Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

[Pine Cone]

WHOOPEE!! On the new job...redover is probably right...in this region we call them bald faced hornets and they are big, foul tempered, agressive, and pack a whallop.  Suggest a stealth strategy, at night, when it is cool and they are sluggish. You cant run fast enough or far enough and don't want to miss your first week of work cause of a hornets' bad attitude. (Yes, i know this first hand)   

I'll 2nd the stealthy, cool strategy.  I try and spray them 1st thing in the morning.  I would also wear eye protection.  Seems like they prefer to go for your head if they can.  A can of wasp spray will usually kill them, but it might not be as quick as you like.  They also seem to go for movement so I've had good luck being very still after I spray the nest.

One of the scary hornet moments I had was when I was collecting sugar pine cones for a research project.  I was about 60 feet up in the tree and heard some noise and saw movement below me.  I had climbed up past the nest and didn't notice it until I had climbed past it, bumping the branch it was on.  I carefully climbed up further, collected the cones I was after and then rappelled down the opposite side of the tree when it came time to come down. 

Hornets are mostly beneficial, they are predators on a wide variety of damaging insects, so I leave them alone if they aren't near anywhere I go on a regular basis.  If they are close to the house or cabin they get hit with wasp spray. 


Congratulations on the job offer. 

These are hard times.  I dropped by a local pawn shop/gun shop this weekend and was surprised at the number of rifles they had, maybe 50+   I commented that it was more than they had ever had at one time in the last 5 years.  Turns out most were from loans people couldn't pay back.  Not a good sign given that we are supposed to be in an economic recovery. 

[rugger8]

Congrats on the job!   I look forward to seeing more progress on the cabin now

Jeff

[OlJarhead]

Yup

This weekend is water and concrete weekend which should make it interesting and thanks to another forumite from my area I found a guy delivering crushed rock for $175 a load (12 yards) and sand at the same price   He thinks he can get to my place with his truck (we shall see) but if not he can get just below us and we can use the front end loader for the rest.

What I don't use under the foundation/floor I'll use on the driveway

Ordered a battery meter (Tri-metric) and 24vdc to 12vdc converter from backwoods solar and am about to order my generator and auto gen start

[OlJarhead]

$$$ Ka-Ching $$$ that's the sound of our savings draining! lol   

So I've now ordered concrete, cinder blocks, rebar and mesh for the foundation and floor (still need foam and plastic), 4kw pure sine inverter charger, remote, auto gen start, battery remote, Generac Eco Gen (delivering to builders supply near our property) and probably a few things I've forgotten....money is flying out the door!  But I'm trying not to sweat it too much since this is for a great job and in the end the cabin will get seriously hooked up!

Now I need to do some planning for the weekend which is going to be stressful!

[Tickhill]

Congrats on the job, OJ.
A lot to do before winter!

[OlJarhead]

http://universalconstructionfoam.com/products/styrofoam-eps-sheets/floor-insulation.php
Bought that for the concrete slab.

As the dollars fly out of my wallet I cringe but know that the cabin will be awesome when done   Now I'm off to PT a bit before packing and heading out a little later in the day...wish me luck!

[OlJarhead]

This picture about sums up the difficulty of trenching in over 500 feet of water pipe

And getting it down 6 feet?  and doing that inside 8-10 hours?  Ya, not gonna happen.

So I'm pretty hopeful that the 4 feet (for the most part) depth will be enough though I'm considering installing some 2" under concrete foam insulation on low spots as I'm told that sometimes 3-4 feet is not always enough in our winters.


The main and frost free installed.  Feeding the cabin with the 2" pipe (to the split where the Frost Free Spigot is T'd off and the 1" line to the cabin is given a main/shutoff) proved phenomenal!  Water pressure at the spigot was like a firehose!


Temporary overnight water for the cabin   Works like a charm since it's basically what I had originally anyway.


2" pipe from cistern to main/frost free then 1 1/2" to Frost Free (so we could tap into it and make a run to the orchard in the future) and 1" to the cabin.


Had to drop a 100' tall Fir behind the cabin  as we needed to excavate into where it roots were -- it will become 2x6's for the deck.


Crazy amount of work but worth the effort!


Got the float valve installed   Works like a charm!  So from here on out our cistern should be full   We've set the float to allow a 10" drop in water before kicking back on.

All in all the weekend, while insanely tough, was a success....ok except the whole part about the concrete mixer breaking after 38 bags of cement and our having to mix a few bags by hand in a wheel barrow and finally determining to stop a 1" below the top of the forms because it was 8:30pm and we knew we'd not be able to get the last 10-12 bags of cement mixed in a reasonable amount of time.

