Anyone need some granite?

[Paul Kondzich]

I just finished a draw inspection, and thought I had seen some difficult building sites here in Colorado. This one took the cake even though the pictures are dissapointing because they dont capture the STEEP angle of the lot. Lots of blasting solid granite veins. The picture looking down at the red Explorer is pretty much straight down. Dirt driveway with about a 300 feet dropoff. That should be fun in the winter.

[Gunnar Alquist]

Paul,

What is the grade of that driveway slope? Around here, steep is really not a problem because it rarely gets down to freezing. In Colorado, I would be really concerned about ice on the driveway in the winter (in addition to the fun ride down that cliffside).

[Paul Kondzich]

I bet it somewhere between 20-30 % grade. There is no turnaround there now and the drive is probably 300 yards long. Had to back out and my front tires were locking up the whole way down, of course the dropoff was on my side. The site is 2 miles from where the logs were dropped (log home) because no truck more than 50 feet can negotiate the turns. Elevation goes from 6000 ft. to 8500 in 2 miles so you can imagine all the turns. So anyway they have to forklift the logs 2 miles up this mountain. The draw amount for shipping from Nebraska to here by semi was 4K, I wonder how much the last 2 miles will be?

On a side note, was talking to a log home builder here.He said the reason for logs splitting etc. is because of elevation changes. Even 100 feet difference in elevation from where the tree grew to where the house is built can cause the splitting. He swears log homes he built 40 years ago from logs harvested on site dont split, at all. Makes you wonder how logs from Nebraska will like it at 8500 feet.

[David Banks]

Whats the problem flatlander?

[Paul Kondzich]

Yep I am a flatlander, forever here since I came from Florida. Highest point in the state a little over 300 feet. But I think that beats talking funny forever.