So, to start at the beginning, we have (rather, had!) a water problem in our basement resulting in mold, and space which could be bedrooms was inhabitable by nothing but storage boxes (and even those were accumulating mildew.) We knew this, and we also knew we'd need to address the problem from the source if it was to be solved. It was just the timing which had not been decided upon. Well, this weekend ended up being the window of opportunity. And so launched "The Project."
We rented a digger, and proceeded to dig around the foundation of the front and south walls (bedroom side) of the house.
Gone be the bushes!
Lots of big rocks!
They dug trenches about 7 ft deep along the walls so that we could put up insulation and plastic, then lay drainage pipe, gravel, and properly installed gutter drains.
The kids were firmly positioned along the steps so they could watch everything happen. 
Along with digging along the walls, they dug a ditch for the pipes out the front and across the drive so that the water could be drained far away from the house.
They ran into rock about a foot short of where the bottom of the ditch needed to be. (Water doesn't run up . . . ) So they rented a jack-hammer--thankfully it broke the rock up with a reasonable amount of effort. 
Another blessing was that the gravel got delivered less than six hours after it was ordered!
And the biggest blessing of all was the wonderful crew of friends who came to help us put all these piles back where they belonged!! We never could have finished the job without them--thanks, guys!!!
Saturday morning began with basic prep work . . . Jonathan and Dad "socked" the black drainage pipe . . .
Daniel built the forms that were used to keep the gravel where it belonged as it was poured into the trenches.
And Dan finished digging along the south wall while Hunter scraped it clean.
After the insulation came plastic. (Somehow, I think the water issues are a thing of the past!)
Laying the drainage pipe.
Putting the forms in place. The forms keep you from having to use more gravel ($$) than necessary. :o)
Then dumping gravel and dirt back into the hole. The gravel and dirt have to be put back by hand until the drainage pipe is covered. After that, the Digger does the job. :o)
The same basic steps (minus insulation and plastic) were repeated for the ditch to take the water away from the house.
Here's Dad getting the gutter drains installed. And just to be clear, because I know I'd be confused if I hadn't watched it happen, the "black drainage pipe" goes at the bottom of the 7 foot trench and is covered with gravel--that's to catch any water that seeps through the ground and chanel it away from the house. The "gutter drains" are white PVC that are connected to the house gutter system to carry away all of that water. Those are about 2-3 feet below the surface.
Another angle on the gutter drains which go down the ditch.
Refilling the drainage ditch . . .
Daniel built the forms that were used to keep the gravel where it belonged as it was poured into the trenches.
And Dan finished digging along the south wall while Hunter scraped it clean. After the prep work, the real fun began! Putting up the insulation! :o)
Tar is messy stuff!
After the insulation came plastic. (Somehow, I think the water issues are a thing of the past!)
Laying the drainage pipe.
Putting the forms in place. The forms keep you from having to use more gravel ($$) than necessary. :o)
Then dumping gravel and dirt back into the hole. The gravel and dirt have to be put back by hand until the drainage pipe is covered. After that, the Digger does the job. :o)
The same basic steps (minus insulation and plastic) were repeated for the ditch to take the water away from the house.
Here's Dad getting the gutter drains installed. And just to be clear, because I know I'd be confused if I hadn't watched it happen, the "black drainage pipe" goes at the bottom of the 7 foot trench and is covered with gravel--that's to catch any water that seeps through the ground and chanel it away from the house. The "gutter drains" are white PVC that are connected to the house gutter system to carry away all of that water. Those are about 2-3 feet below the surface.
Another angle on the gutter drains which go down the ditch.
Refilling the drainage ditch . . .
Ben did a lot of that job!
Dan used his expertise and many hours of experience to run the Digger.
The piles grow smaller!
And smaller! You can see the kids watching from their bedroom window in this picture.
Peter was absolutely fascinated! 
And here's what it looked like when we "finished" Saturday evening . . .
And for the record, what did the ladies and kids do all day? Well, we made cookies! (Lots of them!)
Minus the cookie baking, Mom cheerfully watched the kids all morning! (THANKS Mom!!!) They skipped naps on Friday to watch the excitement, so they were absolutely exhausted by Saturday afternoon and completely slept through all of the digging and work that was happening right under their window.
I spent the morning preparing lunch for a very hungry crew of men! Thankfully they were full before the dishes were emptied! :o)
And while all of this would probably not have been my first choice of projects for the weekend, I am so thankful for the wonderful help we received and for the fact that we can rest assured that water issues are a thing of the past. :o)
Dan used his expertise and many hours of experience to run the Digger.
The piles grow smaller!
And smaller! You can see the kids watching from their bedroom window in this picture.
Peter was absolutely fascinated! 
And here's what it looked like when we "finished" Saturday evening . . .
At least we really didn't have any "lawn" to speak of before The Project! :o)
And for the record, what did the ladies and kids do all day? Well, we made cookies! (Lots of them!)
Minus the cookie baking, Mom cheerfully watched the kids all morning! (THANKS Mom!!!) They skipped naps on Friday to watch the excitement, so they were absolutely exhausted by Saturday afternoon and completely slept through all of the digging and work that was happening right under their window.
I spent the morning preparing lunch for a very hungry crew of men! Thankfully they were full before the dishes were emptied! :o)
And while all of this would probably not have been my first choice of projects for the weekend, I am so thankful for the wonderful help we received and for the fact that we can rest assured that water issues are a thing of the past. :o)
