Final Grade

During the design phase I decided not to install air conditioning.  Even when downstate temperatures are blistering, it's usually much cooler this far north and this close to Lake Huron.  During a normal summer there are only 2-3 brief periods when air conditioning would be needed.  However, 2011 is not producing a normal summer, and I confess I regret that decision.  Air conditioning would be very helpful today, because the 5:00 temperature outside was 89 degrees, and the inside temp was 91.  Even a pleasant breeze off Lake Huron didn't help that much... but a plunge in Lake Esau certainly did!

R.J. and his helper Bob showed up a little after 9:00 to install the egress window well, spread topsoil to establish the final grade, and resurface the driveway.  First, R.J. used his backhoe to carefully excavate the pit at the basement egress window.  Then we loaded the steel window well into the backhoe's bucket, and Bob held it in place as R.J. drove it to the lake side of the house.  Before long the well was down in the hole, bolted to the building, and backfilled.

Bob directs R.J. as he scrapes dirt and bowling ball-sized
rocks from the egress window well pit.

The corrugated steel window well rides to its new home
in the backhoe's bucket — with Bob holding it in place!

R.J. (left) drills a hole for one of the bolts which secure the
well to the building, while Bob holds the unit in place.

The window well is backfilled.  Surrounded mostly by rock,
it's not going anywhere!

The finished window well.  A ladder will make escape from
a fire easier, and a cover will keep the well snow-free.

When that job was completed, R.J. dumped his load of topsoil and began spreading it around the house with his bulldozer.  R.J. is an artist with heavy equipment.  It's amazing how smooth he can make a layer of dirt.

Part of the load of topsoil went to the street side of the
house, and the rest to the south and west sides.

R.J. distributes and levels topsoil on the lake side.
Because of the excavation, I have a lot more rocks to rake!

While R.J. ran the dozer back and forth, Bob and I smoothed out the topsoil along the house walls and at the entrances.  This was hot work, in a broiling sun much of the time.  By 1:00 I was bushed, and Bob had to leave for a medical appointment.

Once the topsoil was spread, R.J. drove to the LaFarge plant south of Lake Esau and returned with a load of limestone "cinder."  This is a byproduct of LaFarge's limestone quarrying operation and is widely used in this area as a driveway surfacing material.  It starts out dry, light and fluffy, a bit like flour.  However, once it has been spread, compacted by vehicular traffic, and dampened by rain, it solidifies into something like concrete.

The load of cinder is dumped in the driveway.

It took R.J. about 45 minutes to spread the cinder over the
driveway, enlarging the back-up area and correcting the
slope for rain runoff.

Establishing the final grade was the next-to-last item on the building inspector's list.  All that remains now is the parging. •••