Planning the dig
By the time I got outside to dig today it was too hot to do much, so I did some needed moving stuff around. I identified a stack of movie poster books I could donate away (duplicates), the yearbooks were placed higher on the library shelves in the living room and I filled the magazine holders in the living room with those stacked up in our bedroom.
Marisa had already gone out for another ceremony and then back before she had to leave once again, this time for a burlesque "kittening" volunteer job.
After lunch (another spaghetti-Fringe event), I did a little digging to mark the basic U for the retaining wall. It was still too hot. Marisa said it was 95 degrees fahrenheit.
I learned that the U is 88 inches from the tree trunk to the 16 inch line, so I will make the basic circumference 18 inches on the west side of the U, which brings the retaining wall to about 4 inches from the walkway, which is just what I had hoped.
The east side of the U will be a little tighter, gradually moving from 88 inches to 76 inches. This leaves 32 inches for a planned walkway around the house that skirts the window wells.
I figure I will need at least 10 half-cubic feet of gravel and the same amount of sand (they are sold in half-cubic feet bags). I can't go wrong with 15 of each, which is about $150 ($5 a bag). I would rather have too much than too little as I can use the other bags for other projects.
Also will need plastic slotted drainage along the base to lead to the bottom of the U where any excess water will drain through into the triangular area between the sidewalk and the walkway. In addition to about 25 feet of that pipe I will need a t-junction, a grated outlet drain and a little extra pipe. I can also use this drainage to take any excess away from the fence line, as I will end up with a walkway around the house lower than where the ground level is now (to meet the original window wells). To meet the slope requirements away from the house need to have drainage against the fence much lower than where the bottom of the fence is today.
Anyway, digging should be easy once I have uninterrupted time and cooler temperatures, which should be this Thursday, July 4.
Until then I won't have a lot to do besides learn about tree roots and pay some bills, fix some dinner (more left-overs), iron some shirts and watch a movie.
The 2nd night of fireworks has just begun. :(
Marisa had already gone out for another ceremony and then back before she had to leave once again, this time for a burlesque "kittening" volunteer job.
After lunch (another spaghetti-Fringe event), I did a little digging to mark the basic U for the retaining wall. It was still too hot. Marisa said it was 95 degrees fahrenheit.
I learned that the U is 88 inches from the tree trunk to the 16 inch line, so I will make the basic circumference 18 inches on the west side of the U, which brings the retaining wall to about 4 inches from the walkway, which is just what I had hoped.
The east side of the U will be a little tighter, gradually moving from 88 inches to 76 inches. This leaves 32 inches for a planned walkway around the house that skirts the window wells.
I figure I will need at least 10 half-cubic feet of gravel and the same amount of sand (they are sold in half-cubic feet bags). I can't go wrong with 15 of each, which is about $150 ($5 a bag). I would rather have too much than too little as I can use the other bags for other projects.
Also will need plastic slotted drainage along the base to lead to the bottom of the U where any excess water will drain through into the triangular area between the sidewalk and the walkway. In addition to about 25 feet of that pipe I will need a t-junction, a grated outlet drain and a little extra pipe. I can also use this drainage to take any excess away from the fence line, as I will end up with a walkway around the house lower than where the ground level is now (to meet the original window wells). To meet the slope requirements away from the house need to have drainage against the fence much lower than where the bottom of the fence is today.
Anyway, digging should be easy once I have uninterrupted time and cooler temperatures, which should be this Thursday, July 4.
Until then I won't have a lot to do besides learn about tree roots and pay some bills, fix some dinner (more left-overs), iron some shirts and watch a movie.
The 2nd night of fireworks has just begun. :(