Spring 2012 update, finally!

OK, I admit I am a lazy bonehead, but until fairly recently the progress being made on the project had so little to show for it that I was too depressed to make the effort to figure out how to do it using Ubuntu (my OS of choice now). Today I made the effort to figure out how to batch resize images (actually quite trivial, like so many other things on Linux, once the learning curve has been bored through).

This time we got a few videos, mostly of the concrete pours. You can view them individually here:

Our initial pour (6 sec)
Repositioning the boom (3 sec)
Looking at one of the footers (5 sec)
Second pour, pumper getting ready for placement (42 sec)
Pumper truck starting to positon boom (16 sec)
Pumper completing positioning of the boom (67 sec)
Begining the second pour for the pool footers (30 sec)
A closer look at me pouring one of the pool footers (15 sec)
A look around as we wait for next truck of concrete (28 sec)
Final concrete pour (44 sec)
Installing a post with the backhoe as crane. (102 sec)

Alternatively, you can view all the videos I have uploaded by going http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mitakeet

Since I have a lot of images backed up, I broke up this page so it should load faster. This page mostly has overviews of the construction taken at various points in time, the links below are some particular elements grouped together...

Working on the pool, which we nicknamed the muddy pit: pitwork.html
Yes, we worked right through the winter, here is some evidence: workingInSnow.html
Long extensive work excavating the holes for the concrete: footers.html
We poured the concrete in two sections: concrete.html
Finally getting something visible, the pavilion is starting to take shape: pavilion.html
After finally getting the posts around the pool, we marked the water level and have some pictures to give scale: poolWithScale.html
During some periods when we couldn't work on the pit, we worked on the trench for access to the well water: trench.html
Some odds and ends pictures: misc.html

Here are a series of overall pictures showing the site. A lot of the greenhouse and pavilion area were straightforward, though I am incompetent at excavating flat surfaces so it all looks great due to Wade's efforts.

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Here is a shot showing the insulation we had to use to keep the holes from freezing. While overall it was a warm winter, there were plenty of cold periods and we got into the teens several times.
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We had lots of water issues! Even though I put in a sump pump at the deep end of the pool, that didn't help the footer holes.
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Don is helping me move a form to test fit it in the excavation.
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We didn't want to put the forms into the holes too soon as I didn't want them to start deteriorating. For the most part they went in fairly painlessly, though getting them out turned out to be another thing entirely. The next project we will just use the dirt as the form. Wade is so skilled at excavating that he can probably make the holes perfect anyway.
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My original plan for holding the forms together was to drill holes and put a 1/2 inch rebar through them, but several people though that deck screws would be fine. I decided to put in two and they worked fine. Getting them out, though, was another thing as I hadn't figured on getting the appropriate angle while still in the hole. In nearly all cases we wound up cutting one side off to get them out. Initially we thought to save the forms, but ultimatley decided to torch them as even outside the hole most were impossible to take apart.
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More proof that Don did occasionally help out...
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With the footers poured and forms removed we had to backfill to keep the bottoms of the holes from freezing. The side benefit was now we didn't have to walk on the dirt/mud any longer. Here are the first couple of posts we got put up. As mentioned in the pavilion page, they were mostly straightforward to install.
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A few shots with the posts all up in the greenhouse and pavilion area.
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Here is a shot of the pool footers all prepped and ready to go.
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The inspector checking out our holes.
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Eliz insisted on taking a picture of the inspector. He wasn't so excited about the idea, but good naturedly went along.
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Here we have all the posts in. You can see this is late spring, the grass is nice and green and the flowers are in full bloom.
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