Septic Install

We are far enough out of Tucson that we can not tap into the local sewer system.  We debated for a long time about whether or not to go completely off grid and install composting toilets and had pretty much decided that was the direction we were going, against the concerns of Jeff's mom.  But after a fortuitous stop at the Real Goods store in Hopland, CA, we laid eyes on what we thought was going to be the throne of our dreams only to have our dreams brought back to earth by the knowledgeable salesman.  He educated us to the fact that composting toilets probably weren't right for our house.  A septic system it was to be.  So that night at the family reunion we informed Jeff's mom about our new decision and she let out a cheer of joy! 

Of course nothing is easy when it comes to this house endeavor and so it was with the septic system also.  Back in November of 2018 we had a crew come out and evaluate our property for possible septic system locations.  After digging a couple holes around the property in order to perform some percolation tests, the water guy informed us that there was only one place we could put the leach field and since it was so small and so close to the wash we would have to use an alternative septic system called an Elgen System.  

Mini excavator digging for the perc test

Mini excavator in action

Perc test hole ... yeah no rocks, mostly dirt!

So now that we knew what kind of system we were going to use we just needed to wait until we got to the right place in the build schedule to start the install.  The first step was to excavate the hole for the septic tank.  The tank needed to be up near the house so can you guess what they had to bring out to dig the hole?  Yup, you guessed it the big hammer!  They did all the excavation while we were at work so we saved our ears, but we were left with a big hole in the ground.

Initial prep work before The Hammer arrives

The Hammer returns!

Checking progress

Jeff at the bottom of the hole

Septic tank hole description

With the hole completed it was time to bring in the septic tank.  We went with a 1500 gal tank which is way more than we need for the two of us, but it will allow for growth if we ever decide to add another bathroom.  The truck didn't have any issues coming up the hill but getting it backed up to the hole required a three point turn with a lot of micro turns added in for good measure.

Arrival of the truck

First test was to back into the big parking spot

Then turn down the hill

Finally backed up to the hole

We encountered our next hurdle once the truck was backed up to the hole.  The tuck has to put out/down legs on the back to increase its stability for when the crane is used to lower the tank into the hole.  Well, the ground was not very compact and the support legs kept sinking into the dirt.  Lucas did a little negotiating with the driver, moved some rocks around and finally we were ready to crane the tank into the hole.

Lucas negotiating with the driver

There weren't any lifting points on the tank, instead they wrapped a chain around and over the tank and when they put tension on the chain the friction between the chain and the tank kept the tank from slipping out of the chain.  A very simple and efficient process.

Hooking up the crane for the lift

The start of the lifting process

The swing

The placement

Placement complete

It really is a big tank ... the leap over to it was fun too!

Nancy contemplating her existance

With the tank in place it was time to partially back fill around the tank.  

Burying the tank

The next step was to connect the septic line from the house to the tank and then start digging the trench downhill from the tank to the leach field.

Septic line from the house to the tank

The first section of the trench

Around the bend and down the hill to the leach field

The leach field is located about half way down the hill toward the wash crossing just to the north of the road up to the house.  This is where they put in the Elgen system.  This system uses a series of geotextile fabric baffles to provide verticle surface area and oxygen transfer to the treated effluent before it is applied to the soil.  This increases the long-term acceptance rate into the soil.  The first step in the installation was to dig two parallel trenches.  Each being about four feet deep, four feet across and 40 feet long.

Digging the trenches

Showing off the trenches

Once the trenches were dug it was time to install the Elgen system.  First a layer of sand was put down on the bottom of the trenches.  Then the baffles were laid end to end along the bottom of the trench.

The stack of baffles

Close-up of the baffles

Baffles being laid in the trench end-to-end

One trench down, one to go

Once the baffles were in place a perferated pipe was run down the center of the baffles and then special fabric was put down to cover everything and keep the soil off the top of the baffles.  A vertical pipe was installed at the end of each baffle trench to mark the end of the system.

Everything is complete and ready to be back filled

The one nice thing about the leach field is we now have a flat area in which we can install a native plant food garden.  Our plan is to plant shallow rooted plants such as prickly pear and cholla cacti from which we can then harvest nopales (young cactus pads), tunas (prickly pear fruit) and cholla buds.  We have these growing wild on the property but it will be nice to have some in a centralized location for easy picking.

All back filled and leveled

The last thing to do was to back fill the trench for the pipe running from the tank down the hill to the leach field. The crew made quick work of this with the help of the mini excavator.

Mini excavator finishing things up

After a couple monsoon cycles the desert will reclaim this area and we won't be able to tell there was a trench here

PATIO ROOF INSTALL 

With the temperatures cooling down it was getting to be time for the exterior to be plastered, but before they started on that we needed to get the patio roof constructed.  The frame for the roof is made of square steel tubing that is supported by five steel poles.  The shape mimics the shape of the patio with its distinctive point which draws your attention to the horizon between the Empire and Whetstone Mountians to the southeast.  The cantilevered roof was engineered so that none of the support poles obstructed this view.  This proved to be a challenge as the steel tubing needed to be cut at specific angles.  Dwayne and his crew of welders proved to be up for the task.

The frame and supporting poles

The frame was anchored to the house on either end.  In addition, a piece of steel was attached to the wall to act as a ledger.  The purlins would be welded to the ledger on one end and the frame on the other.

Roof frame bolted to wall and steel ledger  

The intitial welding of the patio roof is complete and the ledger is installed ... notice the cool cantilevered point?

With the framing complete they moved on to welding up the steel C-purlins and then plywood decking was screwed to the purlins.

Without the roof decking you can see the purlins' shadows

The roof decking install is complete

The next step was to attach furring strips to the underside of the purlins.  The pine ceiling planks (same as the ones on the interior ceiling) would be screwed into the furring strips.  3/4" plywood was ripped into 3" strips to produce the furring strips.

