Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Me And My Walls

If this was the trench for the main sewer line coming out of the cozy cabin, my life would be so easy. But it's not. That is the trench for a drain line that will collect water that falls off of the roof and a bit off the drive and take it down the hill.



The main sewer line has to go into the turd box at the end farthest from the cabin, the blue circle thing in the left foreground. It turns out my turd box was not to high after all. There is enough of a drop to have gravity slide things on in there. The problem was my sewer line would be suspended in the air for a good part of the run to the turd box. Not good at all.



The solution is a store bought, dry stack, block retaining wall that will allow me to raise the grade of the soil and bury my sewer line like a normal sewer line. It's just on this slope one wall wasn't enough. In order to be able to get down to the basement patio from the back kitchen door a bit more terracing will be needed.

The footings for two retaining walls and the trench for one drain line are being cut into the slope.



I am practiced at this now. The drain line is in and buried below the footings of both walls. The packed gravel base for the lower wall is done. Landscape fabric covers the slope to prevent soil from moving into the wall.

The lower, shorter in length wall will be another dry stacked wall of the native rock podge stones found and gathered on site.



The upper wall will be the store bought block with a rough textured face and in a color close to the dirt and the native stones. It will run all the way to the inlet of the turd box and step down from six blocks high at the back steps to three at the far end.

I bet the store bought block wall will go up pretty fast. I won't have to play with the blocks and make them fit like an intricate zen puzzle. They just stack a set way.



But the lower dry stack wall made from the rock podge of stones found on site needs to reach a certain height first so that I can safely compact the base for the footing of the store bought block wall. I will need to fetch plenty more stone from hither and yon.



And when all them new walls is done, I can bury my sewer line for its journey to the turd box and build the steps off the back stoop and whatever kind stairs and steps that will be needed to get to the basement patio.

This new wing of walls will be balanced out on the front of the cabin. I decided a while back I will be needing another retaining wall for what will be the garden bed off of the front porch. I may need to start digging more holes so I can find more rocks.

Maybe one day we will be ready for the plumbing, mechanical and recheck of the electrical inspection that will allow the process of insulation and dry wall to commence. Of course now that both porch roofs are done I can continue with the siding. It would be nice to get that done. Then I could paint the cozy cabin.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, complications, complications! It's a good thing as you say, that you are "practiced now". Just keep your eyes fixed on that future day when you are going to move in!

bev

lisa said...

Wow...you have a busy summer ahead of you! At least things weren't too far advanced when this situation arose. Plus it helps that you are such a pro at the wall stacking, it will be a breeze! :)

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I got stuck at the rock "podge". I haven't seen that word before. I tried looking it up in the dictionary and couldn't find it. Podge. Hmmmm Is that a word you made up for the rocks you find around your property??

It will looks so intersting around the Cozy Cabin with all the terraces, steps etc.

Christopher C. NC said...

Yes this qualifies as a complication Bev. If the turd box had been 18 inches lower which it could have been from the fall we found on the drain line, my sewer line could have just been dropped and buried.

Hi Lisa, a busy summer indeed. Besides the cabin and my own baby garden, I now have four clients with five gardens to tend as well. You could even consider the regular assistance given to the resident gardeners garden as another client.

Lisa GB, the rock podge comes from hodge podge. Yes I am playing with the language.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Of course you were you clever rascal.