Here are the latest pics

So they aren't in any kind of order but check out all the pics here.

Footers are done!!!

Okay so the footers are in the ground and rock solid at this point. I was able to get the concrete poured on Friday with the help of Pickard. Its been back filled and we should be ready for post and beams next weekend. It was a little questionable on whether it would get done but at 8:30 on Friday night I poured the last of the footers and I we beat. Big thanks to Dillon for letting me get it all done and taking care of me. I will have pics up tonight. I have a bunch of them.

Footers this weekend

So I think with this dry weather I might be able to actually pour some footers this weekend. I have pretty much got all the dirt moved from the first 6 footers and now am finishing the last 2. Then its time to build the footer forms and level. I am homing that the small amount of water that is in the footers now I can clear out by Friday or Saturday. My latest pump has kind of died, though I have cleaned it and we will give it another shot today. If it is dead then I will have to buy my 3rd pump for this project. I will post pics as I take them. Lots of progress could hopefully be made this weekend.

Pics

Here are the pics from the material in the backyard now.

It needs to stop raining

Wow so we might actually get a week with no rain. I really wanted this to happen over the next two weeks but I am going to try and get my footers poured here on Friday if the rain can hold off. I actually got a number of supplies last Friday which is making me really excited to start making some progress. I got in 42 80lb bags of concrete, 2x10 by 20' beams, 2x10 by 10' beams, 6x6 by 10' posts, post anchors, anchor bolts, and a bunch of hardware. Now if it just holds off on raining till like the beginning of next week I might be able to get the footers in and set for building in June. I will try and get pics of the new material and the tanks up here soon.

Rain Tanks have arrived

So I have my first set of rain tanks finally. They where really easy to assemble and I have made my trench just about right for the width. Now I can focus on digging the trench deeper. I should have some pics up tonight. Other then that I am just waiting for the backyard to dry out and then I can get going on the footers. I have the bases in and they are going to work out great. I think I have come up with a different solution for the pond and rain tank enclosure but will have to think about it some more. I have so much geotextile (weed gaurd) that I can cover the whole yard pretty much. This is actually going to workout great because I think I will do that and then do about an inch of top soil on top of that. Then I am going to plant Creeping Bentgrass which is the grass they use on putting greens. It is shallow rooted and it does well in the shade and can be cut very short obviously. So much to do just now enough time or resources. I will have to start working a bunch of extra shifts with the Nats to make up the difference.

Progress, progress, progress

Wow so I had a very productive Saturday. I basically spent 5 - 6 hours in the backyard digging. I have 5 of the 8 footers now down to 36 inches, which was no small task. I will hopefully in the next couple of weeks be able to dry the footers out and get to pouring concrete though the way things are going it might be awhile with all this rain. I have the concrete, footer base, and footer form all on back order so that when it is dry I will be able to get right to work. I am still drying to decide if I want to get a cement mixer or do it by hand. All in all it is very exciting to be making good progress. I hope to have the material for the first phase of the drainage system in the next week or so. Then I can go ahead and start to get that part taken care of and show progress in that department. Well I have pictures of the footers but haven't uploaded them yet so I will get that done tonight and show those off.