My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Simultaneous to the house demolition / construction is the on-going site work. I have not written too much on that subject so far (at least that's what my brain tells me).....so this next post is all about site work (and I'll need to address at some point some of the other site work tasks that have been completed as well).....

May 13, 2021 (continued).....late that evening I'd say it was maybe 6:00 p.m. when the surveyor showed up to stakeout the proposed drainfield corners.....



It's absolutely amazing the way that the engineering field has changed over the past two decades.....the thought that one guy can come out here and do the work that previously took at least two people.....and often three.....



May 17,2021.....a few days later the "whiney baby" drainfield guy arrived.....that guy could barely get one foot out of his truck before he started complaining.....it took them two days to complete the installation.....he was still complaining when he put that last foot back into his truck and drove off into the beautiful Montana sunset.....



The drainfield installation process is really a simple one.....first you dig a trench from the house foundation to the proposed location of the septic tanks.....



For this particular build there were two tanks that needed to be installed.....each having a 1,000 gallon capacity.....the reason for such large storage is that the drainfield was designed for a 3 bedroom house.....not the 1 bedroom that we are actually building.....





Once the tanks were installed, the guys dug a trench to the actual drainfield which was maybe 100' feet away.....then three trenches were dug at a depth of ONLY 2' as the soil here is so rocky that it's not recommended to go any deeper.....



Once the drainfield pipes are in the ground, everything is backfilled.....and since that drainfield is so shallow in the ground, a two foot high mound of dirt covered it.....hopefully keeping it from freezing during those long, dark, cold winter months of Montana (which I don't plan to see).....





The total cost of that installation was $14,600 and if you add the surveyor, the preliminary design work, permits, and what not.....I'm guessing (& only guessing) that there's $20,000 in that drainfield.....I couldn't help but think composting toilet.....but then that's just how us Overlanders think.....

 

[Arjan]

Those Goldens really would like to help..


20K US$ for the septic tank system......

I'll stop complaining about France...

We're really lucky that 20 mtrs. of digging got us connected tot the sewage system !

Please, keep this coming as I'm learning all the time.

 

[longhorn1]

Looking really great. Trying to figure out what you will be doing on the demo area. Somehow, I'm think there is going to be a lot of glass, with an amazing view. Guess we will see. Really going to be nice when done. Montana and Yukon will have special resting place.

 

[tgil]

Looked like Tanner was working on making some toothpicks in one of those pictures. It's a wonder these dogs don't grow a paddle tail as much wood as they "eat". Trapper looks like a happy girl!

 

[BigDawwg]

Hey Jerry, I've been out and about here in Alaska, just catching up with your current endeavors, looks as though you've got your hands full, and then some, but in the end,,,,, it will all be worth-it for sure,,,,, and that VIEW you've got, looks an awful lot like the Bridger Range to me,,,,, used to Hunt Elk there and in the Crazies as well, still got some good friends in Big-Timber,,,,, anyway, Best of Luck to you and the Dogs, going forward..... Murphy said to say "Hey" as well.....
BD and Murph in Alaska.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....I've added just a few more septic system pictures just for you.....these 3 pictures give you an idea of the system in its entirety.....thanks for the input.....

JD.....you may have something there.....time will tell.....

tgil.....the latest craze here for the dogs is chewing the bottoms of the fence posts. Typically I'm cutting off the bottom 3 to 6 inches of each fence post (the ground is nothing but rocks at about 18" and I generally give up at 21".....good enough I say).....

BigDawwg.....I have my heart set on going hiking in the Crazies for the 4th of July week. Sadly maintaining the health of my sod may keep me here near town.....I was just recently reading an article about the migration of the elk around the Bridger Foothills (& Mountains). They say that the rapid development around Bozeman is cutting off their migration routes. Apparently there's only one natural, viable route remaining.....guys like us that saw the old ways of life are fortunate I think.....



The next 3 pictures are for Arjan.....the first stage of the system.....





And the second stage of the system.....there are 3 of these lines running parallel.....



And here's a correction to my blog.....It's funny how much I forget but the pictures never tell a lie.....the floor joists were not the entire width of the house as I previously posted.....I now recall that they were 14' in length and rested on the pony wall.....



When I began this project I had no idea that I would have an unlimited supply of free sod.....but that has become my reality and as I post here this morning I have already laid 10 pallets of sod (I'm getting more today). It's definitely a love / hate kind of thing.....







There's no denying that the views are the number one attractant here.....the neighbors are an additional one as well. When I bought my beautiful house in town some few years back, within a week a neighbor complained about my dogs, my trashcan and my truck camper.....2 weeks after moving in I received the threatening HOA letter (oh those HOAs).....here there are no HOAs, no covenants nor any rules whatsoever.....most people that live on this lonely road have been here for decades.....like my hoarder buddy across the road.....he loves those Instagram poses.....



