A Grading Problem

I'm at the Association clubhouse this evening.  Ryan, the young guy who works the desk on weekends, has been quizzing me about similarities between the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches.  It's fun to talk about that stuff!  Questions like his are one of the things I miss since retiring.

The lakeside wall, insulated and backfilled.

These are some of the large rocks
which R.J. had to deal with.

I returned from Grand Haven this afternoon to find the basement work done, rigid foam insulation applied to the exterior walls, and voids backfilled.  R.J. said it took longer than usual to backfill because of the large rocks.  These had to be gently lifted into the holes to avoid damaging the insulation and, more importantly, the walls.  Lots of big stones remain on the surface.  These must be removed to create a surface one can walk on safely.

But now we have another problem.  While R.J. knocked about two feet off the ridge which formerly ran north-to-south through the lot, we still have a significant drop from house to garage to street.  The slope is steep enough to create a hazard when snow and ice are underfoot.  Reducing that drop — in effect, raising the grade — would require bringing in hundreds of yards of fill, at considerable expense.  Instead, we will lower the grade about a foot relative to the top of the basement wall.  That will reduce the amount of fill needed, and what fill is required may be available on the property.  Even then, the garage slab will be about four feet below the ground floor of the house.

It's hard to see in this photo, but the land drops about
five feet from the house to the vehicle in the background.

That, in turn, means we'll have one more step up to the front porch — four steps instead of three, with a handrail required by code — and perhaps five steps down from the service porch to the garage.  In addition, grade on the two adjoining lots is about level with the ground floor of the house.  Kyle will have to grade this area to direct rain runoff away from the building.

Kyle (center) and R.J. (right) discuss how to handle runoff
on the north side of the house.

Kyle picked up the white oak that R.J. has had drying in his barn.  Some of this wood will be milled for tongue-and-groove flooring.  A couple of the thicker planks will become the shelving for my bookcases.

The load of white oak on its way to the mill.

Meanwhile, back in Grand Haven, Dave is getting prices on windows from manufacturers other than Anderson. •••