Digging a basement the hard way

Nine years ago Joe Murray, a Canadian farmer, started to dig a basement. He started with a pick axe, and did some work with an air chisel hammer, but eventually he turned his basement digging into an oddball hobby when he started doing the excavation with RC controlled toy earth moving equipment.

He can move about three square meters of earth a year, so he has a few more years to go before finishing his basement. When he does, he plans on doing some excavating in his barn and might dig a pond.

It isn't clear from the Oddity Central article, Guy Spends 9 Years Digging His Basement with Remote-Controlled Earthmovers, but I think he does most of his digging during the winter when the temperature outside is frequently below zero.

At first blush it seems like a crazy endeavor, but then again, all hobbies are fairly nutty if you look at them too closely. I would love to hear what his wife has to say about it all.