Is it ok to dig deep holes in my supervisor's backyard?

I always wanted to dig holes after reading Holes by Louis Sacher as a child. It's about a boy sent to detention camp for juvenile offenders, where they are forced to dig holes all day, 5 feet deep and five feet wide. I'm 26 now and working great deal of hours at a restaurant and currently a size 9. I figured digging holes all day would be a good way to burn calories. I asked my supervisor's permission to dig in her yard and she simply said be careful of the rocks of I'd be digging all day. Is that a yes from her? btw, the holes I wanna dig in her yard would also be 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide.

Hello ruby2011: Well... I would suggest not digging holes in your supervisor's yard, regardless of what she said! I don't have any way of knowing what was going on in your supervisor's head. But this is a very bad idea! For one thing, you never want to dig without knowing what, if anything, might be buried in the ground. There could be gas lines or water lines buried that you could hit & rupture. But also, you could hurt yourself. And if you were to become injured (say for example a serious back injury) digging in your supervisor's yard, questions could be raised with regard to who is responsible for the medical bills.

These are the kinds of situations that end up as law suits. Not only would you, as well as your supervisor, be drawn into this, but your employer might be as well since your supervisor presumably has given you permission to do this. When law suits happen, the lawyers look for who has the deepest pockets. And, in this case, it would probably not be you or your supervisor. It would be your employer. Sorry... but I just think this is an accident waiting to happen, as the saying goes...

If you do dig, make sure you know exactly where every single utility is.

Seek out community service. There's plenty of opportunities to dig ditches.

If you want to dig in dirt, then maybe consider working as a contractor for a construction company. They dig all kinds of holes in the ground.

Thx! I never really thought of all that, esp not the utility lines lol. I guess I won't be digging in her yard, but I'm considering other opportunities to dig that won't be so risky.

um, not a good idea.

Are you able to go outside of town and just pick a place out-of-doors where you wouldn't bother anyone?

As Skeezyks and Umbral_Seraph points out, the utility companies have to be contacted for excavating to make sure there are no power and gas lines in the area you are going to dig. It can be extremely hazardous and costly to just dig anywhere.

I don't know if your supervisor was serious but I would recommend not. The other recommendations about joining a construction crew or even working for landscaper/landscape design architect might help with your interest.

I personally like digging holes that I plant plants or trees in rather than just diging holes in the ground. At least something productive comes from it. Hey I've got a thought for you. I have 108 huge fence posts that need large holes dug so I can build the fencing on my farm. That would give you holes to dig & accomplish something at the same time. They have post hole diggers but not as fun for you as digging them by hand.

Yes, as long as the holes are 5'X5'

You don't want to dig deeper, for you will strike water, oil, minerals, and eventually you'll pop out the other side of the planet.

That's a wonderful idea! You could dig holes that give back to the community. There are plenty of trees that need to be planted.

I've never read the Holes book, but isn't children digging 5x5 foot holes a symbolism of digging their own graves? Again, I've never read the book but that sounds rather strange.

I would love to dig fence holes for you! That would be $2.50 per hole please.

I think you should start small. Dig her a two foot square hole, and if she is OK with that go large. Five foot is quite deep. You might well need a pick axe. Also be sure to keep the topsoil separate from the subsoil so it can go back on top when you refill. Don't go deeper than five foot as there are safety issues from caving in.

I have known several people who have had a compulsion to dig holes. I think it was harmless, a bit of a phase and they came to no long term harm.

Thx! Will make a note of that.

Yes I think that's about the going rate here for fence post holes that I'm budgeting for....that would be great..you can earn money & dig at the same time

My dad used to say that he enjoyed digging, because it made his back feel better.

If you are digging for exercise, you might want dig with the shovel on your left side and also with the shovel on your right side - that way you get a symmetrical work-out. Also you might want to be careful not to hurt your back.

Also, sometimes people sharpen the shovel blade to make it easier to dig in roots, but it can easily slip and cut your toes off if you aren't careful. You could also cut off your toes with a pick mattock.

I don't have that much experience digging. I guess it is kind of interesting. I like the smell of the dirt. Five feet cubed is bigger than I would ever want to dig.

$2.50 for a post hole? Now I'm wondering if you've ever dug a post hole Post hole here need to be 2' to 2.5' deep and about 1' in diameter. Digging post holes in not fun.

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but if somebody I managed started digging a hole that size in my backyard, I would start wondering if they planned to kill me and put me in that hole I would think: is this some weird way of hinting that a raise is due? LOL

I think if it were my yard or the middle of the park I would call police

Digging one hole 5×5×5 would involve you manually shifting between 4 and 5 tons of soil, depending on composition and moisture content. I would have thought lifting weights would be less hassle.

Dave.

The US Department of Labor OSHA requires contractors to use cave in protection. From their website: "A protective system must be used if an excavation is 5 feet or greater in depth. The three most commonly used types of protective systems are: shoring, shielding, and sloping." After the hole is dug, then what? The hole itself is danger to people, especially to children and animals. Perhaps you should ask yourself why you want to do an activity that was used as punishment in a detention center. Stanley wasn't looking for redemption although *spoiler alert!* he found it. Take care and be safe.

Most definitely dig that hole!!

Not the one in her backyard though, I really enjoyed reading this thread, you've had lots of help how to do it legally. Ya gotta do it. I've never heard of the book, but if that makes you wanna do what you said you wanted to do, it's gotta be a great book, huh? You can even make a spectacle by making a poll sign saids 'A girl digging a HOLE!', be more creative than that though. You could also invite some audiences and your friends for that. Why you want to do this, you can show it to the world, and you yourself would learn a valuable lessons, that no one ever could have. You'd learn about yourself and the people around you.

I hope you find the place, raise money if you have to, best of luck to you!

Edit: I'll be an illegal worker if I dig that fence post holes of yours Eskie. I'll settle for free bed and meals, would that be still illegal? I'd love love and love to go there and meet the farm animals and soak in the panorama you got there.

I seriously would love to dig the hole the way prisoners do, so that I can learn about the punishment we give to fellow human beings. Also a good excercise opportunities for sure.

Was there a movie adaptation of the book? I think I remember a little about that.