Yes, she added an extra 18" to the bottom of the original wall which she built, I did the neighbors side as she is better at it than me

She does all of it, digging out with a demolition hammer, mixing/pouring concrete, mixing mortar and laying the stone courses, it's all her own work :cool:

I only get involved when a 9" angle grinder with diamond tipped blade is needed

Wow! Is she a cyborg, or Polish?

Maybe a Polish Cyborg? :p

Definitely a keeper.

Still don't understand Captain Ahab's reluctance to renting a machine occasionally... Saves time, saves wear and tear on the old body and who doesn't like to play with tractors every once in a while?

She is a keeper and so am I :D

You're right a machine would be easier and quicker for sure but....

I actual enjoy hard, manual labour. Spend all day sat in an office concentrating and staring at a screen so it's a good release for me to move a small mountain in the evenings. I find it strangely relaxing :confused:

Over the years I've easily removed by hand over a 100 tons of rubble and earth

Also a small site like ours a machine would run out of space to work very quickly, it's the removing that is the difficult bit but I think I have a cunning solution to this which may mean I rent a machine when we get do digging the rain water soak away hole ;)

The missus would make you look bad if you sissied out and used a machine....

want to enjoy moving some crushed rock down a hill?

there's less than 100 tons of it, but I can then let you move tree limbs back up the hill...

RWebb, I'm good and thanks for the offer!

Sooner or Later, you're right, was struggling yesterday but Mrs Ahab got stuck in which renewed my energy just enough to last out until supper time!

A few weeks later and about half way there into lowering the drive way. Do a solid 1.5hrs of digging most weekday evenings when it's not raining which it has done quite a lot and down tools on the last 9pm church bell chime

Think this may be the tallest pile of rubble yet and quite proud of the height. For scale Mrs Ahab is on the left busy building my compressor shed stone base.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599429768.jpg

Before you had to step down into the front door porch and then a step up into the house which I didn't like. When the driveway is finished it will be a step up which will be an improvement and new driveway height now works really well with the man cave floor level.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599429998.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599430100.jpg

To make up for a relatively boring update Ahab Jr. while out on his bicycle spotted this in a neighboring village

It's the 'World's Fastest Shed' :cool:, 4WD powered by an Audi RS4 455bhp V8 and set the record on the Pendine Sands 100mph

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599430401.jpg

Just an unbelievable build.

Mrs. Ahab has a nice smile. Though she may need to be checked out for jaundice.

“relatively boring update”, thats funny.

Its a spectacular project; pictures cannot do it justice.

Love the Shed. Does it have a sign that says for straight line use only?

Question: is the tan material that looks like dirt actually a crushed stone product?

Looks like regular or old dirt to me. Some clods at the bottom, where you would normally find them.

You're both right it's a mix of bed rock and dirt.

It's tough digging as to loosen up the ground enough for shoveling I have to use a small demolition hammer and a mattock pick axe (wide blade pick axe). I snapped a perfectly good wooden handle on my pick last night it's that hard going.

A mechanical digger would make a really mess as great big chunks of sliced stone would rip it all up making it really uneven

The stone in the ground is the exact same stone my house is built from and the original part of the house is built directly on this stone without any footings

Spent too much time reading this thread today. Fantastic work. Love the all the stone. I grew up in construction, done lot of framing, concrete and CAD work.

Here's a pic of me at 3 years old. Got a real laugh seeing the above pic.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599607692.jpg

Nostril, thanks for the compliments

Your picture has to be the coolest of this whole thread, thank you so much for posting it, it made my day :)

My plan worked :cool: this machine rental action photo is for Javadog! Very relieved as if it hadn't I'd have to load a mountain onto a trailer by hand

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599856320.jpg

My neighbors are great! Allowed this 20 ton grab truck to be parked on their freshly graveled driveway. Even after a similar sized truck had nearly knocked over their driveway pillar during their own building works

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599856412.jpg

Well, my cunning plan semi-worked, as in the film Jaws 'We need a bigger truck!" as only half of my 40 ton mountain was removed 🤔 Today was still a win, my shed, boundary wall and the compressor shed stone base Mrs Ahab's has just finished are all still standing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599856616.jpg

Best of all my neighbors pillars weren't knocked over or their driveway covered in dirt.

He didn't get it all...

I'm starting to think that the options available in the UK for this sort of thing are different than where I come from. One phone call and I'd have my pick of any dirt-working machine or truck on site in a half hour. A backhoe, trackhoe, dozer, boxblade, road grader, 10 axle dump truck, dump trailer... whatever.

Maybe I've done too much of that crap and hate the thought of having to do anything, ever again, by hand.

Carry on.

I did, I did get it......

It's the on site bit that causes the problems for me as well as my desire to keep myself active and fit as the years advance

To give an idea of the size of access and scale of the site a full sized American dually pick-up truck wouldn't fit on my driveway

Was hoping for a better update than this .....

Promised myself I'd post up the good, the bad and the ugly on this build blog, as it happens. Hopefully makes for a more interesting read than just a 'taa daa' finished reveal format

Well here is the ugly part ......

Picture removed for Javadog!

This afternoon was spent in A and E having my leg stitched up after my 9" angle grinder with the diamond tipped blade kicked back and gave me a nasty nick :eek:

Cut was luckily not into the bone but plenty deep enough for me to see the soggy red teddy bear stuffing my leg seems to be filled with :confused:

Only needed 6 stitches, going to leave a decent scar and my leg modelling days are over :(

I mend well, so plenty more updates with progress will follow this one :cool:

Damn. Only 6 stitches?

Wear the scar with honor!