Construction --May

May 2

Wwe brought the office over. It barely fit on the tractor, had inches to spare on the barge, and almost got stuck getting up the hill. We used the bulldozer to level it, and eventually put stairs on the front. Inside is a small office and a tool storage area.

On another barge, we brought over Shane and his large excavator. So much for the small, quiet island.

May 6

Since the island currently has no spot flat enough for a tent, we built this platform out of 2x6’s. Andy and Steve helped Ben build this very sturdy platform in an afternoon. Andy still believes it isn’t strong enough, but so far, so good.

Eventually, we will need another platform. With all the guests that show up, we need some place to put them.

May 24

The hole for the cistern is almost finished, and instead of hauling dirt off the island, we decided to make a retaining wall on the east side of the meadow and enlarge it.

May 24

The hole for the cistern is finished and the forms for the foundation are being made. Because it is a cistern, Rolf wants to pour all the concrete in a single pour, making is less likely to crack and leak. To do this, Rolf wants a batch plant on the island, everything set and done, and everyone available to help. The 33,000 gallon cistern will take about 65 yards of concrete.

May 24

With the cistern finished, Shane started building B1 and B2, the two local roads. In one day, he organized 4 barges, each with 2 dump truck loads of gravel, and a roller. The next day we had a road, packed gravel, rather solid, and not muddy.

May 25

Broke ground on the house. No one really knew it would happen, Shane just started digging. We spent hours the previous day aligning the house with a crooked tree. Not the easiest thing to do. And trying to get the house as far north as possible without taking any more trees.