The REO Lounge - Part II

[Justice]

We are supposed to get building permits for any building we put up but as long as it isn't on concrete foundation they let them pass and don't fine if they find out about it (so far). My small barn is a pole barn. If I can ever get DH to move up to our "front forty" (0.77 acre) into a Yurt it will certainly be "pole" (pier and beam) foundation. Only problem with raised is snakes and other critters love to get and/or nest under them. (DIY grey water and composting toilet, almost off-grid with solar generator and solar panels I already have. Rain collection but some city water.) We can't build home on less than 1 acre but I'll "rent" a room from neighbor and Yurt will be a "storage" shed. The darn plot is zoned commercial in the middle of miles of residential. It was zoned that way with a 60 ft easement connecting to what is now the Audubon Society refuge but was originally planned as subdivisions early 70's. Our small plot was meant for construction equipment storage and access to deep woods planned for development. City never built the planned addition of road at the end of our dead end road, than doGness, to connect street to that area of woods.

This is just above size not needing a permit and the reason for foundation is town has fears of sheds etc being blown around in winds so they have to be anchored. I do have a portable carport that will go up after inspection Though it has 2x12 skids that I drive rebar thru to anchor it. It doesn't move

 

[FeistyAlice]

I was a big Home Depot fan for years but I've come to prefer Lowe's because I can actually find someone to help me. Maybe it's different in your neck of the woods, Alice, but sales associates at Home Depot's in WA are hard to find.

During normal hours, at our close by HD, it is hard to find associates. I usually stop at the brand new one on my way home from taking DH to airport. Bathrooms are up front and just when they open in morning lots of associates to grab. We have a Lowes about 10 miles away but last couple of miles usually heavy traffic as it's near big hospital. And I get too tempted by all the extra pretties it has; much more than HD. I know HD so well I can more easily run in and go to the exact departments and hope my blinders don't fail me.

I do a lot of my socializing with other customers in HD. DH expects me to be gone at least two hours when I make a quick trip to HD.

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[Gioajack]

im watching the 49ers and saints game

Yeppers, got it on right now while I'm building coils and mixing juices. (Just got done making my Key Lime Pie a little bit better. I'm expecting phone calls from Florida restaurants any moment.)


Jack

 

[FeistyAlice]

This is just above size not needing a permit and the reason for foundation is town has fears of sheds etc being blown around in winds so they have to be anchored. I do have a portable carport that will go up after inspection Though it has 2x12 skids that I drive rebar thru to anchor it. It doesn't move

We have major wind issues here. Not unusual to have 70 mph gusts and straight line sustained. Most poles, for smaller buildings, are sunk at least 4 ft into mostly rocky with flaring concrete at base. Roofs have to be really well built. We just had to have an insurance check as our co picked up another carrier. (Lots of ruckus in Texas past few years. Lot of carriers stopped insuring Texas homes and buildings; flooding, fires, black mold.) The thing they concentrate on is roofs. We put a totally new roof on in mid 90's. {Original was put on in early 70's. Most of ours was paid for by insurance after a particularly bad storm with lots of 3" hail and winds reaching 100 mph.} New roof has been through lots of hail and gale force winds and still looks great. Another thank doG!!!! Gutters don't fare as well as everyone wants, though.

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[Justice]

Wonder if you put that the angular foam filler stuff in gutters if that would help. Less likely for wind to catch ant the hail would simply roll to ground instead o fillin gutters.

 

[FeistyAlice]

This is just above size not needing a permit and the reason for foundation is town has fears of sheds etc being blown around in winds so they have to be anchored. I do have a portable carport that will go up after inspection Though it has 2x12 skids that I drive rebar thru to anchor it. It doesn't move

My "big" greenhouse, what's left of it from the Doodles stripping all the covering, insulation, and sun drapes, and I built the whole thing..... foundation is 2 x 4 treated lumber flat on rock base. I drove rebar in 3+ ft every 24". That was the hardest part going down through so much rock. I used to go out there during the worst storms to enjoy the weather yet stay dry and warm. It certainly tried to lift but held very well; probably safer than house. Before Doodles stripped it I had planned on putting an old iron, footed bathtub I have in there and a pot belly stove to soak surrounded by ferns and other tropicals, when wind is too brisk and cold to use spa on north facing deck. Still might do it. I've planned to recover half with clear and clear bubble insulation and other half with tarps for storage now that our 30 ft shipping container has been hauled off. I ran a spicket through a wall from hot water heater for hot and cold water to greenhouse. I use to use propane heaters but they were so expensive to run all winter for delicate plants. Electric was way too expensive. Pot belly is just the thing as we have so much wood.

