4.25.2015

This was an exciting day because after quite a bit of time spent digging trenches - we started filling them up!  The goal for the day was to be able to fill in over the driveway so we could get the truck back to the carriage house.  That will allow us to get the welder back and be able to move on to deck work.

So...first off, sand.  Jim used the Bobcat to dump the sand in, and we made sure it was all nestled around the pipe.

Because of the brutal cold temperatures we've experienced since we've been here the last two winters, Jim wanted to make sure that the pipes didn't freeze - these aren't that far down.  While they aren't water lines, we still want to protect them as much as possible.

So Jim decided to use some of our sheet insulation that we used to keep our footers cozy this winter over the pipes.  We had to carry the saw over from the truck so Jim could plug it in and use it to cut the foam board.

We first cut small narrow strips and put them in this area because the pipe is kind of close to the side of the trench - this will keep a little layer of insulation between the dirt and the pipe.

Then more sand over that...

After we had a good first layer of sand down, Jim brought the compactor back and compacted everything. 

Then we started laying the cut sheets of foam on top of the nicely-compacted sand.

Insulation is all down over the driveway area...

Then another layer of sand on top of the foam board.

Of course some hand shoveling is required...

Unfortunately, over the winter we had a few cave-ins around the pipe area where we had stopped backfilling.  So Jim shoveled all that dirt away from around the pipes.

Then we started extending the electric conduit through the trench.  This will allow us to have electricity eventually on the other side of the driveway.  We hope to put a timber-frame barn in at some point to house some of the equipment and keep them out of the elements.

Electric conduit is all complete past the driveway area...

More sand then had to be put around the electric conduit.

This is a good cross-section view of the underground utilities and all the layers in the trench.

Time for the last layer - dirt!  We had to be very careful and make sure no rocks were close to the pipes.  Jim used dirt that he had pulled a lot of rocks out but there are always rocks in the dirt!

Building up layers of dirt and then grading it off...

The trench is gone!

After it was all filled in, Jim used the compactor again to compact the dirt and all the layers.

Then it was time for some flattening out ...

For the first time since last year, the Bobcat was now able to be on the other side of the trench!  So we decided to spend a little time cleaning up.  We had pulled out lots of rocks and had various piles located around the site and even some down the driveway.  It just makes the site look so much better to have things cleaned up!

 

Mission accomplished - the truck is now in place next to the carriage house! 

 

 

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