Backyard After Cement Blanket Removal
Photo Details
- Date: February 12, 2026
- Time: 3:09 PM EST
- Weather: Mostly cloudy, 30°F (feels like 21°F). Snow cover on ground.
- Phase: Electrical Service Installation
- Location: 309 E. 7th St., Clare, MI
- View: Elevated view from house toward garage, looking southwest
Description
Photo taken the day after SLS Electric (Steve) visited the site on February 11, 2026 and removed the concrete curing blankets that had been deployed since January 15. After 28 days of passive thawing, the electrician found the ground still frozen solid underneath the blankets. The sustained extreme cold throughout January and early February — with daily highs rarely reaching freezing and overnight lows dropping to -10°F — made the passive thawing approach ineffective. SLS Electric has determined they must wait until natural spring thaw before completing the underground electrical trench.
Visible Elements
Blanket Removal Evidence:
- Dark exposed ground visible where cement blankets previously covered the trench route
- Blankets have been fully removed from the path between house and garage
- Frozen, dark soil exposed in contrast to surrounding snow cover
- Trench route clearly visible as a dark strip running from garage toward house
Garage Structure (Completed Exterior):
- Standing-seam charcoal metal roof on main structure and dormers
- Twin dormers with cream-colored vinyl siding
- Light gray horizontal vinyl siding on main structure
- Three white insulated garage doors (8’x9’) with window panels — installed January 21
- Versetta Ledgestone (Plum Creek) stone veneer on garage door columns
- White entry door with half-lite window on right bay
Site Conditions:
- Heavy snow cover across yard indicating continued winter conditions
- Construction scrap pile visible to the left of garage (awaiting crew pickup)
- Folded/stacked blankets or lumber visible among debris
- Ground frozen solid despite 28 days under insulating blankets
Other Elements:
- Classic red Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am partially visible at right
- Green waste bin in foreground
- Snow blower/equipment staged near driveway
- Bare deciduous trees indicating mid-winter
- Fence line visible on right property boundary
Context
The cement blankets were deployed on January 15, 2026 as a passive thawing strategy to allow completion of the underground electrical trench for the 200A house-to-garage service line. The approach relied on:
- Black surface absorbing solar radiation
- Insulation preventing further frost penetration
- Geothermal heat from below warming the soil
Why it failed: January-February 2026 brought historically extreme cold to central Michigan. Daily highs were consistently 10-30°F (well below the 40°F+ needed for thawing), lows reached -10°F, blankets were buried under snow (reflecting sunlight instead of absorbing it), and persistent cloud cover blocked solar energy. The frost line almost certainly deepened beyond the original 10” measured on December 18, 2025.
Revised Electrical Service Timeline
| Milestone | Estimated Date |
|---|---|
| Natural spring thaw begins | Mid-March 2026 |
| Ground thaw to trenching depth (24-36”) | Late March - April 2026 |
| SLS Electric completes trench and buries wire | April 2026 |
| 200A service energized | April - May 2026 |
The partially completed trench along the house foundation (wire already buried in that section from Dec 18) remains intact. The wire spool is stored at the trench terminus. Once spring thaw provides sufficient depth, SLS Electric will return to complete the remaining open-ground section.