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[FeistyAlice]

Yeppers, got it on right now while I'm building coils and mixing juices. (Just got done making my Key Lime Pie a little bit better. I'm expecting phone calls from Florida restaurants any moment.)


Jack

Did you happen to watch the TV program Dexter? An old friend of his was dying from cancer and in hospice. Her only request was for Dexter to find her the "Perfect Key Lime Pie." Most Key Lime Pies are not the real thing. I'll bet yours is!!!

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[FeistyAlice]

Wonder if you put that the angular foam filler stuff in gutters if that would help. Less likely for wind to catch ant the hail would simply roll to ground instead o fillin gutters.

Maybe some day. I had all that were remaining, mostly hanging, removed and only replaced the side at deck which is only 8 ft up. The other two big sides are 30 ft up and something I can't do any more due to my migraine vertigo. Luckily there are deep over hangs and they run off to deep pea gravel beds. We could really use collected rain water, though. When I get the Yurt (hope, hope, hope) I'll get rain collection gutters for it. (DH maintains he would rather die than move, even if it's only 25 yards away.)

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[Justice]

My gas furnace makes about 3-5 gallons of water an hour (condensation) I'm going to save it if for nothing but watering lawn it will at least be put to use. I suppose it could be earthquake disaster water too.

 

[FeistyAlice]

Maybe some day. I had all that were remaining, mostly hanging, removed and only replaced the side at deck which is only 8 ft up. The other two big sides are 30 ft up and something I can't do any more due to my migraine vertigo. Luckily there are deep over hangs and they run off to deep pea gravel beds. We could really use collected rain water, though. When I get the Yurt (hope, hope, hope) I'll get rain collection gutters for it. (DH maintains he would rather die than move, even if it's only 25 yards away.)

Hugs, Feisty Alice

DH doesn't have to deal with and maintain a "white elephant" old house, with something always needing major fix, nor the cleaning, yards and trees, fences, driveway, pool, and spa. I have about 50 yards of stacked sand bags around one side of house to keep the water out. They need to be redone. Retaining wall at end of pool collapsed last year. Huge hole in garage from leaking flat deck above it. (Lots of black mold.) (That's just for starters.) We used to pay someone to do most but can't afford any more. I'm tired of trying to keep up with everything!!! And he's not home enough, now, to do the nightly snake hunt.

Hugs, Tired Feisty Alice

 

[Justice]

DH doesn't have to deal with and maintain a "white elephant" old house, with something always needing major fix, nor the cleaning, yards and trees, fences, driveway, pool, and spa. I have about 50 yards of stacked sand bags around one side of house to keep the water out. They need to be redone. Retaining wall at end of pool collapsed last year. Huge hole in garage from leaking flat deck above it. (Lots of black mold.) (That's just for starters.) We used to pay someone to do most but can't afford any more. I'm tired of trying to keep up with everything!!! And he's not home enough, now, to do the nightly snake hunt.

Hugs, Tired Feisty Alice

Do you mix concrete into sand bags ? It's perfect for permanent sand bag walls. Just mix fill bags place them the. Water them they go hard and stay in place.

 

[FeistyAlice]

My gas furnace makes about 3-5 gallons of water an hour (condensation) I'm going to save it if for nothing but watering lawn it will at least be put to use. I suppose it could be earthquake disaster water too.

We got to see first hand how much moisture is removed from AC. DH's corner, in living room, gets really hot from being on west side and lots of electronics. The closest cental AC ducts are 30 ft away for big open area. So I got a good sized roll around protable, 120v, that I had to exhaust out the fire place because no openable windows and brick exterior. It was expensive to run, btw. Last summer I ran it it clogged up despite my cleaning them thoroughly a couple of times a year (innards). It normally exhaust the moisture along with hot exhaust air. I/we were emptying a five gallon bucket no less than four times a day. And the central had already removed a lot of moisture. After going through so much electricity and the hassle of emptying buckets I set up a fan directing the cold central air into living room, and DH set up another fan to further pull cool air toward his corner. And then I set the central down a little lower. It turned out to be a lot cheaper doing that than the portable near his corner. Cooling only the downstairs about the lowest electric cost, during "extreme" summer, is several hundred dollars a month. Just normal out here for average sized spaces.

DH has the last quarter 49's and Saints going. You all can discuss it.... I need to get some chores done.

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[FeistyAlice]

Do you mix concrete into sand bags ? It's perfect for permanent sand bag walls. Just mix fill bags place them the. Water them they go hard and stay in place.

The bags going around house are just filled and stacked 2 and 3 deep. When I did them I had planned to have something more permanent done but underground pipes, electric/phone lines/ septic tanks and field, and ancient tree roots present a major difficulty. I used about 4 tons of moist landscape sand. I'll have to admit I got "pretty stacking" down pat.

