First, The Dirt

The trucks started rolling this week bringing in sandy dirt called Select Fill to raise the level of the foundation.  Our lot slopes gently from the front down towards the lake and any rain water that falls would have to be routed around the house.  The foundation is being raised a few inches in the front of the house which will result in the back being about 30 inches above the native grade.

Jimmy Rash, the subcontractor responsible for preparing the pad, measured the lay of the land and estimated the amount of dirt needed.  He has hired several dump truck operators to haul in sandy dirt from about 20 miles away.

Another crew operating a combination front-end loader and backhoe made quick work of leveling the dirt.  Eventually it will be raised to the appropriate height in preparation for the foundation.

The weather could not have been nicer as we watched the craftsmen plying their trade.  I am fascinated at how skilled they are, maneuvering around the site.  Much of their equipment is quite worn.  The ball joints of the front-end loader were worn out as evidenced by the play in its front wheels.  A couple of the dump trucks had broken down the day before putting the hauling operation a little behind schedule. Still the laborers were diligent in their efforts, making do with what they had.  In this photo Dusty and I are trying to stay out of the way while the real work is going on.

Finally, for a note about things to come:  Brenda and I selected a spot under a group of trees near the front of the lot where we will be collecting a photo each day we visit.  We set up a tripod and chose a series of targets on which to align the camera.  Hopefully, each photo will be from approximately the same Point Of View.  If all goes as planned, when the construction is completed we will have a series of photos we can combine to generate a time-laped short video showing the house springing forth from the landscape.  At least, that's the plan.  Here are a couple of photos for example: