Land Clearing has Begun!

Today, Joe from C&C Logging arrived on site and brought the land clearing machine!  The machine is incredible to see in action. It is a huge excavator with a claw attached to it. The claw reaches out and clamps onto the tree trunk, then a huge saw blade spins out and slices through the bottom of the tree. Joe then turns the machine and lays the tree down gently on the ground wherever he wants!  Amazing.  As a side note... Joe and his wife, Tammy, coincidently happen to own "Amber" who is the beautiful beagle that gave birth to Maple! 

Here is the machine!

Just starting into the tree line to make the first cuts to the new driveway.  Watch as the machine takes about five trees in one clamp, spins and places them down.

Carefully laying logs along side the driveway.

Cutting up a few smaller trees...

The machine cut the driveway, now Joe is starting to clear the lot opening where the house is going to be built.

Watch as the machine plucks an enormous tree.

Let there be light into the woods!   My Dad, Shannon, and I all were watching.

This was enough work to call it a day at about 6:00 PM.   Joe has another job to finish tomorrow, but he will be back at it come Monday morning.

Check in next week for another update. Thanks for visiting!

August 4, 2011

Hey everyone!  Well today I am happy to say is the first day of seeing our progress actually come to light. Because of the brook, I had to apply for a special permit from the wetlands/conservation commission. This involved applications, filings, town hearings, and then the issuance of special conditions. These "special conditions" include having to place a silt fence barrier along the edge of the wetlands line, to protect the brook and everything within its banks from runoff and contaminates during construction. Also, a large D.E.P. sign with assigned case number has to be prominently displayed out by the road.

I'm sure my Grandpa Herzig would consider this elaborate process to be a "bunch of fuddy duddy!"

.... and so goes the silt fence installation.

The silt fencing was placed about 6 inches into the ground, then packed on each side with dirt for a solid footing.

 A couple minutes after this photo was taken, the excavator hit an underground bee's nest. The two guys laying the fence got stung.  Ouch!  I think we all ran until the coast was clear.

Resuming operations into the woods.  About another fifty feet of fence to go and then we were done.  I got the okay from the Southwick Conservation Commission representative who came out and inspected the site to be sure I was compliant with all the special conditions.

June 5, 2011

This is the beginning of our "Happily Ever After..."

On June 5, 2011, this is what the property looked like. We spent all of June and July working out the final details, preparing for the build and construction of what we call the Maple Acres Farm!

 Here is the driveway, entering from the intersection of Laro Road and North Longyard Road.

 In the center of this picture is approximately where the driveway will "split off" and be cut into the woods.

 This is a view facing back out towards the road.

Just entering into the woods from the already gravel portion of the driveway. You can see the pink ribbon used by the surveyors to mark the driveway location.

 Another view in the woods.

Driveway will be coming up through here!