Rick and Ellen's Homestead

Started by rick91351, March 20, 2013, 11:55:14 PM

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rick91351

Over the last several years we have been working to put a house up on our property at Smith's Prairie, Idaho.  Also know simply as Prairie.  We started out wanting to stick build.  We had plans drawn up and engineered for 120 pound snow load and 90 mph wind load as required by IRC .  We put in the septic and well.  The power is there but we are yet to run it to either the house or the shop.  We however did run two 30 AMP services to our two RV pads along with sewer hook ups and water.

The shop was build three years ago and finaled two years ago.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9342.0

Our large orchard has been in for like five years now.  We have planted over 100 fruit tree and nut trees and well as berries on the property.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=11346.msg145745#msg145745

Our mini orchard was started in 2011 as an experiment for this forum. 

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10850.msg158920#msg158920



Last year after we retired we sold our house near Boise or at Nampa and filled two storage units and the shop with our house hold goods, collectibles and other accumulations of 40 years of marriage.  It was about this time we made a turn in our plans.  We decided rather than do the stick build we would buy a modular home and put it on that property and save us a lot of headache.  Modulars have the same warm fuzziness of IRC it would save us a lot of time and it would be done.  So we found a comparable house to the one we designed put a small down on it to get it started.  Then we hit one hick up after another until we hit an iceberg head on and sank.  That occurred after being assured we could get that size of unit over the road.  Turned out they could not.  Not without us paying to have the road filled in around three curves.  Not on our property but county roads.  Or we could opt out for a three section home.  The salesman assured us it would only be another $30,000 to $40,000.  I do sort of feel we were set up for a bait and switch now looking back at it.   

So we have a clearance dug for the modular home.  We have the utilities stubbed off for that the modular minus the electrical.  I wanted to know exactly where they were going to set the service panel in the modular before running the electrical.    By the way the house was promised to be set by Thanksgiving of last year.  Here is the clearance 03/20/2013.  Just a tad over Thanksgiving.   ??? 





So Rick and Ellen dusted off the plans we had drawn a couple years ago and are crunching the number now.       
           
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

rick91351

I took our plans by a contractor I use to know fairly well.  WOW we both were a lot younger then.   ;)    He has a good reputation.  I want him to give us a bid just in case we can not put together funding for an owner builder.  I did find another institution that only loans of farms and ranch properties.  But there mostly for livestock, equipment, and improvements.  They are interesting at looking at what we are thinking however.     

Today 03/22/0213 Friday was cattle auction day at Treasure Valley Livestock I had to buy some replacement cows and calves.  I bought three pair and they averaged us $1351.33 a pair.  They were all young good cows that should be with us for quite a while.  Last year I went another way and bought some older cows and they did not fair very well.  We try and buy four pair a year as replacements. 

After I got that done I made the long drive up to the ranch and got the mail.  Today is mail day up there.  (Mon, Wed, Fri)  We had a box full.  We also had a few inches of new snow.  So it is now white over the mud in the photos above.   ;D 
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.


rick91351

Last fall I did a lot of thinning on Ponderosa Pine trees in fact all most a solid week.  I ended up with three large slash piles that I was going to drive up and set on fire about now. There should be a lot of snow here yet.  As you can see dismal snow year last year.







They were a lot taller last fall before the snow smashed them down and they settled.  I am thinking now about loading them on our flat bed trailer and hauling them over to a wash near the orchard.  I would then throw them into the wash and then dump some dirt and decomposed granite on them and see if I might have something like Glenn is doing.  There is a intermittent creek that flows there in the spring time.  We could hopefully hold that moisture there for the summer growing season.......

I still have a lot more to thin as well.  I will get in to some real soon that I could use for saw logs but instead will drop them for wood trees.  There might be some hidden nails, wire or  ??? Which make my friend the at the saw mill not happy.... :-\





Monday we hope to get the fifthwheel up to the ranch and parked.  It took a major hit coming back from Yuma and Quartzsite a month ago.  A golden eagle flew up out of the barrow pit and we got it with the front of the fifthwheel.  We were doing about 65 MPH down by Lund, Nevada near Ely....






