Skip to content
  • Menu Item
  • Menu Item
  • Menu Item
  • Menu Item
  • Menu Item
Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm

Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm

Where we do stuff

  • About
    • The Cast
    • The Contractor List
    • Weather
    • Stay
    • Privacy Policy
  • Aerial
    • Original Aerial Photos
    • December 2017
    • November 2016
    • May 2018
    • April 2019 Aerial Photos
  • Other Media
    • Vista
      • 2025 Time Lapse
      • 2024 Timelapses
      • 2023 Timelapse
      • 2022 Timelapses
      • 2021 Timelapses
      • Past Videos
    • Stega on Instagram
    • The Boys on Instagram
    • Building Race Cars
    • The Race Team
  • North Garden Stream
  • Toggle search form
Say hello to the readers, Giggles

The Wall Saga: Addendum

Posted on June 19, 2017May 1, 2025 By stega

After spending over two months detailing all the work that was put in to rebuilding our large retaining wall, a few remaining items are worth mentioning.

The work would not have been possible or as easy if we had not located on Craigslist a small skid steer that met our needs in both use and budget. We named it Giggles, as it looks like a giant baby toy, and I can just imagine a giant baby grasping it and running it back and forth all the while giggling maniacally. It has become our go-to vehicle for a lot of work around here, as its ability to lift and carry things is wonderful–so much so that we purchased strap-on treads for use during the muddy season and forks that can be used instead of the bucket.

As part of the deal to buy Giggles, we also picked up a small compactor. Between the two of them we were able to move and mush a lot of dirt, and get the trench floor nice and level. Since we now own the compactor we’ve found many other uses for it.

Say hello to the readers, Giggles
Say hello to the readers, Giggles
Giggles the Skid Steer
Giggles the Skid Steer
Giggles' trusty sidekick, the Compactor
Giggles’ trusty sidekick, the Compactor

One temporary item we had on site was a “facility” for the workers to use. Since several projects were going on at the same time (wall replacement; dry rot repair on the great room and studio buildings; perimeter fencing work), everyone could make use of it, but I must admit I did not do so.

Unisex facility
Unisex facility

Another extra note: the engineers responsible for “designing” the wall miscalculated, and we ended up with extra concrete blocks. Two of them were used to shore up the access ramp we created from the driveway into the west pastures (pic 1). The rest, including two half-blocks, are out behind the garage; we are sure to find a use for them soon enough.

Extra blocks in use
Extra blocks in use
Extra blocks waiting for their big day
Extra blocks waiting for their big day

Agent Smith spent some time using the excavator before we had it picked up. He used it to move some of the rubble and flatten out the fresh dirt at the southwest corner of the wall. It convinced us that we would want to buy our own similar unit sometime soon so we could do other (granted, smaller) projects on our own timeline and power.

Agent Smith making use of the excavator
Agent Smith getting his money’s worth out of the excavator rental

Lastly, with all the trucks (almost two dozen 18-wheelers, the porta-potty service truck, 7 dumptruck loads full of rocks, and three or four trucks transporting 30 cu. yd. dumpsters), we only had one “accident”–and of course it was the very last thing to happen. When the United driver came to pick up the excavator, he crushed the christy box for the irrigation valves for the northwest garden area. Not only did it create a mess, I couldn’t remember where the shutoff from the house to those valves was located, so I had to go up to the well tank to shut off the main line since I couldn’t reach the main cutoff behind the garage. Still, the driver’s insurance wrote us a check for the damage, which will cover the cost of sorting out that area’s watering needs in the future.

Big Truck
Big Truck
Crushed christy box and damaged pipes
Crushed christy box and damaged pipes
Damaged irrigation valves
Damaged irrigation valves

So there you have it, the end of the Great Wall of Purgatory saga. It really was an ordeal, but we made it through and now we have a proper wall. It was time to move on to the next disaster.

Projects Tags:Wall

Post navigation

Previous Post: The Wall Saga: Finishing Touches
Next Post: Contest Closing
  • Cheap speakers
    Patching and Studio Speaker Removal Projects
  • End table top fully sanded
    More Old Tables Made New Crafts
  • New, non-leaky connections
    Softener Drips Every Day Things
  • Wireless-izing the furnace
    The Bowels of Purgatory, Part 3: Thermostat Enlightenment Interior
  • Exterior-Courtyard-Garage 2015
    A peek inside Update
  • Now Open: Purgatory Heavy Equipment School Every Day Things
  • Time Lapse Beta Every Day Things
  • The View, Part 4 of 4 Every Day Things

Archives

Timelapse Video

Aerial Animal Art Auction Birds Courtyard Crafts Driveway Electrical Exterior Fence Flooring Foyer Furnace Furniture Garage Great Room Kitchen Lights Machinery Neighbors Nest Box North Garden North Hallway North Office Painting Panorama People Plants Plumbing Pool Race Car Road Shed Stables Stega Studio Stuff Trash Travel Tree Vehicles View Wall Well

On This Day

  • The Mini Muni Bus
    There be Race Cars, Part Four: The Bus (BDR4)
    2023
  • Panorama June 2020
    Sunday Panorama
    2020

See all...

Stega's Other Sites
networkgirl-icon
Stega All Around the World
diving-icon
The Diving Stega
voice-icon
The Talking Stega
flying-icon
The Flying Stega
stega-icon
Outside My Window

sdat-icon
All Content Copyright: Stega Doggie and Tree LLC

Copyright © 2025 Stega Doggie and Tree LLC