The Wall: Phase 1 Trenches



Hi again!  So this is mostly a photo blog, since text won't help all that much.  But let me set the stage.  The starting point in the big retaining wall project was first to dig trenches.  These start out fairly minor to set the path, then are deepened.  This first phot shows the beginning trench going uphill, and that little leg to the right  goes through the stair center support post, and then cuts back uphill to join the house foundation. 

That little tree in the bottom right corner of the photo was broken off when trimming dead trees at the beginning of this project.  It used to provide what would have been awesome shade over the parking area.  Alas, that will take 2 or 3 years to regrow the top; but should be a nice tree to have in this space. 

This next photo continues the trench in the first one downhill, and then cuts "left" to the driveway.  There are lots of perspectives I might have oriented these photos. But seemed to me uphill on top, and downhill on the bottom made most sense.  In future blogs you may want to make a mental note to come back to this one.  There will be a couple dozen more as this particular project continues....

In the first photo I mentioned the trench cutting right and through the center post of the stair...  This is another view, from uphill down.  If you double click the photo it will enlarge and you can see the cut back to the foundation (stairs rest on the foundation). 

This is a view of the bottom of hill trench from ground level.  I'm actually standing on the bodega floor as I shot this, somewhat higher than ground level.  The driveway level is at the top of this photo.

So this little set gives some idea of where.  Size...  That trench in the lower photo is 4.5 meters long.  The cut at the bottom right corner is a 45degree angle that'll make more sense in future blogs. 

So there you have it!  This marks the beginning of the work.