Yard remodel - phase three

Need power!

The whole barn move project hinged on power.  Without wiring electricity out there we would choose not to move the barn.  Keeping water from freezing has been the hardest part of housing the horse out back during the winter.  That and nor'easter storms.  For some reason those would fill the run in shelter with snow.  The tiny barn can be closed up tight on a nor'easter so that wouldn't pose a problem but keeping water from freezing was an issue worth fixing.  The answer was power.  We had to run just over 450' of line from the house to the barn.  That meant a bigger service for the distance than what we already had in the ground to the chicken coop and the tiny barn in it's current location.  We had to go right from the house with a new wire and run that separately to the panel.  Trench.  Conduit.  Pull wire and install.  The first tool we rented for the job didn't work.  It was under-powered for what we were doing.  It was frustrating too.  First we brought it back to the rental place and they fixed it so we thought that was the only issue.  Then we learned better.  It would stop working after less than a minute of trenching.  So the next weekend we tried again only with this piece of equipment.  This was the right stuff!

So much fun to dig with!

Millie "supervising"

mini bobcat with trenching tool

Millie filling it in.

This tool got the trench dug in short order.  Next we had to lay conduit.  Once that was all installed and glued we could pull the wire and hook it up!  Nice to have a brother in law electrician to help us with supplies, advice and stuff!
Millie loved this project as digging is her favorite.  Except chasing rocks.  That is really her favorite.  But digging is a close second.  She was filling the trench in when we wanted it open and then digging the conduit up once we buried it.  She tries to help.  She really does.