Site condition the morning of Excavation Day 4:

The new location of our electrical meter:

The underside of the house – the product of multiple generations of Harry Homeowner jobs (we’re not blameless here – there’s some of our handiwork from a few years ago included here):

Our crappy, old hose bib, now suspended in mid-air above our heads. The thing leaked when we moved in, in May 2000, because the freeze protector had popped out of the top. Our solution? Shove the end of a wax candle into it (just temporarily of course) and strap it in with an old mountain bike innertube. This temporarily solution actually survived until now.

Profile of the old steps to the basement. The door jam that used to house Ol’ Rotty is to the left.

Work on excavation for the footings has begun.

The guys’ ingenious system of hauling the excavated dirt and construction materials:

Our exposed, dangling electrical panel:

Footing preparation work complete.

Excavation of the east side under the stairs complete: