Going Back to Work for a Rest

There are times when we stop for a breather and say to each other "Have we really only been here since June?"   Knowing that winter is coming, and that we have to take full advantage of the time available, it seems like we've been working at this place for a lot longer.  Of course, as those that follow this blog know, we took possession in May 2010, but that first year was made up of a week here, a week there, as our suburban and city life permitted.

The other day we took a break and went for a walk around the grounds.  As we walked we realized that we were actually beginning to make progress.  When Paul was building the shed for the power and fuel storage, he remarked that it felt good to be building something from scratch instead of repairing something.  The house, gardens, and practically every system in the house had been in such a run-down state when we took over ownership, simply because it had stood empty for such a long time.  Everything we've done up to now has been repairing, fixing, tearing out and re-doing, let alone the regular maintenance that has to be done along the way.  With the building of the power house for the oil tanks, it finally seemed like we were getting somewhere.

One of the most important jobs that had to be done before winter was the undergrounding of the water line.  Last winter we had problems with the water line freezing, and although Paul did replace the entire line, it still needed to be buried in order to prevent it from freezing again.  We rented a trencher, which was useless, so we rented a backhoe.  It took a few days to dig a trench, and Paul definitely brushed up on his backhoe operating skills!  Between tree roots and huge rocks, not to mention climbing up the side of a forested mountain, this little backhoe certainly proved itself.



The trench must be deep enough to prevent the water line from freezing.  Paul dug down two feet, which hopefully will do the trick.



There goes another load of earth and roots.  Paul used the "thumb" attachment to move logs and downed trees out of the way.  Did I mention it was hot, humid and buggy?  Note the open cab, and Paul's full-face bug shirt!

After the trench was dug, the water line was dropped in and then came the tricky part: filling it back in again.  One crimp in the line caused by a rock would affect our water supply to the house.  Luckily, Paul managed to fill in the entire trench without causing any reduction in our water pressure.  For maintenance purposes, he marked every joint in the line with a piece of blaze orange cord.  This will make it easy to locate the joints if we ever need to dig up and repair a portion of the line.  A little forward thinking means less headaches in the future!

It wasn't possible to bury the entire 1200 feet of line, but most of it got done.  The rest will be wrapped in special insulation material.  In the meantime, talk about killing two birds with one stone: we now have a two-person wide, cleared trail, with no more fallen trees, trip hazards or huge rocks!



When we take stock of what we've done since June, it makes our head spin.  When Paul was done burying the water line, he went straight back to work on the power house (fuel shed).



He left a good eaves overhang because we get a lot of snow in the highlands.



Plywood sheathing goes up next.



Now that's a strong roof!



Plywood is on the walls and roof, with a coat of Thompson's Water Seal to protect against the elements.  We've got tarps on the roof for now because it was calling for heavy rain - and a good job we did that because for the next couple of days it poured!

Now, remember those sono tubes we'd had installed for the cabin back at the beginning of the summer?  Well, they had sat there through rain, shine and high humidity, and were beginning to rot in the ground.  Paul had been called back to work, and it was obvious that the tubes were not going to last until he got back.  The weather forecast said that heavy rain was imminent, and so we had to make a fast decision.  We called Ideal Concrete at 10 o'clock that morning, and they had a cement truck at our place by 12:30 pm the same day!   The guy was very helpful and we were delighted with their prompt and courteous service.



The cement truck arriving.



Using one of the "bigfoot" foundation bases as a funnel, Paul guides the cement into the tube.  The cement then has to be quickly tamped down using a sturdy piece of wood.  There are twelve of these tubes, three feet deep, and each one has a bigfoot base.



Hopefully we'll have enough cement left over to make this pad for our backup propane tanks.



The 12 sono tubes, each one with a bigfoot foundation, all filled with cement, then fitted with a metal plate.  And yes, we had enough left to do the propane tanks pad!



All done, and covered with plastic against the rain.  And just in time, because that afternoon it poured!

Now we can safely leave the cabin site until the spring, when we can start building!

It was an excellent decision to get the tubes poured that day, and now with this done, the power house framed and sheathed, and the water line buried, we finally feel as though we're making progress.

Aha!  You thought that was the end of this blog, didn't you?  Hold your horses because that's not all.  You know the phrase "it never rains but it pours"?  Well ... we noticed the bridge across the small creek that crosses our road was in a pretty bad state.  Most of the timbers were rotten and very soft, making it dangerous for vehicles, especially heavy ones (like, ahem, cement trucks).  And it just so happened that our neighbours (and the people we bought the house from) were having an open house for their woodlot on Friday and Saturday, with gravel trucks and school buses ... you get the picture.  So, we ordered the wood, got it delivered, and around midday Wednesday, Paul took the Suburban with the trailer down the road and started to dismantle the bridge.



Partially dismantled.  The hardest part of the job was pulling up the big spiked nails, as we needed to use them again.



You can see how rotten these 4 x 4s are.



Our lovely new bridge!  Once again, Thompson's Water Seal got slapped on, and a few shovelfuls of earth and gravel to protect the ends of the top planks.  And there's my husband, making some kind of triumphant gesture or is he giving me the finger I'm not quite sure.



First vehicle across the brand new bridge!



On he goes ... hold your breath ...



Huzzah!

This bridge should last now for a number of years.  It was something that was on our radar, but we really didn't plan on having to get it replaced this quickly.  Nonetheless, it's a good job done and one less thing on our "to do" list.

Having been called back to work, and leaving on Friday, Paul took Thursday off, after announcing "I'm going back to work for a rest."

I'll update soon, with a crop report, and a visit from sixty school kids!