Enjoying the grandparents’ pond next door
Catching fish while swimming with them.
Installing the septic tank
Laying down layers of rigid foam
Site overview on foam installation day.
The foam is brilliant white from the clear sun, making it hard to see inside the foundation.
Hand saw through 5 3/8″ EPS.
Fitting the 5 3/8″ x 4′ x16′ blocks.
South end corner foam installation detail.
The revealed square of concrete will be filled up to level with the top slab concrete pour. It will support a structural column inside the house.
Lily testing our foam insulation
Color coding against backfill
Turquoise = spray coat waterproofing Rub-R-Wall. Dark gray = 10″ blocks of dark gray Neopor. Pink = vertical strips of pink XPS blocking the seams, board and batten style.
Order of backfill around the foundation
Course stone over the footing drain, followed by landscape fabric and gravel.
Poking out from under
These five conduits extend under the footing and emerge in the utility room. Going under the footing avoids piercing the wall. This is where we will run TV, telephone and electrical service.
Grading, viewed from inside
Grading at Hancock Shaker Village
Steep grades without the use of a retaining wall.