Furring strips installed

The last step before installing the ceiling planks was to staple up a layer of black landscaping cloth.  As the planks dry and age they shrink a little and even if they are installed flush with each other gaps will appear between the planks.  The purpose of the cloth was to provide an inexpensive way of making the gaps uniform in color and keep you from seeing into the cavity between the planks and the plywood decking.  This sounds like an easy thing to do but throw in a windy day and it proved to be a challenge.

Lucas, Bill and Jacob installing the landscaping cloth

Just like the interior ceiling planks, these pine planks were rough sawn so each plank was run through the table saw to give it a flat edge and then run through one more time to cut it to the correct width.  The planks were first temporarily kept in place with small wire nails.

 

Lucas holding up a plank while Bill reloads the nail gun

Jacob and Bill getting ready to install another plank

Bill and Jacob finishing up the install on the last couple planks

Once all the ceiling planks were in place, the next step was to install the screws which would permanently keep the planks in place.  To keep the line of screws straight the team snapped chalk lines onto the ceiling.

One chalk like complete

Chalking the lines for the screws

Once the chalk lines were snapped the team went to work installing the hundreds of screws necessary to keep the planks in place.  This is no easy task as they need to hold the drills above their heads.  They were very relieved to have this job complete, as now all the ceiling and soffit planks have been installed!

Now it was time to walnut blast the soffits and ceiling planks, just like they did on the interior ceilings of the house and casita.  The father and son team of Armando and Ivan came back out and completed the walnut blasting.  It was much more comfortable for them doing it in mid January than in the middle of June like the last time.  This will even out the finish on the planks and erase some mold stains that appeared as this batch of pine planks was quite a bit greener than the first batch that we installed on the interior ceilings.  This was also evident in the small gaps that formed between the planks over the next few months as they continued to cure and dry.

Armando and Ivan's truck with the diesel motor and blasting machine.  The hopper (round can on the right) is where the crushed walnut shells are fed into the machine.

Ivan walnut blasting the patio ceiling

Ivan walnut blasting the soffits

KITCHEN CABINETS 

Another big item checked-off the list - kitchen cabinets and an island!  It was some what of an early 20th anniversary present for us as they were installed in the morning and we left for our anniversary trip to Flagstaff that afternoon.  

The team from Arizona Cabinets were well aware of the precarious wash crossing and brought the cabinets out in thier small truck.  We have had a couple of the bigger box trucks get stuck in the wash because their wheel base it too long and rear wheels can't get enough traction.

The small truck

The cabinets are constructed in sections so they can be more easily transported and will fit through the door easier.  Once they had all the cabinets unloaded it was time to get them in the house and installed.

Unloading the truck

The first couple of cabinets are brought inside

And some more

Now this is a puzzle!

With all the cabinet sections inside it was time to start putting the puzzle together.  Lew, the owner of Arizona Cabinets, came out first thing in the morning and marked on the floor where each cabinet was supposed to go according to the plans. They have to be spaced correctly so we can fit in all the appliances.

Lew (center) trying to solve the puzzle

Once they were in the right spot they had to be leveled and anchored to the wall.  And for the island, which was actually made up of four separate cabinet pieces, it had to be anchored to the floor.

Lew's crew working on the install

Initial leveling of the cabinets

Things are starting to take shape

Getting things exactly level!

We couldn't stick around to see them finish up the install as we had reservations in Flagstaff that night.  The bonus of picking the Flagstaff area for our anniversary trip was we were able to visit the sawmill where our ceiling planks were milled.  We needed a few more live edge pieces for the exterior window sills so Silas, the owner of AP Sawmill, let us stop by and we were able to watch him mill the pieces we needed.  It was fun to actually see where our wood came from and how it was produced.  

Silas and his sawmill

Silas working the sawmill

Running our pieces through the sawmill to get them the right width

Silas cutting our pieces to length

We had a incredible anniversary weekend!  A night in Flagstaff at an historic hotel and then a couple nights at an off the grid Hip Camp trailer just south of the Grand Canyon.  We have had 20 wonderful years together and this house build has only made our bond stronger for the many more to come.

Beach sand or desert sand ... the woman still makes the dress!

Have we really changed that much in 20 years?

We stopped by the new house on our way back from Flagstaff to see the how the install went and we were very pleased.  The house is starting to feel like a house!  With the cabinets in place the plaster team can now start working on the interior finish plastering.

I think Nancy likes this anniversary present!

A couple weeks after the cabinets were installed they came back out and installed the countertops.  The counter tops for the normal cabinets are quartz.  The one on the island is Ice Stone, which has small pieces of recycled glass incorporated into it.

The countertop for the cabinets along the north wall was too long for one piece of quartz so they split it into two pieces.  The joint is in the middle of the sink.  It is amazing how they can make the seam almost disappear.

Can you see the seam?

The long north wall countertop with the kitchen sink

The 90° bend at the end of the long countertop

The short section between the stove and refrigerator

The island with mood lighting to highlight its character

The finished look

After the countertops were installed we realized the angle in the northwest corner of the kitchen wasn't a true 90° angle.  Since it was already installed and it was over 8 ft long, it wouldn't be feasable to take it off and re-cut it back at the shop. Lew's crew came out and sliced off a small sliver of quartz and then polished the edge.  They did an great job as you can't even tell they did anything to the edge.

Cutting and vacuuming up the dust

Grinding the edge 

Buffing the edge 

Polishing the edge

We have had the countertops covered with heavy duty paper to protect them during the rest of the construction so we haven't been able to enjoy them or for that matter remember what they look like.  It will be a nice surprise when we finally uncover them for good.