Prepping for new concrete pour for the compound.

We have quite the operation going on out here in Freeport this month.  There are multiple goals for this job:

- Greatly increase the size of the back patio and install heavy footings for a 16'x16' gazebo.  This will have solar panels on the roof with all of the voltage conditioning and storage being handled in the battery shack.  While we have the trench open we will run water and 240 VAC for an outdoor kitchen, etc.  There will be a sink drain connection to the septic tank as well.

- Create drive back access for my truck to pick up and drop off SCUBA tanks.

- Install two 25' light poles each with twin parking lot style LED heads.  Installation includes large footings (bigger than one would think is necessary to handle wind load) as well as running 120 VAC power for the lights, cat 6 Ethernet for pole mounted cameras, etc.

- Run electrical conduit from the boat house over to the battery shack so that solar panels on the boat house can add to the electrical generation capacity.

- Pour the foundation for the battery house extension.

- Run concrete back around the battery house to create a relaxation area next to the canal.

- A side benefit is that we get a couple truckloads of free clean fill from digging out for the concrete and that will level off places in the front and side yards that are not very even to walk on.

Below is the general plan.  The light blue is all new 4" reinforced driveway grade concrete.  You can see where the underground footings will be going for the gazebo/sun covering/solar panel frame.  The green conduit ditch will carry 240VAC for the hot tub, fresh water for an outdoor kitchen, and 220 VDC solar power cables back to the battery shed which is the building with the orangish top. The purple track is for DC high voltage solar power back to the battery house as well as power for the light poles which will be located at the red circles marked black 4.

Digging out for the new slab under the battery house extension: 

There will be a new sitting area around back of the battery house

Light pole footing #1: 

There will be a big expansion to the back patio.  Footings will be sunk on 16' centers for some kind of overhead structure that can be a sun shade while carrying more solar panels.

Removed the AC unit for the great room.  This entire wedge will be concrete all the way out to the fence.  No more difficult section of lawn to mow.

Let's not forget the trenching work...

This shows the footing for light pole #2 and part of the trenching between the boat house and the battery house.  I'll run PVC for hot and cold water from the boat house and put the outdoor shower here for rinsing people and gear after being in the saltwater.  This will make it easy to take regular snorkeling dips in the saltwater canal, which is very clean and clear water, and then get out and shower down without having to hold a hose over one's head.

This is the trenching to the outdoor kitchen location on the new patio.

This trenching feeds water, 240VAC, and Ethernet to the patio gazebo.  It also feeds raw solar DC voltage back to the battery house.  I will also throw some sprinkler pipes in the hole before putting dirt back up on top.