My wife and I being birders really felt bad about the incident.  I stopped at the Sheriff's office in Ely after we fueled and reported it to the Sargent On Duty.  He called the fish and wildlife people who were going to run out and get it.  I did have a very good fix on where the bird fell.  They are suppose to be collected and the Native American Indians are supposed to get the feathers off those birds for their making of headdress and they are used in their religious rights.       

     
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Abbey

Hi Rick,

Sad to hear about the eagle. There was a guy here who ran into an owl and it got lodged in the grill of his truck. He stopped and found the owl was still alive so he drove to a local animal rescue place and they carefully removed parts of the grill and extracted the owl. Amazingly the owl was not hurt, a little disoriented and angry, but physically fine.

rick91351

Owls were the worst on the railroads.  They would just sit there on the ball of the rail at night with the deer in the headlight look.  But then when doesn't a owl have a deer in the headlight look.  You reach down and kill the headlights and ditch lights and and still hear and feel the thump.  Strange how something as large as a locomotive you could still feel it.   ???

That is always a problem with birds at the top of the food.  They sort of ......  just don't get it......   
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.



rick91351

We tossed in our plans for the house we wanted to build and had engineered and drawn.  I was concerned that it was just going to cost to much to complete and would strap us down to tight.  So we redrew and re-engineered and came up with another house.  We got it back last week and I took the plans around for bids on the stuff I / we just do not want to do.

We now are hooked up to the internet via ViaSat and their Exede system

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=13095.msg170539#msg170539

I hooked our Winegard Satellite dish up using a tall pile of dirt from our excavation and shooting over some pines and more Aspen we are now tuned to Direct TV.  Life is good!



I built a deck.  It is not finished yet.  It needs as you can see a railing and some trim and stain.  But it is getting a good work out with people dropping in and family and grandkids staying the weekends up here.  We have our old fifthwheel backed in to one of the RV spots and our 'big tin portable cabin' in the other.  Makes it pretty enjoyable.



The deck is 18 by 10 and the top is built in two sections.  We can pull both sections back about two feet six inchs so we can pull the fifthwheel out without any trouble and I can back it back in as well.  Then slide the deck back into place.

I made the beams here with some old 18 foot 2X6s I had been saving and bulked them out to four inches for the brackets sandwiching in some old left over OSB from the shop.  The cement blocks have 4X4 sockets and worked well for this application.

         

   
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

speedfunk

looks like a comfy temp homebase!  Just a thought a lot of peole burry the slash to increase organic matter in the soils, which aids in water retention of the landscape.

Sounds like you guys have had quite the house journey.  I hope it all works out for ya..
peace Jeff

rick91351

Thanks for the suggestion Jeff about the slash.  We do bury some now and then and boughs work very well in washes.  We for some reason had a intermittent creek that for some reason started washing greatly when I was a kid on this place.  We tossed a lot of such in it and and are still from time to time tossing more in to it.  The boughs do a great job trapping the sand and small rocks.  Where it does not flow into a live creek we are able to do such.  Here in Idaho I just would not do such if in to a live stream because of fines, being arrested and going to jail. :D

We are in the middle of a weird thing here with the Pine Beetles they are quite out of control.  One way we control them is cutting 'green piles' in June and first of July..  The beetles are attracted to them because they sense them being weak and lay their eggs in them.  Then they are burned in the winter and destroy the eggs and larva.  I am loosing about 20 to 30 nice saw logs a year on this place to pine beetles.  But when the whole Boise National Forest is infected well really western US and no control is in sight you do what you can do......

I have been however thinking of burying some for garden beds and Glenn and Sassy have done.  But one major thing at a time.  I need to get the house nailed down.  We do not want to spend a whole year 'nother year in the big tin portable cabin.  Ellen did not like going south for the winter but I doubt she would have liked the -30's up here either in the fifthwheel.   ;)   

   
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.


