Quote from: dablack on July 14, 2014, 07:23:53 AM
I hadn't mowed in months when I got the tractor.  It was at least five feet high in some spots.  I had never driven a tractor so I took it around a little.  I just sort of zigged zagged around for a while out in the open with the brush hog going.  Sure enough the next day Google updated their satelite image of the property.  It looks like a crazy person had been mowing.  That was a couple of years ago.  I'm really looking forward to it being updated again so that image will go away!

You have to share a picture of that!  I have a friend from work that is upset with Google because she was weeding the flower bed in front of her house when they drove by and all you see if her butt as she leans forward.  Everyone that Googles her to get directions are met with her butt... too funny.

Here you go.  You can see I mowed around the house build (this is the one that burned down) and then down the hills and around!  HA!

Hilarious!  Y'ever watch COPS?  There was one episode where some guy was driving a mowing tractor, with a bottle of something in his hands and he was drunk out of his mind, actually fell off the tractor as the cops were following him.

Found the video...
http://www.snotr.com/video/2042/Drunk_on_a_lawn_mower

anyone know how a self supporting eyebrow roofs over garage doors are built?
I want to put one across the entire front of my addition, but cant find anything as far as building one.
i just want a 2' one

Maybe something worth while here.

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=eyebrow+roof&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4TSNA_enUS401US438&q=eyebrow+roof+framing&gs_l=hp..3.0l4j0i22i30.0.0.0.8953...........0.FUmKWeRdoRY

thanks John!
I would like to build one simular to jan's Moab house build.
most of his pictures of construction are missing though.

like this. not sure whats going on framing wise

got 14 windows installed this weekend





and here is a mock up of the entryway porch roof

got the eyebrow roof over the garage door this weekend, I ended up using trusses with a ledger cutout.
the total overhang is 24".

This is a really nice project. Your cabin is turning into a palace. Space is appreciated much more when it arrives incrementally.
Thanks for taking us along.

Thanks Tommy,
my wife and I have 3 girls, and a baby on the way, so the extra room will be real nice, and the storage is very needed.

I'm sure you will have a door from the garage area to the living area but lots of times you end up parking outside of the garage and that eyebrow roof will do alot for keeping your head dry when you are making a run for the front door in the rain!

Nice job on the windows too.  It is nice to use those scaffolds on the cement!  Very nice!

Austin

Thanks Austin, I cant remeber really ever parking in the garage anywhere else I have lived.. or having a garage empty enough to do so otherwise.. 
there is a door that goes into the entry from the garage though.
and being able to work off the scaffolding on the concret has been real nice! wish I had concrete all around the house!

Hello astidham -

You have built a beautiful place!  I am in the process of setting up a cistern too. Obviously it's been a couple of years, but I wonder if you could help with some of the plumbing details?

It appears from the image that there are two outputs from the tank and one appears to have a filter on it, is that right? Also, presuming that the pump is an "on demand" type, could you possibly advise the specs on the pump?

Your work has such quality - makes me step back with pause.

Thanks very kindly,
Shawn in Paso Robles, CA.

Quote from: astidham on September 24, 2012, 01:50:09 PM
Its been a while since my last post, we have finished most of the kitchen cabinets and tin back splash, and are waiting on drawers.
we started finishing the exterior, got the cistern installed, and have learned a lot about hauling water.

a pic of the hauled water cistern.


That is all for now!

Well, I am not Astidham, but I am contemplating something similar to this.  There is only one output from the tank.  The filter is just inline with the exit.

The pump usually is controlled by the pressure in the pressure tank.  When the pressure in the tank (which is the same more or less at the exit port from the pump - it looks like the settings are set right at the pump) gets below the low pressure set point, it turns the pump on to raise the pressure to the high pressure set point.

In my case, I will have a cistern higher up on a hill near a spring.  So I will have a second pressure tank between the cistern and the pump.  The first pressure tank will maintain water at a pressure equal to the hydrostatic pressure I get from the elevation difference.  I have to have the pump draw from that tank rather than all the way from the cistern, because the pump could pull too much of a vacuum over the long run from the spring, and then you'd get cavitation (formation of vapor droplets) which destroys the pump impeller.

This all said, I would love to hear what Astidham has to say about all the components between the cistern and the pump.  I see a filter, fittings on either side of the filter, but then a big bulge.  Is that bulge just to dampen vibrations of the pump?  Or something else?

the pump is a 3/4 hp jet pump from tractor supply.
it comes with a preset pressure switch that turns on at 30psi and off at 60psi. the pressure tank is 25 gallon. when the pressure tank is full and reaches the 60psi the pump automatically shuts off.
the sediment filter came from lowes... and the bulge in the pipe is a back flow preventer (ball valve from lowes), because the pressure tank will push the water back into the tank without it.. and on each side of the sediment filter is a union, so the entire filter unit can be removed.
what is missing in the picture is the shut off valve that was added later, and the ball valve has been replaced with a well point threaded inside the tank.
one of my upcoming projects will be moving all the cistern components into the garage less the tank, and moving the tank to a place less intrusive.
basically all the things southern Tier said!

Shawn, Thank you for the complement, however a picture can hide a lot of imperfection.. 
I might not have covered everything you asked, so let me know if I can help..

Todd

Hey guys, thanks very much for your replies and terrific help.

My area is in a major drought, and my 5,000 gallon water tank sits idle. Seems now is the time to re-configure the water source (an underground well/pump) to feed the tank - and then draw from the tank rather than directly from the well.

Very much appreciated.

Shawn

Adrienne and I have been mortaring rock around the pillars for the front entry porch.
this is the first time we have tried feildstone laying, so it is a learning experience.
the rock we are using is from our property, so it varies in thickness and shape.
I have been shaping the stone with a mini sledge and a chisel.

pictures soon photobucket is giving me fits..

You gotta get out of my head!  We are planning to do the same.  Your field stone looks great.  I'm always big on local stone and the fact that it is from your land is all the better. 

Lots of people around here use "austin" stone because it looks "texas".  It bugs me to no end because there is zero austin stone in East Texas.  It is a very light colored stone from central TX.  We will be using east texas iron ore!  It is an obviously rusty colored stone that used to be mined around here.  If you want to learn some interesting TX history, google "New Birmingham, Texas".  It is (was) about two miles north of my property.  I've found a good amount on my property but not enough to do our five columns.  I probably just need to dig a little.  If all else fails I can get it from friends. 

Again, that looks great. 

Austin

Thanks Austin!

pillars are done! I see why masons charge the amount they do... and what they charge is not enough.


here are my two oldest girls pretending to be the future post to hold up the roof...lol

Again, nice work.  The columns do look great and the girls as always are as cute as they can be. 

Austin

here are the cedar logs and the start of the entry roof




I found instructions on laying out and cutting the rafter birdsmouth (seat cut) here
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Common-Rafter-For-Any-Width-Structur/?ALLSTEPS
I thought it was mostley to the point.

Love it!

How did you secure the posts?