Zuzu summed up our house excavation project by waving her finger in the air while exclaiming, “That’s a LOT of mud. That’s VERY VERY dirty!” After water in the basement twice, two failed rounds of interior drainage system installs (think jackhammers, concrete, big mess), a triple sump pump system running much too frequently, and a very big “etcetera” to sum up everything else, the only thing left to do was dig up around the house. 
Three big digging machines arrived last week. Out came the deck, patio, retaining wall, anything living (plant or chipmonk), and loads of dirt to expose the foundation below the footings. Without wasting any time, they put in tile. One crew member said the water was "gushing" in and another said it "had a current." The gist of it was that it didn't sound like a normal situation.
Also revealed was the original drain tile (incorrectly installed), crushed and full of mud.
Lots of clay and sand. 
Lots of water at the footings. 
And oh yes, old pop cans and the original metal LOT FOR SALE sign with metal holder (what, doesn’t everyone have something like that buried around their foundation?). 
As of today: new drain tile? Check. Rock? Check. Blackjacking? Check. A/C unit sitting cockeyed in the middle of the back yard next to a ditchwitch, a pile of dirt, and a couple of pallets piled with the stones that used to be our patio? Check. Toddler that wants to play in the dirt? You betcha. Next week: bring on the jackhammers, goodbye driveway.
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