Sagebrush & Solar

As with most of our projects, I have a lot more respect for those who specialize in certain crafts — such as concrete work.

The amount of work that goes into building up material, leveling it and compressing it is surprising. And that’s just to PREP the surface! That doesn’t count building a form, pouring concrete and leveling it out.

We had to order more pit run and road mix in order to build up material in the garage. This involved dirt movement and compression. We had to build up the material by about 12-14 inches — this will allow us to pour 4 inches of concrete and hit the spot we need to.

Keith’s parents came to town to visit and help out with the garage prep. This was awesome, because while Keith ran the Skidsteer, Keith’s dad was able to level out and compress material.

Our concrete subcontractor poured our garage on Friday and it looks great. It’s amazing how different it feels after filling it with 12+ inches of material — we can actually see out of the windows now.

We are in a bit of a holding pattern now. We just got back from a family vacation this week, and the holiday slowed our subcontractors down a bit (understandable). We’re waiting for our front awning to be constructed and fascia installed before we can move forward on roof work. Keith’s friend Cam is coming to town this week to help shingle.

The pressure is on, because my dad leaves for his real job in August. We’ll need to either hire out and work overtime to pay for projects or learn how to do things ourselves (without his expertise) once he’s gone. The reality that we’ve come to terms with and accept is that it’s very possible we won’t be finished until spring — and that’s okay! We have a lot to accomplish, and this will be our home for at least the next 20-30 years. Another 8 months of apartment living is a drop in the bucket.