He's posing next to a birdhouse that a neighbor recently gave me.....people on this lonely road don't have much money or material wealth either.....they seem to have big hearts instead.....



Another neighbor gave me this tiny straw birdhouse to hang in one of the (20) Quaking Aspen trees that she allowed me to dig up on her property and transplant here.....and it overlooks God only knows how many Iris plants that she also gave me that I also transplanted here.....and that best explains my love of here.....

 

[Arjan]

Thanks - i love the construction pics.

Those floor joists are made in a way I've not seen them here. Are they really strong or do you need to put them in quite close together ?

Interesting birdhouseflat !

Your street sounds like ours in many ways. Back in Holland we had a fight with many about too many Land Rovers (is that possible...), too many dogs (only 5 Goldens) and what have you.. Here, we're entertainment to the neighbourhood and when Ellen was treated, the amount of food given was really unbelievable..

Please, keep them coming !

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....I'm no builder but I'd guess that the answer would be yes. It's pretty much a standard in the U.S. That birdhouse is absolutely amazing and looks great as I've posted it out in the field. No takers yet so it's just for looks right now I'd guess.....


May 23, 2021.....to find anyone that works in the construction industry in this town that isn't overbooked is nearly impossible.....everyone, and I do mean everyone, says that they're way too busy. So we were fortunate to find a friend of the family that was once a plumber to spend a cold, snowy weekend here installing phase one of the plumbing.....





I've got to say that that was one of my worst weekends spent on this property.....as I was his gopher and ran around getting this pipe or tool.....and it was so cold and so wet.....





At some point on Sunday we'd both had enough.....we were nearly finished and we both just gave up.....there's always tomorrow I guessing.....



Another project that I've been working on is getting the fencing up.....



There's nearly 300' of fencing and I decided to install posts at 8' intervals and each one is set in concrete.....seemed like a good idea at the time.....



I had no idea how to use that wire fence stretcher so a quick 5 minute lesson on YouTube and off I went.....15 minutes later I was a fence stretching pro.....





And another task that I've been working on is to move my stuff from the storage unit into the barn.....I've paid those guys nearly $5,000 over these past years.....it felt good to stop that monthly payment.....finally.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

May 27, 2021.....and finally the Reveal Post.....





With the majority of the demolition completed, I began putting up the new front wall.....I built that header wall alone.....what a project that turned out to be.....that 14' long header beam only fell on my head once.....just one of many injuries I've survived during my latest "journey".....





My friend showed up to help install the new roof trusses.....that went amazingly well. In less than 3 hours we were done with that project and they were a perfect fit. I was a little nervous here.....3 roof trusses cost me $675 so I needed them to fit badly.....



This would be the last day I'd get help from my friend.....they were off to their summer home at Flathead Lake.....yep, I was envious.....



From this.....



To this.....



The views will be magnificent once the 4 panel sliding glass doors are installed.....

 

[tgil]

Wow, what a view! The word you used was envious...that fits me!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[BajahaMontana]

If you get to or towards Glacier national park in Montana.. pm us, farmhouse here with lots of room and centrally located in the valley.

 

[ITTOG]

Yeah that view is awesome.

Hopefully you will have some time for a break and a quick hike soon.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

tgil.....

BajahaMontana.....thanks so much for the invite but my guess is that I'm wed to the free sod (just yesterday I put down another pallet).....I have no irrigation here and apparently the sod requires a daily watering.....maybe come fall.....

ITTOG.....I don't see any hikes anytime soon.....my goal is to finish this project by fall so I can get it rented out and then I can get back out there.....



June 1, 2021.....there's been quite a few aspects of living here that have made life nearly unbearable and one of those things has been the access to the property.....so when I received a text message from the house mover on Memorial Day asking if I'd like to borrow his Skidsteer on the following day.....I immediately changed my plans for that day and said "definitely yes".....



The following morning at 6:00 a.m. there he was dropping off his Skidsteer and at 7:00 a.m. I went right to work building myself a real driveway.....the challenge for that day turned out to be getting the loads of gravel delivered. The first outfit I called said "we're booked for the next two months"......eventually I found a hauler that worked me into their busy schedule.....







Initially when I had started the driveway construction I had no plans to build a circular driveway but the long bed crew cab truck demanded one so that's what we ended up with.....





Three truckloads later and $700 poorer, I had me a circular driveway that made our lives so much better.....no more driving through mud and horse manure to get to our little home.....





I even hauled the water heater to a neighbors house (I was pleased to see it go).....we're going with an on demand system.....



At 5:00 p.m. and on the Skidsteers very last load, the Skidsteers bucket froze up and that's yet another story to tell (I won't bore you with it but all turned out well).....

 

[Riversdad]

So where will you be headed in the fall?

 

[Arjan]

Toys....

Tools.

Sorry.

We're having a mini digger here next month to work is counterweight off....

Thanks fo the pictures - interesting insight in a part of the US rarely seen.