The plan is that each hole is about 18" x 18" on top, and at least 12" deep. In some areas there's fresh fill dirt, which isn't stable enough, so we will dig deeper where required. Other areas are already cut to firm subsoil, so it's 12" of difficult digging and you're done.
The 12" depth is based on the specified frost depth in this area, as specified by the county's building department. In the previous location the yurt was directly on the ground, with only an inch or two of sod removed, and that worked for 6 years, so this isn't strictly required. But my carpenter friend pointed out the high clay content of the soil and said it would swell with the rains and freezing, so some depth is a good idea.
The ground is glacial till, so it's a well-varied mix. Plenty of clay, silt, gravel, and small boulders. The biggest rock we've pulled out so far was so heavy I had to roll it out of the way. Each spot is different, which is amazing to watch.
We started digging by hand, with a couple shovels and a mattock. I soon added a digging bar, because the mattock couldn't reach the bottom of the holes.
With all 5 of us present, the adults digging and the kids making trouble, we can dig 3 holes on a good day. In one area we hit some roots and it took 2 days to dig 2 holes. At this rate we're talking at least a couple weeks just to dig the holes. After that we have to fill and tamp, set the pier blocks, frame the platform, lay down the flooring, and assemble the yurt. That's a lot of work to do, and we're stuck on digging holes! Still, I like the idea of pointing to the holes and saying "we dug those ourselves!", and some people pay money for the gym while we get to play in the dirt for free-ish.
I thought about hiring someone with a backhoe to dig the holes out for me. That could go really fast, but I think I'd end up with much larger holes than I want.
Yesterday I rented a 2-person gas-powered auger. The biggest bit they had for it was 12" diameter, so the hole isn't as big as we want. But I figured it would get us started. The machine is still a lot of work - it's heavy and it knocks you around as it digs. Rocks less than a couple inches get churned out fine, but over 5" the machine tends to stop digging. Roots slow it down, but it goes. Even the kids helped:
Here Dylan helps us measure a hole:
After digging a 12" round hole with the auger, we still have to shovel the loose dirt in to the wheelbarrow and haul it away, and widen the hole to 18" square. It's way easier, but there's still plenty of work to do. We did this with a couple holes to see how it would go, and then augered out the remaining holes (save 1 because of a big rock) before returning the machine.
The next size up at the rental place is a Toro Dingo with a 24" auger on it. That's about the size of a circle that circumscribes the 18" square we want, so it would be a one-shot deal. The hole is bigger but at least it's a neat, round one. For now we'll dig by hand, though.
No comments:
Post a Comment