Beware the Ides of March

What a day!  This was day 2 of the BIG DIG.  We met our excavator, Brian Freethy at 8:00 am and after 200 more litres if diesel and a quick warm up the Komatsu was ready for another day of work.  Through the day we were faced with snow flakes as big as saucers, hail, sideways sleet and sun.  By 4:00 pm, although we were frozen and exhausted, the main house excavation is now dug to a depth of 5' below grade and the shop/garage excavation is roughed out and has a drainage pipe hooked up and working.

BIG DIG!

Two exciting days on the project.  Yesterday our power pole was installed so now we are just waiting for BC Hydro to hook us up and we'll have electricity on the site!  Today Brian Freethy arrived with his excavator and began digging the two excavation holes for shop/garage and house just after 8:00am.  A little later in the day his business partner Ashley arrived in a backhoe and helped move the dirt coming out of the excavation and located it out of the way in low spots on the property:

Getting ready for Power and Excavation

Finally, on March 8, the snow gone, we could re-stake the house and shop locations getting ready for the excavation to happen.  The other job was to get a few trees out so the power pole could be located.  No sooner had we got started cutting the trees and cleaning up and a hailstorm started!

Snow and more Snow

When we were going up to Comox on Christmas eve to visit our two brothers and their families, we stopped by the property in a blizzard to feed Gimpi and couldn't get into the property because there were a couple of feet of snow on the road going in and only a single plow width going in.  These pictures were taken on Valentine's day and the snow was still lingering 6 weeks later.

Septic Field installed

One of the least exciting, but most necessary steps in the preparation-for-building aspect was to get the septic field put in.  Sean from Aardvark Excavating looked after getting it all installed and even charged us the amount he quoted two years previously, even though there have been all kinds of rule changes in the septic world that have made electric pumps necessary when they hadn't been previously.

Acquiring Wood for the House Project Fall 2007

We heard through a former student about some really nice Fir that was for sale.  We purchased it ( about 4000 board feet), loaded it up and moved it to the property all on the same day.  Ask us how tired our arms and shoulders were that evening!

Gimpi

Late in the summer of 2006, we noticed that one of that spring's fawns was not looking very well and had either been born with a damaged rear leg or it had been injured early in life.  We started feeding it dairy mash (a mix of pellets, corn and molases) every weekend that we went up and it not only thrived, but now comes running whenever it hears us drive in.  Our friend Roger Burgess gave us a box of windfall apples from Keating Farm that were doled out a few at a time through the whole winter.

Drilling the Well Summer 2007

Once we had the septic perked to see where it had to be located we were able to get the well drilled.  On the hottest two days that summer, our well drillers worked away finally getting an excellent flow of water (15 gallons/minute) at a depth of 312 feet.  The first 120 feet was made of the glacial remains, mostly the cobbles that give Cobble Hill it's name.  The final 200 feet,  was solid limestone which is in the same band as the one that runs through Butchart Gardens and the old Bamberton cement works.

Adding a Dormer to the Sleeping Loft Summer 2006

It was a bit cold camping in an unheated shack so we got a small wood stove from Karen's brother, Dave.  We installed it one afternoon, stoked it up and spent a night in our sleeping loft - sauna.  It must have been 45 degrees there.  So the following sumer we added a dormer which has made the loft much more comfortable!

Building a Camping shack and Outhouse Summer 2005

Once we had camped at the property a few times we decided we should build some kind of shelter to sleep in and an outhouse, as well.  We chose a spot in the trees for our little 8' x 12' shack a little ways away from where the house and garage-workshop would eventually be built.  

This whole project started in 2004 when we bought 2 acres in Cobble Hill, BC and began planning the house and workshop-garage we would eventually build.  At the same time I started a great payroll deduction program at Camosun College where I work.  The idea with it is you work for 20% less pay for five years and you can take the sixth year off, with pay!  So began our dream of designing and building a "big workshop and garage with a small house attached", as Karen puts it.