The Silver Fern Ranch
El Paso, Texas
 
 

Stage 6: Dreams need a Structure

                      Jack looks out with trepidation          Jack and Patches have a good run
                      at the construction vehicles.              and play while everyone else works.

As you have seen on the previous page, we are making great strides in framing in the house. However, there is more to building a house than wood framings. Other infrastructural and construction projects that also have to be done in conjunction with building the house. On this page we look at other tasks such as laying the foundation for a workshop/garage, bringing water and electricity to the house, piping the septic in and around the house, and back filling the dirt up to the outside of the house foundation.
Visit our Other Pages
Just a Fool to believe in Dreams

Stage 1: From Dream to Reality

Stage 2: Starting the Dream

Stage 3: Generations Build Dreams

Stage 4: The Foundation of a Dream

Stage 5: Framing a Dream

Stage 6: Dreams need a Structure

Stage 7: Dreams take hard Work
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


The electric pole with lines going to the house


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Experienced Clinical Hypnotherapist - Visualize your Dreams

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Dolores Calderon
 
Laying the Foundation for the Garage/workshop

Although the foundation of the house has been poured already, the foundation for the workshop and garage also have to be poured. Grant frames and wire meshs the area, then once again the concrete guys come back. 

After finishing the pad for the garage workshop, the remainder of the cement is used to pour the flooring for the front porch of the house.
 


 Adding a Gray water system


As well as the normal septic that handles sewage, an additional septic was installed to capture the 'gray water' to be used for watering plants.


Piping for the second Septic System

Putting in a double septic system can be complicated, as you can see from the criss-cross of pipes in the pictures. With both the exposed double plumbing and the partially framed house, the ranch looks more like a construction site than a home.





 Running the water piping and electricity to the house


So far we have had electricity and water (stored in the tanks shown on the right) to the trailer/barn, now we have to back hoe a trench from the water tanks and electric pole to run those utilities to the house. Unfortunately the work has also disturbed the natural environment, which we hope will grow back.. 

The trench runs the length of the site, past the garage pad and to the house site. Of course, silly ol' Patches has to help with the electric wiring.






Back filling dirt to the house

On a previous page we showed Grant standing on the hill of dirt that had to be removed to make the land flat enough to make a level foundation. Well, all of that dirt had to be back filled up to the foundation; also filling in the trenches for the pipes and other wires. 


Good-bye to the Cactus

Through the process of clearing the land, Debie has accumulated large mountains of cactus which are bulldozed into a large hole in the ground. Yaaah! We did not know what else to do with these mountains of pain-causing cactus.


The house on a hill

After the water, sewer and electric trenches have been filled in, the dirt back filled up to the house foundation and the cactus buried, there is a home coming into focus.

I

n the next phase of development, 
Grant and Debie (with the help of neighbors) finish framing the house. ...



                                     Dr Debie LeBeau/Grant Spence 
                                     Silver Fern Ranch

                                                         55013-B  (62/180 hwy)
                                                         El Paso, TX 79938
                                                         PHONE: +1-915-988-2550 
                                                         CELL: +1-413-841-7106
                                                         EMAIL: grantsnz@hotmail.com
                                                                                or
                                                         EMAIL: dr_lebeau@yahoo.com (dr_lebeau)

This page last updated April 18, 2008
© D LeBeau/ G Spence 2008