OlJarhead

If I spent more then a weekend at a time at the cabin I'd get sat internet too!  Have to admit it's tempting now for those evenings when you're relaxing with a snort our sourmash and you'd finished reading your last book ;)

First I'll try a digital antenna I think though.

rick91351

Quote from: OlJarhead on June 03, 2013, 11:27:12 AM
If I spent more then a weekend at a time at the cabin I'd get sat internet too!  Have to admit it's tempting now for those evenings when you're relaxing with a snort our sourmash and you'd finished reading your last book ;)
First I'll try a digital antenna I think though.

OJ We changed out mast head on the fifth wheel and went to a digital.  Works great.  That was real hard two pins and the little lock washers.  We had that on our trip down south to Az. and Ca. worked real well.  We were a - ways away from civilization at times.  But then I / we are not a real TV addicts but when there is something we want to see.... ;)

Only reason we even had satellite - Direct carried the Mountain Network.  They had the lock on all the sports TV for the Mountain West Conference.  Boise State joined Mountain West and talk about an exodus from Dish to Direct here in Boise and that market.  Now seems most of the games can be had on the regular networks........   Huskies and BSU play in Aug in Seattle......  Love both teams  ???   It will be on Fox Sports 1.  New sports network.     

I bought the satellite receiver fairly recently as we were going to have to start paying as we took a withdraw from service when we sold the house.  So I figured that we might as well use it if we were going to have to pay for it anyway.  That tag along can mount to a mount on the ladder on the fifth wheel but just to many trees on that end of fifth wheel. 
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

OlJarhead

My wife and I discussed it on our walk today and agreed that we should probably get a land line and sat internet for next year :D  Then I can work at the cabin whenever I want to!

rick91351

Quote from: OlJarhead on June 03, 2013, 02:06:42 PM
My wife and I discussed it on our walk today and agreed that we should probably get a land line and sat internet for next year :D  Then I can work at the cabin whenever I want to!

No one will see you again....... other than on the tractor - or at the saw mill, or down at the creek trying to drown a dry fly or over at the shooting range....  Life is really hectic......
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

OlJarhead

Oh how I wish! lol

But I do play darts after all, so I'll be seen there once a week!


rick91351

Quote from: OlJarhead on June 04, 2013, 09:00:03 AM
Oh how I wish! lol

But I do play darts after all, so I'll be seen there once a week!

[scared]  OMG I forgot darts!!!
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

rick91351

Ellen and I were out for our evening walk. 



As we were crossing this dry creek, Ellen reached down and picked up this



Measures 5 inches by 1.5 inches.  And in perfect condition. 

A couple years ago I found a broken arrow head in the same general location.



Must have been a good place to camp.  It is not far from the big Camus meadows where they gathered Camus bulbs that were a diet staple   
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

OlJarhead

Wow!  That's a museum piece!  Very awesome!

rick91351

Thanks OJ.  We could hardly believe our eyes.  It is the nicest point or knife we have ever found up here.    Another neat part it was just off of a cow trail where the the cows cross back and forth there.  If one of those critters would have gotten off course just a little it might not been in that good of shape.    ;)     That is the same creek where we get our irrigation water.  We shut it off in May and dry it up from just above there on down.  Another reason she found it.     
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

rick91351

Hey!!! I got started framing last week  :)  but not on the house!   :(

Bee hive frames..... In case you have never seen inside this world....  Lot more to it than opening a little Honey Bear and squeezing it on to your toast in the morning....

First prep your sides.  They are sort of like studs in you house only smaller.  Seat two eyelets into your frame sides:



When you have done a bunch....  This is enough for five eight frame supers and a few extras....



For nailing frames you can use an old super as a jig.  Rip about 3/8 of an inch from the top with a table saw.  This will allow your frame tops to sit level with the top of the jig.  Inside the jig rip some pieces and nail them to hold the frames steady and straight while nailing the tops and bottoms.  If you are new to beekeeping and you want to make such a jig but you do not have any old supers yet stop by an apiary and see if they might have one that you can have.



