Rick and Ellen's Homestead

[Redoverfarm]

Looking good Rick.   

[Windpower]

looking good !

[rick91351]

Spent a wonderful day of getting stuck.  Chained up - got soaked - even got melting sandy snow right down the ear canal.    Ya really. 

Yesterday rented a floor sander for a few days to get the sub floor back in to shape to lay down underlayment for tile and to do some wood  floors.  What a wonderful way to top off a day.....  Tell you what I would do........   You pay me a hundred $$$ and I will let you run the floor sander for like an hour!   Will not charge you extra if it body slams you into a wall or shoves you into a corner and will not let you out.  Yep it is all fun....

[rick91351]

WOW it's been a couple weeks since I posted anything.  Me and the floor sander finely got everything worked out. 

We got the guest bath ready for grout and floor tile.....





Moved back into the master bath and been putting in time upon time there. 







Today we worked on the shower doorway...  Five whole pieces went up with out being cut.    Everything else measured. marked and cut.





Tomorrow we plan on finishing up with the header. 



BTW I found the  est  Nitrile gloves They cost a little more than most - and not as many in a box but they just go and go and go.  What ever you are doing from mixing thin set or setting tile they are the best I have ever seen. 

[Redoverfarm]

Looks good Rick. Ellen is doing a fantastic job.

[MountainDon]

Looks good Rick. Ellen is doing a fantastic job.

X2   

[Windpower]

Great looking tile jobs

[Redoverfarm]

X2   

Yes she probably worked twice as hard. 

[UperJoe]

Rick - I see a lot of boxes on that trailer. Did you decide to use an RTA type of cabinet(s)?
I'm trying to decide between using one of the RTA vendors or building boxes and just buying the doors. Depending on what vendor it seems I don't realize much savings by building and sure would save some time in just assembling them.
That said - not sure which vendors are the ones to use. Reviews can be all over the place.
Any feedback is appreciated on this topic - maybe I should start a thread on it so I don't hijack this one??

[rick91351]

Rick - I see a lot of boxes on that trailer. Did you decide to use an RTA type of cabinet(s)?
I'm trying to decide between using one of the RTA vendors or building boxes and just buying the doors. Depending on what vendor it seems I don't realize much savings by building and sure would save some time in just assembling them.
That said - not sure which vendors are the ones to use. Reviews can be all over the place.
Any feedback is appreciated on this topic - maybe I should start a thread on it so I don't hijack this one?? 

First off I really don't mind hijacking at all.  Especially when our heart and lives the last couple years really have been poured into this property.  It is fairly large for a 'homestead' but pretty small for what would be considered a ranch.  So at any rate and a lot of stuff goes on here  --   right now mostly home building.   

Several reasons we chose factory built cabinets.

One was cost - we got a huge discount because we know someone.  They are not bottom of the line types at all.  Could I have made them better?  Certainly.  Yet they appear to be built well enough to out last us.   
Two - I am a woodworker - a hobby guy .  Lots on here are a lot better than I.  But I love working with wood.  I bit off a huge thing doing what I am planing on doing inside the house.  I really did want to tackle the cabinets.  But reality is starting to set in.  I just have to much other stuff to take care of.  Built ins and wainscot and making it all out of stuff we have saw milled off this place.  The nook area gets a barn lumber treatment from a barn my dad built here in the thirties.  We tore it down and have had it saved for like twenty years.  Knowing I was going to get a chance in using it some where in this house.
Three - We are living in a  fifth wheel camper ever since we sold our house in 'town'.  We so want to move into a / the house.  Ellen and I are putting in a lot of hours right now working out there.
Four - The kitchen cabinets Ellen bought bought are painted white.  A kitchen scheme she has wanted for years and years.   You know I just don't know if I could have pull that off.   

[rick91351]

We pretty much lost today.  We have had several inches of rain the last couple days.  Ellen was heading down to the house and I was making some phone calls.  Today was the day we were going to start grouting the wall tile.  Ellen came back up in a hurry and told me to hang up and get my rubber boots on and get down to the house we have a major issue. 

