Re: [gardeners] Rain

Rosemary Carlson (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 09 Jun 1998 17:06:35 -0400 

Margaret and all: Same scenario here - except we can't even, yet, get the
excavation done! The trees have been cleared - and water is standing on the
housesite where the stumps were. They can't excavate because the bulldozer
SINKS IN - and, because it would cause a drainage problem. The amazing
thing is that I'm on TOP of a hill - a big hill. Drainage is excellent.
That tells you how much rain we've gotten! The builder and the
subcontractor doing the foundation (not to mention the bulldozer operater)
are as frustrated as me. The subcontractors get NO PAYCHECK unless they can
work! Last week, the foundation guy was walking around my house site in
disgust when I drove up! This has lasted for 4 weeks..........as the
interest payments on the construction loan tick away. 

Just heard on the news that Paducah, KY - a few hours west of me - got FOUR
inches of rain today...before noon. We've had close to that here in Lex -
and they've had an equal amount in Morehead - where I'm building my house
(and 70 miles east of Lex). 

Will this EVER end??? At any rate, thanks, Margaret, for saying that it was
the only major delay you had in remodeling!  Gives me some hope! :) I
*think*, if the weather ever clears, the builder will get busy big time -
probably including weekends. But, his dilemma right now is as bad as mine! 

Rosemary

>Rosemary, the same thing happened to us when we added onto our house.  We
>had not initially planned on having a basement under the new addition, but
>it was comparatively cheap construction, and would yield a lot of extra
>room, a workshop area, etc.  They dug the basement, installed the forms,
>then the heavens opened.  Day after day it poured, and my garden (trucks'
>route to the construction site) was a soggy mess.  The cement crew was held
>hostage by the rains, and they were as frustrated as I.  The electrician
>asked if we didn't want to install a swimming pool instead.  Finally it
>cleared enough for the cement trucks to trundle through the garden without
>getting stuck (I was more worried about the compacting they were doing),
>and we got the cement poured.  That was the only principal delay we
>suffered.  I hope your weather clears and things roll as smoothly for you
>as they did for us.  Good luck, Margaret
>
>
>