I like to use one inch 18 gauge finishing nails through a small nailer that is easy to control to prevent this.  Yes it still happens but pull them out and shoot again.  If you have never use those small finishing nailers there is a word of wisdom.  Watch where your fingers are because some how those nails know where your fingers are and they will bite you!!



After you get the tops and bottoms nailed, then there four more nails  The most important as I have been taught.  Take your frames and shoot two nails in both sides of the frame into your top frame here.  This is what holds the sides to the top frame and takes the weight when they are full of honey or brood and you are carefully pulling the frames to check them.  The comb when the bees blow out the foundation will also hold the frame together but just as an add safety feature to keep things nice and tight.

       


All that and we still have not used the little brass eyelets yet --- but the most important part is now I can't get to my tablesaw. 



Check in tomorrow and I will try and show you how you get wired or wire the bee hive!!! ;)     




     
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

rick91351

#19
It is now time to install the wiring in the frames.  It do this; it is best done with a jig either made by yourself or borrowed or store bought.  The one I am using is one that a friend made.  I am going to pattern after his or search around the internet a little more.  However that said, I do like his design, and will make the plans available if anyone is interested.  But that said the reason I like his - low cost really really home made as you see and I have used it a lot and am use to it.



If you note the blue spool.  It is E string piano wire, or guitar wire.  It is very stiff and great to use in this application, please do not think you can get by with tie wire, picture frame wire or bailing wire.  If you do decide to get bees and do frames this is a must.  Also when they ship you the wire do not take it loose from itself.  Once you let loose the exposed end it will unravel and just run all over.  That is why the brake over the spool and down to the wire on the bottom. 



So anyway you mount the frame in the jig, then nail two nails just off from the two brass eyelets.



Pull from the spool about how much wire you are going to use for one frame.  Put it through the first or top eyelet and go to the opposite end and through the top eyelet there as well.  Then drop down to the bottom eyelet.  This is where your wire will usually kink so be gentle and work with it.



Now go to the opposite end and through the eyelet there.  Come up with the end of the wire and wrap it three time around that nail and pound that nail head down.  Brake off the wire tail or cats whisker or the wire end by wiggling it back and forth several times.   



Then roll the spool back until the wire is very tight and you can pick the string and get a high pitch note the bottom string will be a little lower.  When you have it tight pull up on the string while holding the tension on the spool.  Wrap it three times and hammer the head down. Wiggle the wire back and forth a couple times and it is loose.



Take the frame out of the and give the wire a strum and it should be twang..... 


Tomorrow I will try and show why you need the wire. I will install the foundation.......           
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.


rick91351

This is a video of wiring a frame.  First one we ever did!   [cool]   Not frame but video     c*


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlr2AhsXog&feature=em-upload_owner
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Don_P

Thanks for the tutorials Rick. I got my parts machined (had no idea there were so many machining operations in a hive!) and a good number of frames assembled before the spring chores tied us up. I'll finish assembly when things calm down a bit. This is where I got plans;
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/
One of our local owner builders swapped a swarm for construction advice and will come stock the hive when I'm ready.
Another friend is a novice beekeeper and had a little mishap last week, she went in too rough and hurried. By all accounts she can move pretty fast when neccessary :D

rick91351

Quote from: Don_P on July 08, 2013, 07:30:39 AM
Thanks for the tutorials Rick. I got my parts machined (had no idea there were so many machining operations in a hive!) and a good number of frames assembled before the spring chores tied us up. I'll finish assembly when things calm down a bit. This is where I got plans;
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/
One of our local owner builders swapped a swarm for construction advice and will come stock the hive when I'm ready.
Another friend is a novice beekeeper and had a little mishap last week, she went in too rough and hurried. By all accounts she can move pretty fast when neccessary :D

Thanks for the hive link Don.  We buy the hive parts the assemble them.  A lot less hassle and headache but it is good to have such just in case we have to do something else. 