When we poured the foundation walls I put in a couple two inch pieces of pipe in the foundation walls to run like the satellite internet and satellite TV and phone into the house and might run a power line out that way as well.  Well some time last night the path of least resistance turn to one of those two inch entries.  I grabbed a shovel and reroute the water.  Opened up the crawl space hatch and it was no where as bad as I thought it might be.  We definitely had water in the crawl space.  Lots on top the plastic sheeting.  But it appeared to just be on the east third of the house.  Because of the pony wall footings were holding it over to that side.  Pumping was pretty much out because no provision for a sump. 

Last fall Ellen picked up a new wet dry shop vac.  It was on clearance at like one of the big box stores.  I thought it might be a little large to go down in the crawl space hole.  Then I remembered my old one down in the shop.  I walked down and got it brought it up.  Took the filters out of both of them.  Put my older one down in the crawl space.  New one up on top.  So I would vacuum up about the advertised 16 gallon.  Crawl back over to the crawl space hatch with the mini looking R2D2 in tow.  Take the other ones vacuum hose and put it in the one down in the crawl space.  Suck the water out if it and Ellen would wheel it off to dispose of the water while I vacuumed up an other 16 gallon.  This went on for a few hours.  We started at about eleven and was four when I called it good.  I think we did 11 sixteen gallon loads before we called it a day.  I got out of the crawl space and went to the trailer and got out of my wet clothes and fixed something to eat.  Dang that was cold water.       

[Redoverfarm]

Sounds as if you will be looking for a couple caps to put on the pipes today.   

[UperJoe]

We seem to share a lot of the same thoughts
I've accumulated a fortune in tools, become a collector more than serious user (hobby mostly I guess) and look at the shop and see a Uni and a Sawstop and a 15" Grizz planer next to a benchtop/lunch bucket sized 12" Delta, 10" old iron jointer and the list goes on - more than 500 s/f of shop full up with tools and have to say what the !@&* was I thinking when I bought all this
It will be store bought after sleeping on it or RTA maybe but me doing is out.
BTW - have really enjoyed your journey and your place is looking really sharp. Love it

[rick91351]

Ol Jarhead touched home the other day.  The high cost of propane this winter.  Only mine is diesel  which is out of sight as well.  I bought 250 gallons stored in my bulk tank for a hard winter and snow plowing with.  Which I used zero.  Kept everything plowed with the fourwheeler   In a moment of weakness I did not buy off road or tractor fuel but undyed  LSD (low sulfur diesel)  which is taxed at 50 cents a gallon in Idaho - so I can burn it in my pick up.   If you burn it in your tractors you can apply to the state for a rebate on the road tax to the 50 cent a gallon tax.  Off road fuel here is dyed red. 

What I paid for it would only make sense to burn it in my pick up.  But there is more. I am hoping to put about 40 to 80 acres back in to grass this spring that the sagebrush is taking over.  So I already have my fuel bought for that and just apply to the state for the road tax rebate.  Anybody have a crystal ball what diesel is going to drop to when the heating oil comes back on the market as diesel?      

[Windpower]

Diesel price drop 


I hear you on the propane as we paid 3.88 last time for Jan

we have been burning a lot of wood

[rick91351]

Diesel price drop 


I hear you on the propane as we paid 3.88 last time for Jan

we have been burning a lot of wood

Is  that - that funny - or the crystal ball  HUMM Hate to ask.............

[Windpower]

Sarcasm, rick

I bought  a Ford diesel truck a couple years ago so I could 'save money' on fuel

even when gas dropped to $3.15 or so diesel just kept going up -- and has stayed up

btw -- tip of the day: do not buy a Ford diesel pick up


The joke is on me, after $5000 in repairs of design flaws and a big increase in fuel prices --I guess it wasn't the smartest thing I have done

[Redoverfarm]

Sarcasm, rick

I bought  a Ford diesel truck a couple years ago so I could 'save money' on fuel

even when gas dropped to $3.15 or so diesel just kept going up -- and has stayed up

btw -- tip of the day: do not buy a Ford diesel pick up


The joke is on me, after $5000 in repairs of design flaws and a big increase in fuel prices --I guess it wasn't the smartest thing I have done

Ford is just like other vehicles made now days.  Recalls, flaws and the like.  Every truck manufacturer is experiencing problems.  The push for cleaner burning deisel trucks is likely the blame.  No long term testing before manufacturing.  Just crank them out to meet the demands.  "Oh don't worry about that we will fix it later".   I too bought a newer Ford deisel and am satisfied with it so far.  The previous one was the same type and got good performance.  But I will have to admit that the days of working on your own truck is basicly over.   We are going to be at their mercy on repairs I am afraid.

