high by 8’ wide dump trucks to get in and dump. This means raising the dump box. They must be on level ground to dump.

As for building site, we need truck access to deliver logs/materials, staging area for logs and other equipment, materials, and possible shed.

The most current deal I have with Sammy (since it has changed a few times) is: I am paying him by the hour and Saw Mill is paying me for the logs. Sammy and he are working out transport since apparently one hires a logging truck separate for this. I suggested Logger friend, but Sammy says Logger hires the transport truck, too. The transport guy/truck is someone the sawmill guy uses. Too many and too big for Sammy to trailer. So that is how it stands right now.

BIL cut down two huge red pines yesterday. The sky opened up and we got soaked before the second one got topped.

Had to get another gallon of bar oil ready to go. Get those chainsaws sharpened.

Pieces of log

One of the neighbors came by last night to see what white pine I was giving him. He is going to come in and get some of the cut up logs out of there for me. I have so much wood all cut up and ready for an outdoor wood burning stove. Thank goodness I finally found someone who wants it.

Last year an old timer came by and asked me about the wood. He said he could use it in his garage stove. I didn't know yet what I was going to do with it so I passed, but this year I went by to see him and he said he won't need it anymore.

I tried BIL figuring he knew people, but he said no. I asked the guy who lives in the garage and the boyfriend of his neighbor. I asked around, swearing I asked the other neighbor already.

Nope, I guess not. So finally I asked and whala! They want it. I am so glad because I hate to see it sit and rot around the perimeter of my property.

He was going to come up the hill this morning before he goes away for the weekend and get the few dead logs and fresh cut ones out of the work areas. Then he'll come back another day for some more.

Update

BIL came out and chainsawed some trees and I, of course being the worker...hauled them into the appropriate piles. He is going to come out again tomorrow or Wed to hopefully finish up this round.

Big news is that the County came out today to meet up with Sammy and me to discuss the leach field. He and Sammy measured the wooded area and came up with a new plan. It is a little better than what was first expected. It is still going to be 4' deep of septic sand, but it is going to be a little smaller than before. Yahoo! Every foot smaller perimeter is a few hundred/thousand dollars less!

Sammy said the local saw mill will pay for pine right now. He said everyone is looking for it right now! Yahoo! 'Cause a while back no logger was paying for white pine. I am soooo glad that the sawmill wants it for money. I will be paying Sammy for labor to get these babies out of the woods, but it is supposed to be less cost than what I will be receiving back from the mill.
As long as it doesn't cost me anything, I am happy. And if I make something on it... A LOT of something $$$$$, then so much the better because I need money for the septic sand.

County says the sand only costs 2 or 3 dollars a yard, but it is the trucking that costs so much.
I wonder how many pick up truck loads I would have to make to get enough sand to make the leach field. I would have to start now and if I shoveled it off...I would be working on it 'til Kingdom Come.

I better let the dump trucks, excavators, and bulldozers do it.
I am getting excited to think I might actually get the sand field in before Bro gets here from his trip to Maine. That is my goal. I think it will be a nice surprise for him.