The past couple of weeks we have been concentrating on getting power lines run to the house site. The land is pretty inaccessible except for the road we put in; steep hills, lots of thick forest. We have kinda been putting this off for whatever reason but we just had to get to it. I was able to procure a free backhoe, which helps greatly, and if you can swing that you generally don't get a choice about when you get the equipment so you just have to stop whatever else you are doing and use it. Anyway, we did not want the power lines to come down the driveway because the power company loves to whack a 30 foot wide swath all the way down the lines and it would have just destroyed the looks of the drive. So, we had to convince them it would be easier on everyone if they would come in this back way. There is a small subdivision at the end of the valley (and the land) that they could come off of so we cleared this road to show them the lay of the land and that it is actually closer this way. The power man came out and Allen showed him around and he agreed to do it this way! I was very happy. If another house is ever built out here it would be on this side anyway and so the power will already be there. Now, I know I said that I wanted to avoid wanton destruction of trees coming in one way and this road looks horrible so I know somebody is thinking, "that really helped". Well, here's my thinking. The drive has old growth forest also (which is very pretty and home to many critters) and this area is relatively new stuff. Very thick and not too pretty. Another big thing is that, to everyone's horror, the power company here has started using RoundUp to keep the land under their lines clear. They spray everthing anywhere and it looks horrible and I believe is very unhealthy. In this area of my property, I intend to keep it cleared anyway for pasture and can possibly keep the power company from spraying if I can keep the foliage cut back. The power company will only have to set 4 poles so I don't think it's going to cost me anything and eventually I want to run underground from the last pole to the house. I don't like to see power lines etc. It will probably take a few weeks to actually get the lines in so for a while still we are on generator power.
I just happened to be up at our little apartment at sunset and snapped this pic. This was unusual because we have been working so much lately alot of times we don't actually get to the apartment until way after dark. I thought it was a cool view because you can see over into the next valley.Well, this weekend our friend Ted is coming to help us again and we will continue to frame the rest of the roof. I want to have that done by the end of this month. I am going to have to start setting some hard deadlines to motivate us more.
3 comments:
I understand the necessity of bringing in power, and I understand the power company's need to have a wide swath for the line. Too bad the forest has to change, but it will give you more edge, which is where most wildlife congregates anyway.
May I ask how much you are paying per foot to bring in the line? Could it have been done all underground instead of up on poles? Will this include cable for television/internet? How is it that you can lead such a charmed life?
I think that was a wise choice and keeping pasture under it will probably work in convincing the power company to not spray.
Here they seem to be using a new machine that cuts and mulches everything in one swoop.
Your house is looking great. I need to get by here more often.
Hey Pablo! I understand their need to keep the lines clear, I just hate some of the methods they use. The deer may actually appreciate having a little more grazing area. It's so dense in most places now there is really not any grass for them on my property. As far as your questions, I'm not sure the power is actually going to cost me anything. I may have to pay for one pole to be set. I will post more about this later.
It could all be done underground be that would cost me greatly and would probably involve a subcontractor.
The phone company will use these poles to run their lines later and their lines of course, can be used for cable/internet if I decide to go that way. I am inclined towards satelite TV etc.
Sometimes I'm not sure if it's charmed or cursed. ;)
Hey FC! Thanks and glad you stopped by!
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