Saturday, December 2, 2017

The Homestead

Looking East from the highway
Time for another update on the buildings. 

First of all, we are calling the place The Homestead.  Originally, there was a homestead on the land, just West of the buildings.  It included the normal homestead/farm structures like a dugout, windmill, shelter for pigs, and much more that time and wear has deteriorated.   
 

In amongst Thanksgiving, boarding pets, and keeping up with the ranch, we've been doing a bunch of work at The Homestead. 

1.  We have electricity!  The first time I got to see the classrooms and bathrooms with lights was the best.  And, since we have lights now, I've been able to vacuum and sweep and clean up a bit.
2.  We have water!  It's hooked up to both buildings and most of the lines are in the ground and covered/or mostly ready to be covered.  We still need to install the hydrants.
3.  The septic system is on the way!
4.  The propane tank is set, as of today. 

Since the last post, we got the ramps and decks moved.  (Both buildings came with a deck and ramp.)  Because I'll have dogs coming and going in the front and back of the boarding building, we put both ramps and one deck on it.  Eventually, we'll put in a back door.

Back of the boarding building
Front of the boarding building
The concrete men finished closing off the ends of the foundation. 

 
Front of the house
Back and side of the house
Back of boarding building

A kind neighbor is letting us borrow his ditcher and it has been a blessing considering how much we have to dig and as hard as the ground is.   

Water line going in
 
In the picture below, the water line goes under the foundation, up, and into the house.  Like I said, the ground there is super hard, so Dad was running through ideas on how to get the water line in.  One night, it came to him. 

When we kids were little, he'd show us how hydraulic pressure works with a water hose.  He'd press the hose to the ground and the pressure from the water would make way for the hose to go deep into the ground and make a hole.  That concept made it possible to get the water line into the house, under the foundation.  He attached a garden hose to a pvc pipe and pushed it through, making the hole we needed.  It worked like a charm!     
 

 
 
 
Until next time, here's a beautiful sunset at the Homestead.