I replaced several sections of board, then caulked any gaps between the boards, and also added a waterproof paint to the new boards. Ultimately these will be covered in house wrap (Tyvek) and siding, so there won’t be any exposure to water, but the paint is just an added protection. And filling the gaps is for weatherproofing/sealing the exterior as best as possible. This helps with interior heating/cooling and also helps keep the bugs and critters out.

Additionally, there was a LOT of rain during the week that the trenches were dug so mud kinda slogged all over the place. This left the property a huge mess and while “curb appeal” isn’t really critical at this point, there is the matter of simply navigating the grounds. So after the area had mostly dried out, we got the grounds cleaned up quite a bit. Further, there were some significant stones unearthed in the process so these were placed strategically around the property. It’s hard to see here, but the footpath from the shed ended with a pretty big step up onto the wood porch. So two of the larger, flatter stones were used to create a couple of steps up from the path to the porch.

Most of the rest of the grounds got covered in gravel to make it easy to manage, especially during the construction phase. Water drains nicely preventing a mud bog, and this gives a decent surface to work from as we determine what to do about the front where the old, rotted wood porch was removed.

Next up? Siding!

One thing I discovered when I got back to the house was the pile of bluestone seen here. All of this was pulled from under the back of the house – it was part of the previous foundation. While it was fairly sturdy, it was definitely not up to code, had sunk about 3/4″ causing the floor to slant, and it wasn’t “closed” so both water and critters could get into the crawl space quite easily.  So all of this was hauled out from under the house. I decided that with so much functional progress, I could take this weekend to do a little beautification work, so I decided to make a bluestone path with these stones. If I’m going to keep the shed clean (for now) having a path will help assure that I’m not walking in mud all the time and tracking it into the shed.

The path runs from the house to the shed along the same path as the electrical conduit, adding another layer of protection that no one will dig there. It then runs from the shed to the street as the shed will mostly be accessed from the street. And, well, it looks good this way! Plus, as seen here, there’s a slope to the shed and the path allowed me to make some “steps” to soften the slope. The result, seen below, isn’t a perfect path, but it’s a start and I’ll either plant some clover or pour pea gravel around the stones in the future, making the path very clean and visually appealing. Besides, it also gave my “partner” somewhere to lay down on the job where she can be nicely framed for the photo!

Because temps the first weekend set a record (101F with 116 Heat Index) and were only marginally better on the other days, I didn’t take a lot of photos. Here’s one photo taken when I started the dig just to get an idea of the distance. Considering that the property is a former blue stone quarry, I got pretty lucky in that only about a 30′ stretch of the 75′ had a lot of stone. That section was, obviously, the hardest – but most of the rest was just soil with a few stones here and there.

This is a totally ridiculous selfie, but I was noting that I was wearing a hat to protect from the sun, a bandana as a headband to catch some of the sweat, along with my prescription eyeglasses. This wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, and I had to take off my muddy gloves frequently to towel off my face and arms from all the sweat. For the most part, I worked in the early morning and the late day to avoid the peak sun. It was still terrible.

Despite my complaining here, I completed this job and got the conduit, the wiring and the water connection laid in the trench, and the trench refilled and covered. After burying the conduit, I placed some blue stone flat along the top of the trench to give an immediate indication to anyone that tries to dig there in the future. I will also be laying a bluestone and pea gravel walkway over this section as, well, a walkway from the house to the shed. However, this path will also both show the location of the conduit and mitigate the likelihood that anyone would ever dig there. The latter just being an added benefit of the former, which is my purpose.

Up next will be actually tying in the electrical sub-panel that I’m putting in the shed.

As I’ve been in no rush regarding any aspect of this project, I wasn’t too concerned about when the shed would be delivered. My only concern around timing was the hope that, after delivery, there’d be enough time before ground freeze to run electrical to the shed. But even that isn’t really a requirement. And, eventually, the shed was completed and delivery scheduled. Arriving on the back of a truck, I like to joke with my neighbors that this photo shows just how small their house is. (Perspective, people!)

Delivery and proper placement of the shed was an interesting process. It’s important that the shed be level and stable or it could shift and leak or compromise the structure. How they do this is pretty impressive, especially so considering the terrain on my property. First, they removed the shed from the truck and that was simple enough. Next they use the really intricate little machine seen here to set it up and maneuver it. This machine is a forklift, tractor, and robot, all in one.

After using the forklift to attach wheels under one side of the shed, the machine itself is attached to the other side and the shed is driven into place. (See the videos below.) Most of this is done with the humans nowhere near the machine – using a remote control to assure safety if anything goes sideways. For the finer adjustments, direct human intervention is needed as seen here.

They took quite sometime making micro-adjustments to the placement until fully satisfied that the shed was level and stable on the pad. I was very impressed with the attention to minute detail and the care that they took in this effort. Once in place, the machine is again used to lift the ends and the wheels that were attached earlier were removed and reattached to the robot.

