Two big excavators arrived on August 31, as did the “steel”, the huge steel I-beams that will be slipped under the house to support it as the house is lifted.
Here’s a view of the littler of the two excavators, at the approximate location of our new parking area (this is taken from the current house location):
And here’s Phoebe checking out all the excitement:
Along with the big machines, McKernon brought a crew of guys with steel bars, sledgehammers, and other hand tools. Their job was to take away all of the ell except the parts we’re going to move and reuse (namely, the posts, beams, and some of the nice boards). This is what the ell looked like partway through the day, taken from the doorway between the current living room and the ell:
And here’s the ell by the end of the day:
At some point, near the middle of the day, one of the excavators came by the house and ripped the deck away:
By the end of the day, the yard was transformed into a level plain where the crane can sit and where the house can be placed on its way to its final home. Hyla calls this space the “airport” because she can spread her wings and fly.
This leveling also exposed one side of the foundation of the house, where McKernon will create holes into which the steel beams will be placed:
Grongar 