Lost my battle with water :(

That sucks Andy! Glad to see you have help to keep the cost down though!
Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

P.S. Gary, I hope this post finds you well :)
 

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It will be nice to have it done with your own hands though, right?

mmmh... 100 tons of stuff by hands is a lot, lot, lot of work, no matter how much you'll love to do it yourself, it's a killer, physically and mentaly... I'd say welcome to the machine.

I'm glad for you it's coming to an end Andy, this was a total bummer, financially and physically, I'm sure you'll be happy when it's behind... and unflooded!!!
 
Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

P.S. Gary, I hope this post finds you well :)

Wow... Just making the forms must have taken some serious time and materials. How much lumber?
 
Nice property you have there, looks like you tend it well. Hope the project come out as expected so you can get back to drums!!
 
Wow... Just making the forms must have taken some serious time and materials. How much lumber?
The drive is 500ft long, so that's 2,000ft of edging lumber, 1,000ft of curb edgings, 600ft of 8" storm drain, etc. Not difficult stuff, just lots of it :(

Nice property you have there, looks like you tend it well. Hope the project come out as expected so you can get back to drums!!
Yes, I have a ton of other things on the go right now, so I could really do without this!

It will be nice to have it done with your own hands though, right?
It helps keep the cost down. This is the first job on this property where I've brought in outside labour for any period of time. Up until a couple of years ago, I did absolutely everything myself. I'm a worker, I get stuff done, it's in my makeup to graft :)

mmmh... 100 tons of stuff by hands is a lot, lot, lot of work, no matter how much you'll love to do it yourself, it's a killer, physically and mentaly... I'd say welcome to the machine.

I'm glad for you it's coming to an end Andy, this was a total bummer, financially and physically, I'm sure you'll be happy when it's behind... and unflooded!!!
yes Henri, I'll be glad to see the back of this. Although it's a fairly big job, it's probably the smallest of the major jobs we've done on this property, & thankfully, the last :)
 
Re: Lost my battle with water :(, but I won the war :)

Just finished preparing my garden for winter, but much more important than that, the driveway & storm drainage system is now complete :)
 

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That view is just breath taking.People ask why I go backpacking.Till they do it,the'll never know.Cheers Andy.:)

Steve B
 
You have a nice view and your yard looks great! I heard all about your "summer". I work with a lot of Danes and the weather in DK this summer wasn't great. Well, fall's here!
 
Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

P.S. Gary, I hope this post finds you well :)

Rommell used less material reinforcing the Atlantic Wall. I had no idea civil engineering was a hobby of yours. Your drive looks like it should be in a royal park somewhere, unless of course it is, your majesty....
 
Guys, thank you for your kind words, but I must put you all straight on a few things, especially my background, & how I came to where I am now.

I started life in an orphanage on the dock road in Liverpool. Eventually adopted by a wonderful couple. Full of love, but humble finances (I was always the poor kid in our school). After being a bottom feeder pro drummer for 6 years, I gravitated towards my other skill, engineering. From there, & through hard work, I eventually started managing companies, travelling the globe several times over, & paying a heavy price re: family quality time & health. During this time, we bought our first house on a mortgage we couldn't really afford. A tiny row house in a not good area. We renovated that, & sold it on. Lived in rented accommodation for several years, until we bought a derelict cottage with a small parcel of land. That cottage had mostly 4 walls & a part roof. Took nearly 10 years to renovate that (100% our own labour) once we'd got it past the watertight stage. Sold that & made a good profit. Bought this property 7 years ago, & completed the sale in two weeks. It was rough, very rough. The grounds were in terrible condition (landslip, 6ft high brambles, etc). We had to strip the house back to it's shell & start over. Barn needed mostly rebuilding & converting. Grounds are a result of 6 years of hard work. 95% of the labour has been my own. I've been smart in reusing materials, buying reclaimed materials at low cost, etc.

So, the message is, my property is nothing to do with being wealthy, because I'm not. This property is within the means of anyone who's put in 20 years of hard work, some good civil engineering skills, some good friends, & smart with their purchases.

I'm a "grafter". I know the meaning of hard work, & I never give up. I work methodically until the job is done. I finish what I start. So, no royal heritage, no fat bank balance, just a guy from the gutter who knows the meaning of applying himself.

Yes, I'm proud of what I've achieved. My house & grounds are now complete. I take huge pleasure in creating stuff out of nothing. That's why I love timber built structures, watching plants grow from seed or cuttings, using surplus boulders for landscaping, creating beauty where there was once a wasted opportunity. These backgrounds of natural materials also make great contextual backdrops for photo's of our new drums too ;)
 
And all of this adds up to why you are making the drums you are making with the reviews you are getting.

A great inspirational / human story for sure.
 
Good story. I seriously think you should have a drummer's weekend visit at your property one summer where those from DW and around the world could visit and stay a few days, sharing stories and camaraderie, check out some Origin drums, etc. It would be fun.
 
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