14 x 24 Olympic Peninsula

[Native_NM]

"Next year I'm building an outdoor loo..."

I've been living with one for several years (the blue plastic kind)....the "adventure" wears a little thin when there is ice on the inside walls.  The Excel Compact model, according to the website uses 200 watts, and the time it would kick on the most is in the winter when there is little sun to garner power from the panels.  I still have more thinking to do.  At least the plastic loo is reliable, and a nice young man (poor soul) cleans my "bathroom" every week.  I'm pondering the cost/benefit of the savings from not paying for loo rental and service vs. the cost of generator gas.  Certainly more panels would help some.

Crape' Diem   

Our friends in Pecos, NM did something like this...

http://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Small-Septic-System

Hunting/summer cabin;  primarily weekend use.   

[tommytebco]

the A-frame guy in Kentucky, eaglesSJ,  did one of those a little while ago. He documented each step in his thread. There were three people on his system.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9259.0

I'd sure consider it versus getting up close and friendly with a slop bucket on a regular basis.

[OlJarhead]

"Next year I'm building an outdoor loo..."

I've been living with one for several years (the blue plastic kind)....the "adventure" wears a little thin when there is ice on the inside walls.  The Excel Compact model, according to the website uses 200 watts, and the time it would kick on the most is in the winter when there is little sun to garner power from the panels.  I still have more thinking to do.  At least the plastic loo is reliable, and a nice young man (poor soul) cleans my "bathroom" every week.  I'm pondering the cost/benefit of the savings from not paying for loo rental and service vs. the cost of generator gas.  Certainly more panels would help some.

Crape' Diem   

If it were inside the cabin in a small bathroom you wouldn't use the heat in it except on cold mornings/evenings

Something to consider.

[CjAl]

the A-frame guy in Kentucky, eaglesSJ,  did one of those a little while ago. He documented each step in his thread. There were three people on his system.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9259.0

I'd sure consider it versus getting up close and friendly with a slop bucket on a regular basis.

that was a great read. Ambitious is an understatement for that guy

[considerations]

 Hokay...a little more progress.

A functional shower:


Sliding door access to under stairs storage:


B4 kitchen:


After kitchen:


Life is starting to enter the realm of normalcy. (whew)

[Redoverfarm]

   Seems like it is all coming together.

[Sassy]

Wow, considerations!  Looking good    You've been busy - bet it's nice to get that shower in - I like the tile on the floor.  You are doing a wonderful job, I'm impressed!

[considerations]

I tried 6 ways from Sunday to do those cabinets myself....ended up buying them.  Still, it was worth it.

[Gary O]

Progess is sweet.
Nicely done.

[OlJarhead]

Awesome! 

[duncanshannon]

looking good. surprising how different the kitchen 'after' pic was!   

[considerations]

Its even more of an effect when standing there....suddenly the room shrank!  I've been living with blank walls and portable everything so the change made quite an impression.

[altaoaks]

Hi Considerations, I just took the time to look in to your build, you have come so far since the last time I was here.  You look like a real home now!  Congratulations on your incredible progress!

[considerations]

No structural progress since winter hit....and doing indoor trim has slowed down. If I varnish the trim in a warm room it is too easy to get kitty prints on it, and if I put the boards out in the "sun room" and close it off, the varnish takes days and days to cure..so I'm not spending my time on it. However, I've built two kits from Catskill Cabinets, one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom.  The are a "red maple" and the wood is very pretty. One I did not put on wheels, and eventually will install the bathroom sink on, and the other is my rolling breakfast bar/bread making station. IMO they really add style to the house. 





Unlike many of you, a kit is the only way I could manage a foray in to the world of cabinetry, but I think they turned out well.

[rick91351]

They turned out very nice.  Some of the kits are great to work with!  Some are worse than a Chinese Jig Saw Puzzle.

[altaoaks]

Considerations, those cabinents came out great, and the wood is very nice, looks like a good quality kit.  I love the bathroom vanity basin, nice touch!

[considerations]

Thank you. I've not yet completely thought through the basin installation but I'll get there.

[Carla_M]

Considerations, I must congratulate you on your cabin. It looks great. You must be deservedly proud of your achievement. It took me quite a while to read through the entire length of the thread. I did spread it out over time while I was lurking.

[considerations]

"I did spread it out over time..."

Don't worry, this "build" has been spread out over time. I started about May 2008 thinking I'd be done in a year....oh well, at least I get lots of time to ponder before I start another phase. 

[glenn kangiser]

Beautiful cabinets Considerations.  Great job.  Time... whats that?   I've been on the Underground Complex for 10 years and never plan to finish it. 

Old Chinese Proverb....   " The man who finishes his house dies." ... Hey, that's good enough for me. 

[considerations]

Thanks Glenn, good advice to integrate.  Got some work....finally! Things were running a little thin again.

My little brown cat disappeared Jan 6....today I saw the big female eagle airlifting some limp furry form from the alders out back.  Ran out to count noses again....my other 2 cats are still around. Somewhere there is a fuzzy white eaglet with a microchip in its belly.   