Here is a good site/forum on Powerstrokes.  If it is out there you can bet one of these people have run across most problems with them.

http://www.powerstroke.org/

BTW deisel here in the Mountain State is average $3.99 to $4.09.   

Sorry Rick that I took your thread in the other direction.  We now return you to your regular programming.

[UK4X4]

Just to make you feel better- we are now living in Aberdeen UK

our diesel cost is.....5.30gbp / gal---oooppssss forgot thats GBP.....$8.69

Here too the governement switched on that we were swapping to diesel for economy reasons and using less petrol, so they highered the tax on the diesel to keep the coffers full


Note that diesel is a base fuel comes out near the bottom of the fractionating tower and has no where near the same production costs as petrol.

[rick91351]

My oh three power stroke has just been a remarkable truck.  But it is a 7.3.  The salesman was steering me that direction.  He was an old friend of the family and between the 'all' of us bought a lot of cars from him.  But he had a bad feeling about the 6.0.  03 mid year was the last the 7.3's were available.  He sort of headed me to this one.  2 million 7.3 s were produced.  They could not make them fit the EPA requirements so Ford and Navstar came up with the 6.0.  I was just lucky to find it when I did.  No body I know was to pleased with their 6. series motors.       

Some ways it get treated very well - some ways not.  It does not get washed and cleaned up like it should.  However it usually does not miss a service by much.  It is an automatic and I keep my eye parked on the transmission temp gauge pulling hills with a load.  I have had it creeping into the yellow never caught it in the red.  As soon as the fluid becomes the least bit discolored it gets a service.  It never gets shut down right after a hard pull - I let it idle to cool the transmission and engine back down.   

It is having glow plug or a relay problem right now.  And it had the 7.3 Cam Sensor failure that was recalled.  Lucky it was not in a field of mud when that occurred but in a nice parking lot.  It blew the power steering line that was on recall.  Having owned it since 03.  All in all I would give that 03 four gold stars - or wheels or tires           

[Redoverfarm]

Rick I had a 99-7.3L as well.  Had nearly 200K when I sold.  I would have kept it if the rust worms had decided to make it their permanent living quarters.  That's what I get for buying a vehicle from northern Ohio where they eat salt for breakfast.

I now have a 2012 -6.7L which just turned over 22K and runs strong.  I thought the 7.3 was a power house but now I tend to differ.  Only thing that scares me is that it has twin turbo's.  One is bad enough but two.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  The newer one is an automatic whereas the other was standard w/OD.  Let me know if you need doors or tailgate as I have a complete set for Ext Cab.  My intentions was to repair the 99 but with bedrails rusted bad so I felt it was time.  Was a good truck.  Only major problem was the sensor same as you but it was covered. 

UK I would say you are buying the Imperial gallon which might be giving you more bang for your buck. 

[MountainDon]

UK4X4 is more than likely converting liters to US gallons as a convenience for us.  Maybe.

http://www.petrolprices.com/search.html?search=aberdeen
1 US gallon = 3.78 liters
today 1 GBP = 1.66 USA$

so @ 1.4 GBP per liter,  1.4 x 3.78  x  1.66  =  $8.78

We have a bargain here in the USA

[UK4X4]

Don is correct we went metric and buy in price per ltr
the gallon price is too scary !.

My RRsport even in diesel takes 160usd to fill up 

[rick91351]

Hey UK is that Range Rover or Rolls Royce 

It is pushing $100 USD here on the pick up...... 

Diesel is definitely the refiners cash cow now.  Does not cost as much to refine and most of us love our diesels so we drive them.  Gas rigs require more fuel to run on average if loaded pound for pound.

[UK4X4]

Range Rover Sport TDV6

nope I'm not gentry ! we have two weimeraners and finding a UK car big enough for them and some luggage was a pain in the rear.

I refuse to buy a minivan and most of our cars are mini sized compared to the US, even 1 dog won't fit in some of the boots