CELLAR HELLER DAY 2 12:25pm update

Went out to run some errands and came back to find that the crew has been busting ass! I'm really impressed by what's been done.

The trench is all dug and just needs to be cleared. And look at this!

We have sump pump! Or, some of it.

Oh the humanity! Full of water from the start. But soon enough that water will go...

Out this hole in the wall. It's already tied into the downspout system outside. And look at this:

They finally dug around the hot water tank. "I wondered how you were going to get around the hot water tank," I said to the guy. His reply: "Very carefully." Skilled with a jackhammer and funny, too!

It looks like they're going to get the pipe layed, or at least most of it, today. And I think the pump will be all set up, too; but maybe not wired to the electric yet. And Eddie tells me that he won't install the battery back-up until tomorrow.

Probably the worst part of all of this is second-guessing yourself. I mean, this is a pretty big operation going on in my basement... but is all the fuss and bother really necessary? I ran into my neighbor as I was coming back, and he asked me what was going on. I told him, and he kinda gave me the fish-eye, and told me how he had put a ditch in his backyard to deal with runoff. It felt like he was saying, "Dude, really? You need all that bullshit? I dug a ditch, solved my problem. Aren't you going a little overboard?"

And, y'know, maybe we are. We're going to have additional drainage put into the backyard, and grade the yard away from the house. Would that have solved the problem by itself? Maybe. We've never know. But, all you can do is tell yourself that you're solving the problem... maybe we're over-solving the problem, but better that then have to come back in a year and dig up the lawn again.

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