Weeks 11 & 12: More Digging

Another three feet of soil removed in the overall depth of the basement, and more from the perimeter as well.  The pictures might not show a huge difference in appearance, but since this dirt is often hard clay, it takes some doing.

These two weeks saw some wet days and some dreary days.  Leaves are finally giving in and falling off the trees to make way for new buds and flowers upon the slightest hint of spring.  Plastic sheeting covers much of the basement in an attempt to limit the amount of water the ground absorbs.  If you look closely in the first photo below, you'll notice some orange lines painted on the ground—these indicate the location of where the walls will be located.

The big hole where the future basement will be.  I don't even know if it is
worth trying to explain what used to be there.

More, but the other end & harder to see because of the gloomy day.

I like this one because you can see a tiny peek of
the stair railing that led to the herb garden.

Back patio is looking the same I think.  When we opened up the deck (off
of the Great Room) we discovered the reason that whole corner of the house
was sagging: it was basically being held up by a toothpick.  Thank goodness
for easy fixes.

Contemplating the project, and constantly trying to make sure that we've
thought of everything.  That'll never be a successful venture, I'm sure, but
we'll still give it a try!  We are ready to start seeing the house come back together.