I plan on using concrete bags for the retaining wall, driving rebar into what's left of the "hill", about a 12 ft drop off. Plan on doing three levels and then fill in. (This summer I let the vines and weeds take over to hold what was left of the soil.) I'll have to use the 40 lb bags as I can't handle the 60-80 lb bags any more. You position them and let rain do the rest (allowing some spaces to keep water from backing up). Main problem is working on the steep incline and getting anything to that area. Only way to get anything to it requires biggest wheel barrow or cart to be only 30" wide and then they have to be hand carried down railroad tie steps/landings and over to wall area. It's a 12 ft drop off from pool decking into very rugged steep downward woods. Snakes are least of my issues. Hoping to get lower level started this winter. It's going to take many tons of concrete bags and many trips in PT Cruiser as I don't have my truck any more. And I'm just now well enough, after a few years being pretty disabled, to tackle the job.

There are some really cool looking major huge retaining walls within a few miles of here using the concrete bags. We don't have much level land for miles around so most homes have some to many retaining walls.

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[Gioajack]

Notice to Pietro

My Mini topped with the ERA still hasn't exploded.

Please try to restrain your disappointment.​

Jack

 

[FeistyAlice]

Do you mix concrete into sand bags ? It's perfect for permanent sand bag walls. Just mix fill bags place them the. Water them they go hard and stay in place.

Another reason I didn't do permanent bag was I had to do in front of concrete pad in front of double garage that I converted to enclosed room but left the electric garage doors intact for converting back to garage or for resale value and local codes. I could easily convert back by taking out wall. (okay.... taking out the walls would be a lot of work so someone else could easily convert) but until the flooding problem is taken care of we can't remove the sand bags. Until the flooding problem is taken care of we can't convert to use the garage for cars because we can't drive over the sand bags. Our house was one of the first houses built out here. We are just a few feet below most of the land up the road from us. As more and more houses are built more and more water runs to our property. If we got "normal" rain much would soak into the ground before it got here but "rain" here is usually short burst of several inches in a few hours. And it rarely "rains." Most water from the sky events are torrential downpours with gale force winds.

I need a nice strong young man or woman to come live with us to help out for room and board and even a generous allowance!!!! I'm totally serious. Pets and even a couple of large animals welcome. Thorough background check will be done. MUST ADORE DOGS!!!!!!

Hugs, Feisty Alice

 

[Justice]

Alice sand and concrete are what I'd call semipermanent. They can be relatively easily taken down. They just are less likely to erode that just sand. Granted it is manual labour but well worth it I think but I do head walls etc all the time.

 

[FeistyAlice]

Granted it is manual labour but well worth it I think but I do head walls etc all the time.

For sure manual labor!!!!!! I am so proud of my sand bag solution. The UV resistant bags are breaking down after a few years. That's the only reason I need to do repairs. Texas sun is brutal. I have a new batch of poly bags ready to use but just recently have I become well enough to tackle the job. I still have to be very careful because of R shoulder rotator partial tear (and 6 months of rehab) and left one giving me some "hints" to be careful.

When I was looking up best way to do sand bag barriers on Internet..... First thing I usually saw was, "Job best for young." Hee Hee. I was in my 50's and a "girl."

 

[Justice]

That's the nice thing with the sand conc mix even with burlap when the burlap rots out the rest stays in place. When time to remove just a little wiggling or a hit with a sledge and they seperate.

Ok wife's done on the road now

 

[FeistyAlice]

When I was working for City of Dallas, Parks and Recreation, Lakes Division, we moved our main building, wood frame, constructed in 30's, from one place to another. When we went to break up the concrete steps, using sledge hammers, not even the biggest strongest guy could even put a dent in it. I had to go to downtown shop to pick up jack hammers. That was concrete!!!!

 

[FeistyAlice]

When I was working for City of Dallas, Parks and Recreation, Lakes Division, we moved our main building, wood frame, constructed in 30's, from one place to another. When we went to break up the concrete steps, using sledge hammers, not even the biggest strongest guy could even put a dent in it. I had to go to downtown shop to pick up sledge hammers. That was concrete

When I was finishing up my degree in Physics, mid 70's, and working at P&R I had a very, long ongoing, serious decision to make between staying with Parks Dept or joining Air Force, R&D, then grad school, then some more service, then doctorate, and more service, all on govt bill. I so loved working for P&R, mostly outside (but moving up I still would have been outside a lot or at least in park setting when in "office."). I ended up choosing Air Force but car wreck and back/neck injuries/disablement put an abrupt end to either and before enlistment. They were "courting" me and the benefits were so enticing even though I was very against the Viet Nam "war." Back then there was no such thing as women combat pilots.

Hugs, Feisty Alice