I'm getting frustrated with our inability to get utilities to the house. This is hampering our ability to continue with other work in the back of the house. For instance, until we've got the water line and propane lines completed, we can do no more berming on the east side of the house, and none around the corner in the back of the house. That's why I was working behind the garage today.
Getting the utility lines run isn't so simple. If it weren't for existing other structures and irrigation on the property, it would be simple. As it is, we have a water line, an electric line, and a phone line running to the garden shed. To run a propane line or water line to the house, we have to cross over (or under) those lines.
To run an electric line to the house, if we do it from the pole we're currently getting power from to the building we're living in, we will essentially be cutting roots to a wonderful old oak tree (the best on our property)(essentially killing it) in order to trench to the new house.
We've entertained the idea of getting an additional pole installed so that we can avoid the tree and trench from a different location. However, that location has issues.
If we trench from a pole at the southwest corner of one of our sheds, we will have to trench through a slab we have next to it, in order to get a line to the house. We could do that, but then we have an issue of never being able to put a bigger shed in that location.
I'm now entertaining the idea of locating a pole in yet a different spot which might avoid either issue. However, it will then mean that we will cross a phone line to the building we're living in. That's not the end of the world, but it's just another hassle.
We would also be crossing an irrigation line too. I think though, that if I manually dig up the area where it will cross it, then the backhoe could just avoid the line in that location.
This would greatly be avoided if we could get someone out that has the trenchless system (directional drilling (boring) equipment). They can run these lines, drilling horizontally, not having to trench. We wouldn't have to worry about any existing lines. It's a much more elegant solution. However, I'm sure it costs more. The contractor I spoke with a week ago hasn't gotten back to me on costs, so I'm still waiting.
One thing the guy told me is that his equipment will handle the sand stone that we have on our property, but it might pop out of the ground. He said there's a limit to how much control they will have, depending upon the conditions on our property. He indicated that he was willing to try, but I haven't heard from him in a week or more.
I hope to call the guy tomorrow, although I'm going to be very busy at work and might not be able to call him until later in the week (and then he might be too busy to call me back). That's how it goes.
I do know that I can't allow this to hold us up much longer. If I can't get them out here, I'll have no choice but to get someone out with a backhoe and get the lines done once and for all. This will mean having to dig up existing lines so the backhoe can avoid them, and it might require getting someone from the phone company out to repair a phone line unless I can locate that line with a shovel and we can avoid it as well.
What a mess. It seems like nothing we do is easy. Nothing is "off the shelf". Everything we do is off the aisle. It takes a long time, but in the end, we will have a real nice house.
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