Making a Level Spot

The felling of trees has always been something that has concerned me.  I have often thought upon seeing countless housing developments that too many trees get sacrificed for want of open space.  Our decision to put a house in Through the Woods brought with it the realization that space had to be made; but we still wanted that space to be made cautiously.  When all the tree clearing was complete, however, it looked like we were not too cautious. The seemingly vast open space that was created looked like it could contain the footprint of the new Freedom Tower in NYC!

In addition to the absence of trees was the gash we put in the hillside.  It was hard to grasp exactly how much the ground sloped with all the trees in place but with them gone, it became evident.  In order to make a level place for the house and backyard pool, we had to take a sizable chunk out of the hillside.  So now, we are faced with the necessity to build a retaining wall where a gentle slope once was.

But, we have a level space now.  We have a platform from which to build and we can now begin laying out the area on which the house will stand.

In addition to the site clearing and leveling, we now have a nice road bed put down which will make it possible to get construction traffic to the building site.  What started out as a wandering collection of stakes and flags marking the driveway through the woods has emerged as a well-built entrance to the home site.

So, now the clearing is done and, hopefully, all trees have been cleared.  We now wait the time when we can proceed.  But, we are hopeful it will be soon and in the meantime we have a blank canvas and the imagination with which to paint.