Question for concrete guru's:  can I pour in a 1" or 2" slab on top of the current slab?  Or am I just being silly?  This monolithic pour is basically for a shed that will be insulated.  It's 8x10 and only about 6" deep at the footings (2x8 forms) because we were unable to mix enough by hand in the time allotted in order to get it to the top of the forms.  So, with 32" of cinder block walls on top and 58" or 2x4 walls on top plus a roof, should I just leave it and not worry about it?  Or should I sweat it and get the last 1 of cement added?

Thanks

[OlJarhead]

This 80 pound monster was waiting for me:




It is SO HEAVY that I couldn't easily remove it from the box for pics so opted NOT to remove it until I'm ready to install.

Insane!

[OlJarhead]

I'll have to take more time to get some pics this weekend

Meanwhile I'll be trying to get the dry stacked cinder block walls done (3 or 4 courses) as well as the tub drain and supply and putting the composter back in place.  Should be a good weekend and lead up to the 13th which will be a busy one too.

SO much to do!

[curlewdave]

Thought of you and your projects as my wife and I went over Rainy, Washington, Loup-loup, and Wauconda passes on our way to spend a few days at our cabin near Curlew. it was the first time we've been able to spend time there since the big windstorm last year.  Lots of trees down, or sheared off, and the RV port is still standing, but in need of repair. My wife's health is good enough right now to spend a few days at a time, so we shall be over again some time this month to make the cabin more comfortable and enjoy the incredible fall weather that the Okanogan has to offer. We put in a little shower unit with a portable on-demand water heater ($129.00) , and it works great!  We left a Direct antenna on the cabin and haven't used it in 3 years, so it got beat around by snow sliding off the roof, high winds, etc, but when we hooked up the receiver--bang--the Seahawks magically appeared....Ah, what a few wonderful days!!!

[curlewdave]

Just went back and read about the hornet's (or yellowjackets) nest.  When we got to our cabin we used 4 cans of spray and eliminated 11 nests is the first half-hour.   Things have quieted down, and of course I need to carry epi-pens with me...Those critters seem to know.....dave

[OlJarhead]

Thanks Dave -- and I've got 3 cans of wasp killer ready to go!

So our cement mixer pretty much fell apart on us last weekend and I have to take the blame for it   My step dad gave it to me and I failed to do proper PMs on it!  DOH!  Bolts were lose and bearings weren't greased and in our rush to get going we (I) failed to check anything other then that it worked.  So after over 30 bags of cement it crapped out.

Back here at home we put it back together and after a little messing with it determined everything 'should' work with some maintenance and repairs (since the gussets on the sides bent in transit after bolts fell out) and tore it down.  We discovered set screws were backed out (hence the failure to turn the drum) and the design was seriously lacking (made in China kind of lacking) so the main carriage went off to the neighbors metal fab shop for a serious overhaul (going to put in new stronger gussets and weld the assembly together so it's solid).  Once the carriage returns we'll mount the drum and drive assembly back on it, tighten and grease everything and should be back in business   I sure hope so too since we need the mixer to pour the walls full of cement this weekend!

[OlJarhead]

I was going through some of the solar goodies I ordered to upgrade the system and have to admit that Backwoods Solar has done it again!   I ordered the meter which they stated had what you needed to install it but I hadn't expected the 2-0 cable that came with it!!!  Very excited by that actually since it means I won't have to make one   heck, the kit even came with an Alan wrench to make sure you were prepared for the install.  Top Knotch!


I hadn't installed a shunt yet and always meant to and with this kit I'll do so   which will be nice for some other uses besides the meter   I'm loving the detail here in all that they sent!


This is my 24v to 12v converter   I plan to run the 12vdc to a fuse block so I can run my 12v stuff off one block neatly installed with the other components.


In the end this meter as well as the Auto Gen Start and the Inverter Remote (and some day the Charge Controller Remote) will all get installed into a 'command' center next to my chair   The Car Stereo will go in there also and it will reside next to my chair in front of the wood stove

[OlJarhead]

Auto Gen start arrived today and since I pick up the generator this weekend I'm kinda stoked  though I can't run it until I get propane for it

[Redoverfarm]

Eric if you got the EcoGen or other Generac generator you will have to call in and get an activation code to enter into the controller.  Basicly I think that is their way to start the warranty period.  I believe it may start on Manuel w/o but may not work in the Automatic mode w/o.  You may even be able to get the code via the net as well.  My paperwork is not at the house and I am only guessing on that part.

[OlJarhead]

Eric if you got the EcoGen or other Generac generator you will have to call in and get an activation code to enter into the controller.  Basicly I think that is their way to start the warranty period.  I believe it may start on Manuel w/o but may not work in the Automatic mode w/o.  You may even be able to get the code via the net as well.  My paperwork is not at the house and I am only guessing on that part.

