House Projects Anyone?

Here's the reason I haven't been blogging as much as I would like. Hopefully things will slow down soon.

One of the first thiugs we did this summer in our back yard was to remove the shrubery against our house in preperation for the foundation to be leveled. We didn't want to waste one little evergreen tree so we transplanted it.

Here my dad and uncle are taking it out of it's original spot behind the house.


em>Here they transplanted it along the area we prepared to seperate the new driveway (parking lot) we were going to put in.

My dad and uncle moved our shed to make room for the driveway as well.

On the move...<


Some Nephews were delivered to help gather all the tree limbs after we had our huge cottonwood tree trimmed. Dad got alot of fire wood out of the large limbs.


Kids will be kids as one takes a break and a ride.


It takes a team to get the job done when you have a pile of interwoven branches.


Just a note: These boys were donating their time to help us because their parents are teaching them that it is a good thing to help others and not get paid for it. They are learning a sense of community and did a great job that day. Since they are all cousins it was a wonderful time for them to do something as a team and spend time and comradere with each other.


Whew, that load is done and we are all proud of our efforts.


Well, once in awhile we did take a break. Msriah loved riding grandpa's new 4 wheeler with him.


Ethan loves sitting on Grandpa's riding lawn mower.


Evan was 'king' of the pile. Get it? ha.


We created a rock and bush barrier between the new driveway and the rest of the yard. My dad, uncle and husband worked diligently to do MY bidding. :)


My uncle liked things to be just so.



My husband built a beautiful border around my wishing well. My uncle built that for me several years ago. Shortly after we planted flowers in the outer border and in some planters.



Greatgrandpa and Ethan ride the rented tractor. He rattled a continuous flow of questions about how it worked.


Greatgrandpa and Evan ride and Evan's rapt attention was unbroken as he watched the shovel go up and down.


My dad uses his own invented and self built tractor to smooth out the road base we had dumped in the new driveway.


Then, the much awaited major project, the foundation lifting began. After the trench was dug all the way around the house they began to drill down with the hellical piers to the depth that gave enough 'torque' to hold the weight of the house. It became a challange when they had to go deeper than the 10-11 feet they expected and had to go down 29 1/12 feet deep to create enough torque. We live on top of clay on a hill no less so the house was sliding down on one end.



Finally the trench was filled all around. And yeah, instead of sleeping with my head down like a bat and leaning to the side and losing my balance as I walk beside my bed I can walk straight and sleep upright.



Whew are you as tired of reading/seeing all of this as I was doing it? Guess what?: We're not done yet. Because of the raising of the foundation there is alot of spaces, etc. throughout the house that need to be mended. ie: we had to have the water heater replaced due to major leaking suddenly. The heater fan won't shut off now and we are getting a new one next week. The showers have spaces in the caulking and walss etc. Plumbing pipes (a few are stretched and need replaced) the downstairs fireplace mantel fell off with a few bricks to boot, and the front door kinked up and we had to straighted out the door frame and level it again and I had to repaint the trin, etc. Need I go on?

Well, what's been going on at your house this summer/fall?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Do today whether you want to or not cause tomorrow will hold much more to do." RJM

Enjoy your gift of a day!