Trench Warfare

Power trench in the foreground, septic trench in
the background, propane trench to the left

Our building site now looks like a front line during World War I, with trenches criss-crossing all four sides of the house.

After a week's delay caused by the need for equipment repair and work on another building site, the excavator arrived early this morning with his CAT backhoe to dig trenches for power, water, propane, and septic. Since the foundation was dug in July, we've had a large mound on the north side of the house which I've dubbed Mt. Dirt. Today, there's a whole range of mounds flanking a warren of trenches, some filled, some not. The septic tank is in, but not yet buried. That's probably - no definitely - the least glamorous part of the project, but I can see it coming in handy within days. The black drainfield piping is in, but exposed, and the outfall line is only partially laid. The power trench is empty, as are the water and gas line trenches. I suspect that tomorrow the excavator will drive up his bulldozer, lay the rest of the septic line and the power conduit, and bury them and the tank. The propane line will go in when the tank is delivered, probably next week, and the water line will be installed along with the well pump.

Drainfield pipe end

1,000 gal. capacity should go a long way

Bosch dishwasher awaits its first load
(and toe kick)

The plumber's been busy this week, installing toilets, the pedestal sink in the downstairs bathroom, and the dishwasher (which I'm really looking forward to after washing up by hand these past three years). The finish carpenter has installed all of the downstairs baseboards and toe kicks, as well as the corbels supporting the granite kitchen island and the front door latch (which will have to be removed before painting on Tuesday).






For now, there's limited access to the house site. We can go up the driveway, but not across the "front yard."  Or, we can go across the upper meadow and up a steep trail to the garage, with no room to turn around. But, tomorrow morning, I'll be up there early to start cleaning the wood floors so debris doesn't become ground into the pre-engineered finish.

Corbels supporting granite island counter

Front door latch fits our
Arts & Crafts style

Karen's bathroom counter is "Rainforest Brown"
Indian marble

Next week should mark completion of the electrical, plumbing, painting, and finish carpentry work. When all the workmen have cleared out, I'll install wood flooring over the stair treads and landing. That should get us our county occupancy permit. Then, the contractor has only to finish touch-up and cleaning, and we can start moving in.