Finally, after they departed, I added some bluestone flags to the entry section to both complete the look of the shed and to give a solid base for entering and exiting the shed. The whole process was fascinating, and a little terrifying, to watch. Ultimately, though, I’m really happy with the shed and the work they did to get it onto my property. Now I need to do a little interior decorating. LOL!

Here’s how they used the robot to set up the wheels under the shed:

And here’s the actual placement of the shed – note the relatively steep slope at the start:

First, a quick side note…

As previously noted, I’ve been staying with my friends next door when I’m working on the house. They aren’t here this week, but graciously let me use their house once again. Before driving up this morning, they noted that, “there isn’t much booze in the house.” This really isn’t a problem since I’m working all week and will likely be exhausted by the time dinner rolls around. In any case, I arrive to find this on the table with a note reading, “Jared, Finish Me Please!” So much for lack of booze.

After one matter of “day job” work, I got to my efforts on the house.

Today I did get work done, just doesn’t feel like it. I partially loaded a dumpster with demolition debris from the previous efforts and will load that up the rest of the way this week, hopefully completing all notable demolition. Most notably, though, I did “yard work.” Doesn’t seem like this would be a priority, but something you learn as a homeowner – outdoor work needs to be done when it presents itself.

In a previous installment, I highlighted the thorn trees on the property. Today, with most trees (and ground) bare, I was able to identify the remaining trees that I didn’t get to remove last time, so this is now complete. I also removed “regular” thorn bushes and raked leaves from areas where spring flowers are coming up.

The other reason I worry about perceived progress this week is my lack of running water. The well pump needs to be replaced and my other neighbor, Bill, is going to help me with this. After a review this evening, it seems I’ll be doing a lot of digging tomorrow to prep this project. No, I’m not actually digging a well (mine is estimated at 130′ and we’ll get an accurate measure during the effort) but I need to clear out a ditch around the well cap and a trench to follow the water and electrical pipes. More on this as the project takes hold.

OK – Off to bed, then a morning bike ride tomorrow, then Digging In The Dirt.

There’s a group of trees along the front of the property and it turns out there there was a small cluster of the Game of Thorns trees right at the near end of this area. Since we wanted to open this up a little bit, anyway, I (very carefully) removed the five Game of Thorns trees today. It’s fascinating to me that the thorns were about as long as the trees were in diameter. That’s some serious defense plan!

For the record, these are apparently honey locust trees.

Anyway, with a small chainsaw and a set of loppers I was able to remove the five trees and break them down into small enough pieces to tuck them away in a wooded corner of the property. I may want to burn these later as an exorcism of sorts. LOL!

I met one of the sons of the former owner at 8 AM after leaving NYC just after 5 AM and stopping at Home Depot for tools and supplies. After a short chat, I went into the house and was reminded why Tracy thought we were crazy! The house was pretty trashed with lots of debris left lying around, various holes in walls and many unfinished repair projects. However, this was the point – the house has good bones, so we’ll tear down the walls to the studs, rewire, update the plumbing and build out a fresh, new home.

Since the house had been unoccupied for many months, it was pretty musty inside, but worse was “the jungle” outside – so my first task was “weed whacking.” With my trusty new string trimmer I spent about three hours cutting through the growth all around the house – including a few vines that were reaching underneath the exterior shingles and into the house. I was fully covered in jeans, long sleeves and gloves, but I’d later learn that poison ivy still has a way of getting to me!

After the grounds had been tamed and I could navigate the perimeter of the house easily, it was time to head inside. I first changed the locks and then began gather the various junk from around the house for disposal. Several times I looked at the bathroom, really wanting to give it some attention so it would be at least temporarily functional, but I thought that it was a lost cause. Thankfully, our friends next door gave us a key and told us to use their place as needed.

When the Time Warner Cable installation guy arrived, I was well underway to getting things in (general) order. However, I hadn’t yet dared to put the fuses back in the box to enable the electricity since I really didn’t know what to  expect. The electrician had already called to tell me he was running late and I was hoping he’d have helped before TWC arrived. So with the knowledge that Anthony from TWC could call 911 if anything went wrong, I inserted the fuses back into the fuse box. No problem! Electricity restored!

Anthony noted that the house was already wired, but the connection needed to be re-established at the nearest utility pole. He then noted that he had a 28-foot ladder and the pole connection looked much higher than that; but he was able to just reach and make the needed connection. A few keystrokes on each of our smartphones and my modem and router were enabled. Connection to the modern communications world was now established!

By 5 PM the house was “neat,” the jungle tamed, electricity restored and internet established. Not bad for Day One. But when my neighbor Bill saw that I was there he dropped by to ask how things were going. I was proud of what was done, but he suggested we try to get the water running and was very willing to help me.

The plumbing story is a post to itself that I’ll do later!