Normal amount of lumber to find when digging a hole?

[Dirtman]

It worked for jimmy hoffa....

 

[scotts90ranger]

a mini excavator would be nice, and hind sight is 20/20 but on the other hand I do need the exercise...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Ok, I gave in and rented an excavator, got the hole done and removed 6 stumps in about 4 hours last weekend between rain showers.

The hole is about 6.5' deep I think, talked to the inspector and I just need to get a concrete pad on native soil to the appropriate depth (~50" from surface) then fill the rest with 3/4" minus gravel tamped every few inches (I don't remember the depth), that's about 2 yards of gravel in that hole, 6 yards to fill the rest of the holes and 21 yards for 4" layer under the slab...

Anywho, going to try to do the concrete for under the posts this weekend, so I should be able to get the hole inspection done next week and start to move forward!

 

[Dirtman]

I hate it when I need someone to inspect my holes.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I hate it when I need someone to inspect my holes.

TMI.....

 

[scotts90ranger]

Moving forward!

I got the concrete base in 13 of the 14 holes, will finish the last one tomorrow, just have to do some cleanup at the bottom of the big one before I put the box down there, then mix 10 bags of concrete... The old F350 sagged a touch with 50 80lb bags of concrete in the bed... even with 50psi in the airbags

Also tomorrow is the hole inspection and a delivery of gravel for around the posts so hopefully I can stick some posts in the holes on Saturday!

 

[Uncle Gump]

I already told my wife that a pole barn is a requirement for our new property we plan to buy. If there isn't one... I'm paying someone to put it up. I don't think I have enough gas in the tank to do it myself... I also don't like heights... and it would take me a year when a crew could come in and knock it out in a couple weeks.

Maybe 20 years ago I would have... but now days I choose my battles a bit more carefully.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I'm doing it for a few reasons: I'm still young enough, I'm cheap, and I want to put some new skills in the ol list... With my dad passing a while ago I can cover what I have planned without a loan so that is a plus. I'm finding out I should rent more appropriate tools more often after the excavator saved me weeks... From the get go I know I'm hiring out the slab, I don't need to learn on something that important and expensive , I'll do the prep to get what I want but pouring and finishing is going to be left to the professionals.

I'm looking forward to being able to do winter projects, there's not enough good weather or daylight for driveway projects in the winter.

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm doing it for a few reasons: I'm still young enough, I'm cheap, and I want to put some new skills in the ol list... With my dad passing a while ago I can cover what I have planned without a loan so that is a plus. I'm finding out I should rent more appropriate tools more often after the excavator saved me weeks... From the get go I know I'm hiring out the slab, I don't need to learn on something that important and expensive , I'll do the prep to get what I want but pouring and finishing is going to be left to the professionals.

I'm looking forward to being able to do winter projects, there's not enough good weather or daylight for driveway projects in the winter.

Its smart to hire out the slab. Thats a lot of work and takes several people. Ive helped with a few big slabs and i know i cant do it myself.

 

[sgtsandman]

Somethings are just worth hiring out. Concrete slabs is one of them. Even if you know how to do it and have all the equipment. Sometimes, it’s just better for everyone to just have the person who makes their living from it do it.

 

[scotts90ranger]

All of the concrete is done now, went through 53 80lb bags all said and done... A friend came over today and we got all the posts in the holes and the 4 corner posts square (within 1/4" corner to corner and 1/8" on the other 4 measurements) and level all at the same time so we put gravel in those holes and locked the posts in. Tomorrow I'll try to get most of the rest of the posts set if I can...

Underground vermin are annoying, thursday a gopher found one of the corner holes and thought it was an easy place to get rid of it's spoils... I took over a wheel barrow full of dirt out from that... luckily yesterday I finally saw it pushing dirt and had the 12ga at the same time so it is no more... I think I've trapped 4 gophers and shot that one so not a bad week, I think I still have 2 or 3 left though...

 

[Dirtman]

Killing gophers is immoral.

 

[scotts90ranger]

they started it...

I'm deeply offended by their presence, I'm pretty sure they are trespassing, I was fresh out of potatoes to throw at them...

 

[Dirtman]

The humane way to get rid of gophers is to introduce hundreds and hundreds of wolverines into your yard. Once the gophers are gone the wolverines will move on.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I don't think there's wolverines in Oregon... I tried getting a cat but he's stubborn and only goes after mice, voles and rabbits and is afraid of the red tail hawk that lives above the open area where most of the gophers roam... The hawk doesn't seem to hunt under it's nest for whatever reason, The coyotes are lazy and only take off the gopher carcasses after I trap them, their attention span is too low... I have blue heron's fairly often and they go after voles but not enough to take care of my problem with those bastages...

That gopher yesterday was gutsy though, the hole it was pushing dirt into the hole with was 44" deep, and no other holes within 100'