My husband, Tom, and I purchased three acres of raw, untouched land in rural Alaska about seventeen years ago. We built and moved into a tiny dry (no running water) cabin on the property, clearing enough trees and foliage for a driveway, cabin pad, and a view. The idea of landscaping was so over our heads that we just avoided it and let the land grow wild around us. In the fall and spring seasons we couldn’t even use our driveway because the ruts of mud would suck a car right in.

This summer we decided it was time to get a well. This required an abundance of dirt work to create a pad for the huge well rigs to do their business. Figuring this all out and making a plan with a contractor felt overwhelming, so we decided to EBTIECHI it.