Getting a Load of Sand Today
By Kharla Jolly
@kobesbuddy (78871)
East Tawas, Michigan
May 14, 2024 2:10pm CST
Today, Eric is bringing a load of sand, to place in the hole he dug. What is this for? I guess it's to prevent mold and mildew from becoming a problem in the house.
My parents built a home in 1958, on Tawas Lake Road, East Tawas, Mi. We had an awful moisture problem, for some reason. Possibly there wasn't enough ventilation around our foundation.
Mom tried everything to prevent mold and mildew from growing. This was a problem that made her asthma a lot worse. She purchased a de-humidifier, which helped a lot.
When we bought Mom's home, Jay had a sump-pump installed in our crawl space. It worked beautifully, to combat the moisture issue that we dealt with.
Anyway, that load of sand will be a preventative measure, from what I understand.
Jay just explains things to me, as we go. Neither one of us has built a home before. But, Jay worked in the building business for over twenty years. He worked in the office, doing take offs.
7 people like this
7 responses
@BearArtistLady (6036)
• United States
14 May
Gee, for a moment I thought that maybe....nahhhh. Jay wouldn't use it to cover a body. That's too 1930's and 40's. I know that problem with asthma. I even get near a smoker that isn't smoking and my lungs plug up and it's hard to breathe. It's also great to plant in if there is any spread outside. I used to have a huge garden when we lived out at the beach here in California when I was a kid. We ate a LOT of veggies from my plantings. You're lucky, like I was, that people explain as they go along. It helps later if you need to have work done yourself.
Come to think of it, one thing my father did when we bought our own home inland was cover the septic tank with sand so that if it needed to be pumped it was easy to dig up. He also installed a drainway for the septic pumper to drop the hose down to pump the tank at our home on the lake. Boy did it save money!!!
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
14 May
If I get near a smoker or they walk in my home, I start coughing and get congested. Mom and Grandma were avid gardeners, flowers and vegetables. Myself, I don't like gardening or outdoor activities. We had a septic tank, for many years. Then, Mom&Dad hooked up with city sewer, it was much better. The foundation of our home will be built, within the next two weeks. Steve is our friend, he's doing it.
@BearArtistLady (6036)
• United States
14 May
@kobesbuddy I HAVE to give you a giggle for the day. I just had my apartment inspection about 45 minutes ago. I passed with flying colors!!! What was fun was when one of the maintenance men was checking my water heater/ heater closet I warned him to watch out for my pet rat. He jumped nearly 6 feet and immediately asked "Really????" I had to tell him since I was branded a horrible person I figured I should have some fun with it.
Then the lady inspector went into the bathroom. I have the cat boxes in there, and she was looking at the boxes and the human toilet when I walked in. I assured her that the metal canister with the glass lid next to the cat boxes was for the scooped litter, that I DON'T flush the used stuff, it goes down to the dumpster when it gets enough in the zip lock bag. I told her that I've heard about the horrible floods that people have had in their homes from the flushing of used litter. She grinned from ear to ear and thanked me. I will say it's much nicer being hooked up to the city sewer...although it is a bit strange not going out and checking how the water is doing on the trees.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
15 May
@BearArtistLady I've never imagined that someone would flush cat litter, down a toilet! Some of it is made like tiny pebbles of stone! It would obviously plug up the drain!
@LindaOHio (182136)
• United States
15 May
Sounds like a good plan. You must be getting excited now that things are moving forward. Have a great day.
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@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
15 May
Now, Steve will be laying blocks for us, I'm happy about this!
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@celticeagle (168542)
• Boise, Idaho
15 May
You are so lucky to be building your own home. Such fun to pan and watch it all come together. I hope you don't have moisture issues.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168542)
• Boise, Idaho
16 May
@kobesbuddy .......That sure is. Moisture can cause mold in the house. I hate the thought.
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
15 May
The neighbors say that none of them have a problem with standing water. This is a very good sign!
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (71982)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 May
Sand does a great many things. One of which is keeping the foundation solid. It's commonly used in construction because it can be strong and holds up well.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
15 May
You are absolutely right, Kayla:) And it's plentiful in Michigan, with so much breach-front along the big lakes.
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
15 May
It has taken almost a year! Now, the building progress has finally begun:)
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@Deepizzaguy (104363)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
14 May
Good luck in having your home safe from dealing with mold. My relatives and myself had to leave our previous residence was affected by Hurricane Laura which forced the owners of the home to move residents away from the homes due to the reports of sicknesses among the tenants in 2022.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
14 May
And during those hurricanes, the water supply gets polluted!
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@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
14 May
My mother needed one badly, it worked for many years:)
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