Turns out he was right. We had some drainage issues and topographical concerns which did not include the tree. We decided to remove it. With the tree out of the way, we were able to alter the grade in the front and use some of the fill to soften the taper to the woods on the west and north elevations. Chris was able to start some carpentry too.
Concrete is now the word.
Harvey and Bob made the hole, now Roger and his brother Len build the foundation. The footings are the first to go in. Next the forms for the basement and crawl space walls go up. This is all to hold the concrete which will stay and hold up the whole thing. Next, the wall get poured.