Here is a record of our restoration of a 1928 craftsman. We will be the second family to live in the home. Watch our progress when we prevail and our privation and pratfalls as we do not.
I've been carting dirt hither and yon. All told I've taken nearly 40 wheelbarrow loads of dirt out. Here are some pics taken on May 1st. I washed one part of the shallow end wall clean to see what the painted cement looked like:
The next three were taken this morning. I have gotten through the deepest part of the pool and am working toward the edge again. At the deepest part it seems as though they took a pick axe and broke a hole through the bottom when they filled it in. Given the amount of slag concrete I've found in the bottom my speculation that they filled the pond in when the neighbors built a gigantic garage right on the property line next to the pool seems confirmed. The construction of the garage in 1966 has meant major slope changes since the pool as built in 1933.
From where ground level was when I started, to the bottom of the deepest part of the pool is nearly 4 feet. We got 2 1/2 inches of rain from Friday night to Sunday morning. That meant on Sunday morning there was nearly a foot of water in the deepest part. That allowed me to wash the walls down a bit to get a better look at them. The water has slowly drained to what you see below. After the entire area is excavated my vague plan is to dig out the hole and put more cement in to patch it.
3 comments:
I'm dealing with the same issue right now, only on a smaller scale. There is a pond next to our garage - fed by a fountain, even - that was filled in. I'm working on unfilling it.
I have a problem, though, and perhaps you had the same one - what do you do with all the dirt you dig out?
Chris-
My garden was great last year due to all the new dirt I added. Every low spot is now fixed, AND there is a huge ravine not far away that I am filling at an alarming rate. I am now digging out around the pond, since it has a foot of dirt over it. This weekend I just finished the beginning of a retaining wall. That will be my next post!
Mike,
I see. I'd been doing ok while I was still removing big chunks of rock and concrete from the yard - I felt fortunate to have all this free fill on hand. Perhaps I'll have to consider raised beds for my garden.
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