Trenching and Inspection Phase

The workers from Creative Castle Grounds dug the trenches with a machine they called a Ditch Witch, and finished out the trenches by hand. Reinforcing metal rods, "Rebar" was carefully set in the trenches, with special configuration for the pillars, and vertical placement every four feet in the trench.

Notice the green colored sheet of paper on the front porch. That is the official inspection "tag" for this project. The trenches can not be filled with concrete, or the footings poured, until the Town of Gilbert inspector inspects the work and approves it. Pete of Distinctive Landscapes applied to the Town of Gilbert for a permit, then called for an inspection, and an inspector was on site the next day. He signed the green tag, and we were free to go on to the next phase, which was pouring the concrete footings.

Notice the trenches are extra deep and wide for this project. The footings will be 18" deep and are 10" wide. These dimensions far exceed the Town of Gilbert requirements, because we have very expansive soils due to the clay content. The soils on our property can shrink as much as 33% in some places. With that much shrink-swell movement, the footings need to be extra wide and deep to assure the walls will not crack and break.


Notice the pile of rubble created by the project. I talked to all of my neighbors on the street before we began the work. They were informed of what we planned to do, when, and how long the project would take. By informing them of the plans, they were all very patient and supportive of the process. The rubble pile was there nearly a week, when Allan Moore of Total Control moved the concrete portion. His crew did a very nice job. When they were finished, the street was clean and the ground level.