Aug 27 - Rock Hammering is Over !

After more than two weeks of rock hammering, enough rock has finally been cleared that we can stake out the house corners. Lots of rock still to be carted away, but footings can be poured next week. Click on pictures for a larger view.

We now have a flat spot for the basement slab. The rock debris to the right still needs to be removed.

Norris, and the builder's crew and excavator's crew trying to decide how to shift the garage doors and driveway around to make for easy turns into the garage.

Norris and Super-Dave the track-hoe operator watch Builder Tim and his helper Kyle staking out house corners

Tim measuring out the front side of the house.

The rock wall being built up to serve as retaining wall for the drive. At least we are putting some of our excavated rocks to good use. Another row of rocks still to be added.

August 19, 2007

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Looking more like a rock quarry than a home site. Some progress since the last visit, but lots of rock yet to move. It all has to come down to the level where the machinery is sitting.

August 16, 2007

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Rock breaking continues, very slow going

Selecting the House Site and Excavation

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August 10, 2007 - excavation continues

Cheryl stands among some of the larger rocks that came from the house site. These will be used as retaining wall for the driveway.

Cheryl among more of the rocks being hammered from the house site.

Mica from the rubble.

Cheryl dwarfed by rock hammer. These machines are resting in our future garage and front entry.

Cheryl stands next to rock being removed to create house site.

Norris standing on top of the rock hammer.

Mound of rock to the left has yet to be removed. You can see it before they started working on it in the picture of Norris with Tim and Chuck below.

August 7, 2007 -selecting the house site

Chuck, Future Homeowner, and Builder Tim standing on the dome of rock that will soon be transformed into a house site.

L-R: Builder Tim Alexander, Excavator Chuck, and Curious Homeowner look over the septic field toward the view while SuperDave continues loading tree parts to be hauled away.

SuperDave on his way down the future driveway with a load of trees.

Tim calls him SuperDave because he has not flipped a machine over, even on terrain you'd think was "impossible." Our lot is apparently not a challenge.

Norris and Cheryl's New House

Aug 3 - These pictures were taken after two days of site clearing. The grader has started clearing the path for a driveway from the street up to the proposed house site on the old logging road, and he has removed many of the trees around the house site. He has done several test digs and determined that we have a dome of fairly solid rock that will have to be dealt with. Trees have also been taken down for the septic field site. We will meet with the builder again in several days to make a final determination of the location of the house corners and for another chance to decide which additional trees should come down.

House site, with dome of solid rock to the right

Another view of house site, taken from the top of the rock dome

Track-hoe working on the driveway and culvert

Street level view of the driveway, which curves to the left then to the right behind the pile of tree debris