As a defense attorney, I am advising Brent to invoke his right to remain silent. There’s generally no statute of limitations on capital offenses, so… let’s not help the authorities out.
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This better be a fixed bid job. cost plus or T&M and this thing will turn into a money pit. ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
Especially with all these change orders Berserkers are throwing at me.
Progress report: I hired some laborers to finish up the hole and get to where the excavator couldn’t. Square the walls, floor and help trench for a drain. The unsung heroes! These three worked hard for a solid 5hrs with a homemade lunch in between.
Next I get bids on concrete work.
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Just reading this thread, and looking forward to watching the updates!
If it were me, my primary concern would be moisture ingress. We’re into year 2 of a major drought, so don’t let the dry soil fool you.
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Holy Shi!t. That is amazing. Moving fast. Counting down to when I can see it…
Brian has seen droughts and he’s seen floods. I think he’s good on the ingress thing.
Never thought I’d see a Tony Pro reference on a wine forum!
you may as well add the tunnel over to your house now
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Wow!
That looks excellent. I’m impressed Brian!
can’t wait to follow your continued progress, fascinating project!
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Okay, birthday party over, get back to work. We’re all waiting…
I know, right? at the rate he was working, I expect it to be pretty much done by now 
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Rough crowd here. I spent part of Saturday and all of Sunday working in the dirt. I made sure my trench for the drainage pipe was properly sloped, ran the pipe, tied into my existing gray water drain and buried the bitch.
That was the easy part. Then came the real manual labor. Digging the footings for the concrete walls and the stairs. Digging bar, pick axe, shovel, running the wheel barrow uphill on soft pack to dump. I’m what you would call fat and out of shape so this was no small task. Multiple rest breaks, lots of water, the brim of my ball cap was dripping with sweat. But somehow I managed to get it done without having to call 9-1-1. Once I made it all the way around I found that my opening for the staircase and entry was a bit too narrow. Measured out at 52”. Doing the math of 2 8” concrete walls and a 36” door I knew I needed a bit more room. So I grabbed the digging bar and took 6” off each wall. 50” high, 6’ deep. Hopefully I don’t need to go deeper because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to grasp onto something tightly ever again. Then I went around with the laser level to be sure my footings were deep enough. Of course not. More pick axe and shoveling in part rock. Ugh. Anyhow, I got it all done for now. Tomorrow I’ll dig for the trench drain inside the cellar and start prepping for concrete. Been two weeks since the concrete guy came out and I still don’t have a quote. Sucks having to rely on others. If I ever have to swing a pick axe again it will be too soon.
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Damn impressive work so far Brian. Looking forward to seeing the end results. Given your current progress, it shouldn’t be far away
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If it doesn’t kill me first. ![[swoon.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f425e8dac3e7344bee264da02e55428971be23a9.gif "swoon"){kind=small}
Thanks.
“Getting my dirt outta Boss Kean’s ditch, boss”
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Dry fit the french drain, connected the trench drain. I removed fill soil around drain pipe and am going to refill with road base and compact between the 4x4s to set a nice base for the concrete and stairs. That fill was going to settle and fu¢k everything up. I need a concrete guy.
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Amazing.
That is exactly how I would do it myself as well, except for all the doing it myself. Respect.
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I want to be the first to spit into the drain. I practiced at Kendric on Saturday, my skills were kind of rusty, but Stew was really cool about it.
Brother, we are getting too old for this. Make it your last DIY project of magnitude, and retire to making wooden toys for your grandkids. You’ve earned it.
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