[considerations]

This little enclave is a long way from town, and each family has its own set of talents here.  i help people with their interactions with corporate America....things that can be done before its time to call a lawyer and maybe avoid that step entirely, and all things textile, sewing, quilting, mending...and in turn, others share where there is a need in the areas they are skilled in.  This has benefited me with excavating, home protection, some of the construction, firewood splitting, and fresh eggs to name a few. 

The only real bone of contention I see around here is the stupid dog thing.  Everyone but me has dogs.  They all clamor about other's dogs coming over and tangling/breeding/being a bad influence on their own dogs, but no one does anything about it.  The part that seems silly to me is that they all participate in this behavior, and then base the quality of their friendships on the actions of the uncontrolled dogs.  I'm not advocating any sort of change in how they handle the dog behavior, just that they recognize that no one is taking any serious action about it, and quit getting upset over what happens. 

My place is "cat haven", 'cause the dogs don't like my electric fences but the cats just glide under them.  Even the neighbor cats come to play and visit.  I don't feel a need for dogs what with the current canine population distribution all around me.  If an intruder, human or otherwise arrives in the area, the chorus of canine alerts is a pretty clear and directional warning system.

Guess that last is the "rant for the day", sorry.

[considerations]

Seems this has been the spring of horse shelters.  The climate here is pretty temperate, and good blankets have to date been sufficient...things always change however.  This spring my gelding got laminitis, a nasty inflammation of the hoof wall on one front hoof.  The reasonable way to treat this is in a tightly controlled environment involving a stall to limit movement, and a super clean floor to avoid/treat infections/abscesses.  To say this is a painful condition for a horse is an understatement.  So, resources have been channeled to building the shelter and vet/farrier bills. The long term benefit is that the horses now have shelter, and Mister "Buckethead" is on the mend.  Poor guy is bored to tears after a month incarcerated, but he's alive, and it could have been different.  Horses do not generally die directly from laminitis, but if they cannot walk, the attendant complications can force some difficult choices.  Good news is things did not get that far along.

This has generated a huge supply of "used" wood shavings, so now all my orchard trees and raised beds have a generous layer of mulch on them.  Looks quite tidy and the shavings will eventually become soil.  I don't think I have to worry much about the nitrogen being taken from the under lying soil as Mister produces prodigious amounts of nitrates and distributes them throughout the shavings on a quite regular schedule.

Meanwhile, the cabin finishing is languishing, only little items are being addressed, like switch plate covers, etc. 

I know I've not posted for awhile, but that does not mean I don't check in to see what else is happening with forum members. 

Work is sporadic, but lucrative when it comes in.  I'm in the process of helping a company sell itself, which is really interesting and fun, but will be the last "hurrah" with this client as all the stockholders will then retire. 

I made beer!  It turned out well, I think. I just used the Mr. Beer kit and followed the directions.  I'm not a regular drinker, but good beer that doesn't break the bank is appealing. Also, it appealed to me in that the refill ingredients are packed for long term storage, so the components could be added to my "food stash" and the product be a barter item in the event of a regional disaster.  In the mean time, I'm just pleased with the taste and the sense of accomplishment. 

Next is making aged cheese.  I've made just about every kind of fresh cheese I know about and seldom have to buy yogurt anymore, but aged cheese would be really nice to produce, partly due to the recent extreme rise in prices....so I hope to have something to say about that process soon.

I have found two exotic plants that the bees absolutely love.  I'm always looking for ways to persuade honeybees onto the property as they are important for pollinating the fruit trees and plants here.  I'd like to have a hive of my own, but as yet I do not feel I have enough flowering plants that would feed and keep them here during spring through fall.  Anyhow, one plant is a ground cover shrub called a Cotoneaster.  The bees are all over it, to the point where from a distance it looks like the bush is moving.  The other is a Ceanothus, there are many varieties, this one being one that can be sculpted into a small "treey" shape.  Anyway, this is exciting to me as they both are really attractive to honey bees.

I've made a sour dough starter, and am happy with the pancakes and bread it is producing.

Through good luck and bartering I'm also now the proud owner of a side grinder and a drill press...already both have been very handy.  Some things just cannot be done well without specific tools, anyway, excellent additions to the arsenal.

So, not much to report about getting the cabin done, but certainly a lot of progress in the domestic living categories.

Hope to have some substantive progress to report on the cabin finishing now that the crisis mode with my horse/friend/kid is over.  (My sappy side is now fully revealed).

[PEG688]

Nice report , thinking  of where you started , cover plates are pretty easy! 

[Redoverfarm]

Have to agree with PEG on the somewhat completion of your house.  As the saying goes " you've come a long way baby"    I am glad that I was with you for the ride. I remember when it started.

As for the grinder/drill press I will quote a saying you once made.  "I used to giggle when I saw all the discussion on this forum about "having the right tool".  I just thought it was a "guy" thing.  I was so wrong...."