Besides gives Ellen something to do. 





You might look in to these.  Every winter I think I want to make some of these and just try them.  However they are not as easy to extract the honey as they do not use conventional frames but people that use them like them so I hear. They are real home made hives.

http://warre.biobees.com/warre_hive_plans_imperial.pdf

Populating hives is not cheap.  A friend and I went to California and got bees this year.  They were around $130 for a 3 pound box with a queen of course.  The trunk was full of bee boxes and the back seat was full of broken down supers and frames and foundation and all sorts of stuff to save on shipping.  The bee supplier and the hive outlet are close.   So the bees plus the hive parts and the fuel and stopping to eat a couple times gets expensive.  The bookkeeper (Ellen) was less than impressed.  I think queens are running about $30 to $35 now.

Up here we are not so worried about spaying but there are a lot of predators from yellow jackets and wasps that will literally kill a hive.  Skunks love bees and will spray a hive to get the bees to come out.  Of course there is bears and even cows will bother where the hives are at and knock them around.  So you look around and you take a hit here and there you are out a lot of money.       

Most commercial operations like the ten frame hives.  I am not a fan of them for several reasons and have went entirely eight frame hives.  That said I have not used or tended very many ten frame hives.  The spacing in the eight frames hives is easier to work with for me.  I heard some people say they take the ten frame hives and go to nine frames.  Knowing bees - this causes a lot of burr comb or comb that they build in a hive not where it is wanted.  Oh the gluing power of a little wax and honey.  Eight frame hives are a lot easier to lift and carry when full.  If I were you try a few eight frame hives.  I think you will like them. 

There is a breed of bees we just really like New World Carniolan Bees that are so easy to work.  Yes you can up set them but if you are gentle and do not get in a hurry and are easy going I can slip in and out of a hive and never wear a veil or gloves or a suit with very little smoke and trauma.  That said I will throw on one of those little light weight mosquito head nets because there is always an old bee that can get on the fight.       

             
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

OlJarhead

Thanks!  I so want to do this and hope to try a small hive next year.

rick91351

Quote from: OlJarhead on July 08, 2013, 09:53:43 AM
Thanks!  I so want to do this and hope to try a small hive next year.

OJ is there a place near your home in Tri - Cities that you could have a couple hives in the spring for about six weeks?  Or you can start them in the back yard if allowed by your location?  Your commuting will be a problem unless you can be there to feed them every day until they get started.  Or some one feeding them.  They will take down a quart of sugar water in a day.  Plus they will be flying for nectar and pollen.  Seems like with four new hives this year it was costing us about $100 in good cane sugar a week.  Beet sugar is not very good for them.

Here is what you are up against with a new hive.  No stores, no brood, but one - two or three pounds of bees and a queen that wants to lay eggs.  So they have to convert two pounds of honey to make one pound of wax for their cells or comb.  Now once they have enough of the foundation 'blown out' or built she will start laying with a vengeance.  Then some where in the mix they will start laying in stores.  Which is honey and pollen they need both.  They also need water...  They will fly easily and happily a mile.  Studies have shown that they will fly three miles and just keep a hive going but it is way over worked and way over taxed.         

Two ways to feed them I know of.  Both use quart jars and pierced lids.  Lids and feeders are very reasonable - you supply the jar.   ;)  In the spring you fill a quart jar half full of sugar and add hot water until full and stir.  This is a thin syrup.  In the fall to build up winter stores if you feel they need them you fill the jar half full of water and add sugar and stir and keep adding sugar until full.  This is a thicker syrup.

After you get the hive / hives established and laying good and you have taken away their rations.  Then you can load them up in your pickup and go north with them.  Then we well worry how you are going to winter them.

Next spring when we go get bees we could swing by there and populate your hive or hives.  Long way out of our way but for a Marine that has served our country I would do it.             
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.