Day #7: The First Week Recap - From Rocky Start to... More Rocks

The Ceremonial Start (And the Real One)

The first week started exactly how you'd expect by now – rocky. And I don't just mean metaphorically (though that too).

We kicked things off dealing with those delays from the Conservation Commission that I mentioned in my previous post – you know, the approval process that taught me so much about patience and meditation. But once we finally got the green light and started digging, it was time for the mandatory ceremonial photo with the golden shovel!

Because nothing says "serious construction project" like pretending a decorative shovel is going to move the first scoop of dirt when you've got massive excavators standing by!

The Real Progress Begins

Once we got past the photo ops and actually started digging, the progress was fast and visible to even the naked eye. There's something deeply satisfying about watching months of planning turn into actual, measurable change to the landscape.

And by "change," I mean we've moved out over 150 truckloads of dirt so far – with more coming. When I said this was going to involve some excavation, I clearly underestimated the scale!

The euphoria of seeing real progress lasted exactly until the end of the week.

Plot Twist: The Land Fights Back

The first week ended the same way it started – rocky. But this time, I mean it literally.

We uncovered SO many rocks buried under the surface. And I'm not talking about the kind of rocks you skip across a pond. Most of these bad boys are manageable at about 3-4 feet in diameter, but some are just massive – think the size of a good pickup truck!

Remember when I thought this flat, tree-free land would make for "simple and relatively inexpensive" site work? The land is having a good laugh at my expense right about now.

Today's $90,000 Lesson

Today I learned what this $90,000 tool is for. Any guesses?

It's a rock crusher.

We'll be using this beast to break up the big rocks that are otherwise impossible to bring up from underground and move. Apparently, when Mother Nature decides to store truck-sized boulders in your "perfect" building site, you don't negotiate with her – you bring in the heavy artillery.

Who knew that "site preparation" would require equipment that costs more than most people's houses?

Making Lemonade (Or Boulder Barriers)

Speaking of rocks, I managed to negotiate with the town to use many of these boulders as Permanent Immovable Barriers (PIB) to mark the buffer zone for the wetlands. It's a fancy way of saying we'll use our problem rocks to clearly show where the wetlands start and should be preserved.

Sometimes the best solutions are the ones where your biggest headache becomes part of the answer. Plus, these boulders aren't going anywhere anyway – might as well put them to work!

Banking: The Plot Thickens

I'm also learning that dealing with the bank is much more challenging than I imagined it would be. And here I thought the Conservation Commission was going to be my biggest bureaucratic adventure.

On a personal level, everybody at the bank is incredibly understanding and supportive. But they have strict guidelines to follow, and unfortunately, those guidelines might put significant strain on the project.

Here's the fun part: With the exception of helping with a partial deposit for the metal building and the RTU (that's the massive HVAC system), we not only have to pre-pay for everything to get reimbursed, but we also must receive all materials and store them on-site before getting our money back.

The Great On-Site Storage Circus

This means we have to bring materials like plumbing pipes, transformer curbing, and countless other items on-site and crowd our work space. This is definitely not ideal when you're trying to give your site crew room to effectively maneuver their heavy machinery to clear land and prep for the foundation.

Picture this: massive excavators trying to do precision work while navigating around strategically placed piles of plumbing supplies. It's like trying to perform surgery in a storage unit.

Also, even though we've already paid to order things like EV chargers, electrical switchgear, and padel courts to be manufactured, we won't get our money back from the bank until they're actually delivered – which could be months from now.

It's disappointing, but it is what it is, and we'll have to deal with it. I'm adding "Construction Site Tetris Champion" to my growing list of unexpected job skills.

What's Coming Next

In the following week or two, more dirt will be moved out (we're well on our way to truck load #200 at this point), rocks will be crushed (literally), and hopefully we'll get the land ready for the foundation to be poured for the main building.

I'm trying not to make any bold predictions about timelines anymore, because apparently this land has a sense of humor and enjoys proving me wrong. But hey, at least the surprises are keeping things interesting!

And who knows? Maybe next week I'll discover what other expensive equipment I never knew existed. The learning never stops in this business.

Stay tuned for more adventures in "How Hard Could It Be?" 🚧

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P.S. – If anyone has experience with rock crushers and wants to place bets on what we'll dig up next week, I'm taking all suggestions. My money's on either buried treasure or Jimmy Hoffa at this point.