Before...and the start

Saturday, September 10, 2011.  We moved the RV and trailer yesterday after having the building permit approved.  City fee was $483.  The cement contractor said he'd be here today to start some ground work. The existing driveway will be widened all the way to the property line.

This stump will come out, this is the location of the garage.  The driveway will go all the way to the street.

I left town to attend a motorcycle event in Phoenix around noon.  Pat took these pictures  after the workers arrived.  This was taken from inside the house.

A back hoe dug up around the stump tap root and was able to pull it all out.

The hole from the stump and roots was filled with dirt and rock from the footing excavation

Hopefully they got enough out so there won't be any new growth.  And, it won't be watered , so we think it will just die

They are using a back how and a Bobcat to put in the footings

This is Jim, the concrete contractor

The back how operator is a "sub" of the "sub"

We knew the watering system would be ruined.  Something I'll have to deal with on Monday

There were bubblers for 4 shrubs and two trees in back.  Will have to put in a new line for the one remaining tree before the cement is poured.  The others will be capped off.  I don't expect to ever have to water anything else 

More pipes than we expected.  I'm not here to witness this, Pat is still  taking these pictures

It appears the orignial Rain Bird installer did a very good job.  Too bad it has to come out

The footings for the building, and the hold for the bike lift is being dug

There will be a large pile of rock left when the building is finished.  Also, a lot of dirt.  We'll keep most of the rock, and hire someone to remove the dirt later on

More pipe pictures

We didn't know they were coming back on Sunday morning.  Pat was in town shopping, and I was on my way home from Phoenix when they come over to continue some work

The rock is being piled up

The foot print.  The garage will be 22' x 24'.  Set back has to be 5' from the property lines, and there are limitations for how close it can be to the house.  So, this is about as large as we can get away with.  Can only be so high too.  Roof has to match the house, as well as the color.

The forms are starting to go up.  These guy work pretty fast.  If all goes well, they will have  it ready to  pour  later in the week.  After inspection, the cement will go in, then it will have to sit and cure a few days before the construction of the garage can start.

18 inch deep around the building, with tied rebar in that area.  The slab will be 4 to 6 inches thick with steel netting in the  slab.  There will be tied rebar under the hole where the bike lift will go in.

This is what it looked like when I got home Sunday 9/11 2011.  Ten years anniversary from the attack in New York.

The headache I have to deal with tomorrow

I think I can put a 90 degree elbow on this pipe and route it across the front of the slab (under the driveway apron)  and over far enough to put in a new line to the remaining tree.  More picture tomorrow!