Thanks for the note -- I bought the EcoGen and had it shipped to the builders supply locally (they are pretty nice that way) and pick it up Saturday.  However I won't have my propane tank installed until I get an address

[OlJarhead]

Reading my ebook on dry stacking and I see I didn't get 'Lintel' blocks.  I'll have to pick up some 28 or so.  Then I think I have enough rebar to put into the top row (I'll have to check) and it looks like the cells are not all filled.  In fact it appears only my corners need to be filled since none of my walls are very long (10' for longest).

This goes back to Don's discussion on thermal mass but it would seem to me with the exterior insulation that filling the voids with dirt and capping with the top bond (8") should make sense as the heat from inside the room will warm the mass and in theory the insulation should keep it on the inside.  I think anyway.

[OlJarhead]

Just checking in    Will post tomorrow but we now have a shower, the back room is underway and WE HAVE AN ADDRESS (which is really exciting as it means I can order propane etc)

[OlJarhead]

Installing the shower was one of the tougher things to do this weekend!  WOW!  The feet on our 90 year old tub kept falling off and you can't tighten them down too much or they will push off so it's a balance of tightening them JUST right and then not moving things.  But we had to move the tub in order to drill the drain hole...and using a floor jack were only able to shift it in parts -- first the front, then the back, then the front and back and so on.  Eventually though we got it moved, drilled the hole, moved it back and got it balanced on all 4 feet and solid   Then we had to get the drain installed to the grey water drain system -- at which time we learned WE NEED A VENT.  So we cut the pipe and I've contacted TheNaturalHome for advice on correctly venting the system.

I also had to find parts to install the taps etc to fit a 1/2 FIP to 3/4 FIP hose but that's was opretty easy thanks to sharkbites

Next up was trying to make the somewhat failed concrete pad work for us.


Failed because it wasn't thick enough and wasn't nice and smooth because the mixer broke and we finished as much as we could at night. 


My neighbor, who did all his own masonry for his cabin 30 years ago -- and which he's lived in for that time -- told me:  "You aren't building a church".  And proceeded to give a little advice and encouragement.  His position was that this is a non-critical room that isn't living space and is more or less just a shed -- an elaborate one perhaps but still a shed.  As such the thin footings and floor won't make much difference in his opinion and I decided to accept his position since he's an excellent builder (his cabin is awesome).  So we began our dry stacking and despite a lot of shimming I'm confident in the end it will work out ok for our purposes and we'll chalk it up to a learning experience.  I'll admit though, that after 22 cinder blocks I was starting to get better at mortaring

Next weekend we will get the rest of the walls done and fix the grey water drain so we can use the shower and today I'm ordering a phone, Direct TV, internet and propane!   We have an address and that makes a difference!

[OlJarhead]

Looks like I'll need to vent the sinks and the drywell for the grey water drain -- seems pretty simple though.

[Redoverfarm]

Looks like I'll need to vent the sinks and the drywell for the grey water drain -- seems pretty simple though.

Worse come to worse you can always go with a Studor valve.  Shoot I have even just use a "T" 4-6" piece of corresponding pipe size on the "up hill side of the trap" which will allow air to entry to drain. The trap if kept full will block the smell from reaching the studor or other.  But you should have at least one vent to carry the smells out but it may not have to go there if it doesn't work out maybe somewhere down the line.

[OlJarhead]

The kitchen and bathroom sinks were already installed (kind of hidden behind the falling insulation which I need to fix still) and the tub was installed but disconnected.  My thought was to install a vent pipe going up from the tub drain close to the Y pipe to provide venting for the sinks etc.  Then to include a vent in the dry sump.

[OlJarhead]

I should add that once the new foundation is done that pipe will be underground.  So much to do!!!

[PorkChopsMmm]

OJH -- do you have any plans to insulate around your fixtures as they go into your crawl space? I have a near identical tub with the trap under the house in the crawl space. I added RV anti-freeze every time we got done using the tub. I think I am going to heavily insulate it to try and keep it from freezing in the winter (we live in Michigan). Any advice? You have a lot of work going on!

[OlJarhead]

OJH -- do you have any plans to insulate around your fixtures as they go into your crawl space? I have a near identical tub with the trap under the house in the crawl space. I added RV anti-freeze every time we got done using the tub. I think I am going to heavily insulate it to try and keep it from freezing in the winter (we live in Michigan). Any advice? You have a lot of work going on!

I plan to install pony walls under the cabin (which will eventually be built on footings and become part of the foundation though this year they will be just there to insulate the pipes) and insulate them the same way the composter room will be done (2" exterior foam board and in fiberglass in the walls etc) and then insulate the pipes themselves.  Amazingly enough we didn't have any issues with P-traps freezing on either sink last year -- not sure why actually) and I'm hoping with a warm cabin and well insulated crawl space I'll not have an issue this year.

And yes LOTS of work.  I don't have much time either! lol