VideoStudio: Slideshow

[Ron P.]

I've been demolishing some old outbuildings. I've been taking just a few photos to show the progress. I have to, otherwise I'll think that I'm getting nowhere..

I rented a backhoe-loader to knock the buildings down. They delivered a "toy". It was so underpowered that it couldn't get out of its own way. The backhoe bucket was so small, it took me 2½ hours to dig a 6ft x 6ft hole 3ft deep. It would only dig that deep. It took 2 days just to get as far as I had. For the 2 days it set me back about $750 (US). I should have told the guy to take his Tonka toy back and bring a real one..

I've been trying to get this done since last Nov '07. Getting equipment, and the cooperation of the weather is next to impossible. When the weather breaks, the equipment can not be had. The "Tonka toy" was rented from about 40 miles away..

I'm still trying to rent an excavator from a local company. Yesterday said I might get it late yesterday afternoon. Guess what, no show.

That's the background. Wife and I so far are left with using 1800 technology (called manual labor) to finish this. The roofing shingles must be removed from the boards, as it is illegal to burn them, which is what we're doing with the lumber. Now the burning is becoming an issue, due to winds. Burn bans that say no burning when winds are at or above certain speeds. Yesterday, no burning just the other, today rain and thunderstorms, so I'm stuck in the house..

Here's the Slideshow: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v657511538PMwsHS

[cwodave]

Very nice slide show.
I understand the work. I added a garage to a house I had in Louisiana and thought I'd never get done. LOL Just clearing the trees took me 6 months. Somewhere near the end of the 6 months I bought a tractor to help me. I did finally finish and the garage was well worth all the work. I wish I still lived there. I miss my garage!!!

[sjj1805]

Wow.. the local matchstick Company could have made you an offer on that.
The big hole you dug to bury it reminded me of when I moved into my House.

At the time money was very tight, one 3 year old child and a pregnant wife who does not work. The interest rates had risen to 17.5% and at the time I was bringing home ¢G350 per month but my Mortgage alone was ¢G170 - then of course there are the rates, water rates, food, petrol for the car, gas, electricity so on and so forth, I often wonder how we survived.

Anyway sticking to the story, the back garden looked like a lawn that hadn't been mowed for a long time. To my horror when I went out to dig it I discovered the previous occupant (who had died - hence the house being up for sale) had concreted the entire back garden, my neighbour told me he was mad about the stuff and was forever mixing concrete. Because the house had been empty for some 12 months - weeds and wild grass had grown over it all.

Money was so tight that there was no way I could afford a skip - and it would have taken at least two skips. So I did what you have done with that shed, dug a big hole some 7' deep (I am 6'4" and I could stand upright in the hole and was out of sight) - I had to dig two of these.
The concrete was buried at least 3' deep so they will never be seen again.

Here is a video.