Ditches

I was through with hiring contractors. I needed to solve the problem of water flowing towards the house and studio. So I figured out where the problem areas were, carefully read instructions on how to make drainage ditches, bought some perforated plastic drainage tubing and worked out a system: a French drain for the length of the front of the studio and buried plastic drains to perforated drains from the back of the house gutter pipes.

I called up the manager of the men's mission in town and had him find two good laborers for me. I picked up two men at the crack of dawn and we spent the day digging trenches together, laying drainage tubing and gravel and then covering it back up. I bought us all a big pizza lunch and after work snacks. They were two of the best workers I had throughout and you know they weren't expensive.


In the above photo, you can see a pile of of shoes and boots. I do not want to tell you how many pairs I went through over the course of the building! Dirt inside the shoes and boots. Dirty feet. Dirty floors.