Goldilocks construction, part 1

One cloudy, frigid morning, Goldilocks skipped up to the construction site and gazed at the earth. She jumped up and down, trying to make even a small dent in the soil, but made nary a footprint.

"This ground is too hard!" she exclaimed, then broke off an icicle and skipped away. On her way down the drive, Goldilocks slipped on some ice and fell. Mother would not be pleased with the rip in her new wool stockings!

Mother made Goldilocks stay inside the next day and darn her stockings.

The next morning, Goldilocks carefully picked her way through the puddles to the construction site and gazed at the mud.



"This ground is too soft!" she exclaimed, and sloshed away. By the time she got home her shoes, stockings, and even the hem of her skirt were covered in gooey mud. Mother was not happy about that!

Mother made Goldilocks stay inside and wash her shoes, stockings, and dress. It took a few days weeks for everything to dry out.

(To be continued...)

Breaking ground

First you need the heavy equipment. It can be done with a shovel, but we want to finish before Duncan is ready for college. So! February 5, 2007, it began. The snow and ice had to be shoveled and melted away first, then the hidden sewer line had to be dug up and unplugged.


Apparently that was the easy part. The tough part was what to do with all that water once the temperature hit 50 degrees and the ground started thawing. Dennis (Gunn Construction) worked with the heavy equipment to square off the walls, my dad shoveled snow from the back yard so it wouldn't melt and run into the construction site, and my mom swept away the water - with a broom! Let's just say, the driveway - and pretty much everything else - is now covered in mud.

First things

This is from an email my mom sent to all us kids:

So far the main things getting done on the new house are being done by Dad and me. This is sooooo sloooow. With some help from Hunter, Sylvia and Rob we have shoveled all the snow from the basement, and Dad rented a jack hammer and removed the remaining concrete floor in the corners by the porch. Dad and I spent several hours this morning chipping out the ice where the ground has thawed and puddles had formed. Tomorrow we will go and find where the cleanout opening is in the driveway for the sewer for our contractor. (Not to put him in, but so he can hook into the sewer as they put in the foundation and hook up the sewer again.) But we did find out that the insurance will pay for the storage units through April, just like they are doing for the rent. When May comes we will have to empty at least three of the storage units to be able to afford to live and pay rent on them and the house also.

I am putting up a sign in front of the house which says:

WATCH THE LAIRD WAY PHOENIX RISE FROM THE ASHES

Now we just have to make it rise.

Let the building begin!

We have a contractor! Dennis Gunn of Gunn Construction has agreed to build the house, and has pulled the permit from the city. He is getting people and things lined up, and will start as soon as the weather permits.