More little things. Not very productive weekend.

Nothing too exciting happened over the weekend, just some more rocks and a little bit of interior work.  I did a little bit of repair near the edge of the slab with what I clean out of the truck after dumping the bulk of the load. 


I got another load down here.


I also set up the coat rack.  I was originally planning on building something over here.


But I decided against it because of how much of the cleat and the light switch it would block.  Instead I hung it over here.


I also put up some hooks on the door. 

Nothing exciting, just more rocks.

Nothing too exciting the last couple of days, just another load of gravel.  I tried driving up the rutted part of the driveway to dump it it in the proper location.  That was apparently a mistake.  That was the ball on the back of my truck.


Something else happened when unloading this time too.  My tail gate started to fall off. 


Another ton.  This part is worlds better, but there is still a long way to go.  This is only a tiny section of the driveway.


This weekend is supposed to stink, so we shall see how much I get done.  I am also looking at how to start smoothing the yard.  It has been too wet for the septic guy to come up and smooth and seed (his tractor is too heavy and will sink in the soup), but if we get three or four days of nice weather, I can drive mine on it.  I also end up making a drag of some sort to use to smooth it just in case the septic guy can't come up until it is too late.  The weeds are already starting to peep in, and once they take hold, I would need a harrow/disc to get it smooth, which means something much larger than my tractor.  It would stink to have to do all the work myself, but it would save me a few hundred dollars; he withheld 400 from the bill last year for this work. 

I am not considering this driveway work as part of the item on the checklist, this is just emergency damage control, so no movement on the checklist.

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Overdue weekend post

The weekend was wet and rainy so I didn't get a whole lot done.  Saturday I slept and was lazy most of the day and did some chores, but not too much productive.  Sunday I felt the itch to actually do something, and dodging the rain, managed to at least get the shelving over the toilet complete.  I didn't actually need the extra storage in the bathroom, but I did need the towel bar. 


I also did a little cleaning outside as well, and came across this.  I already have the two for the snowblower, so I am guessing this one was dad's and should have gone down with the tractor...


Monday was fairly nice most of the day, so I decided to get a load of gravel.  This is the first time using the load handler thing. 


I managed to get exactly one ton.  The gravel has gone up a lot in price since last spring too.  Last year, this was only 10 something a ton.  I might want to shop around before I start getting dump trucks of it delivered.


The load handler did a decent job.  It spilled over the side on my feet a little, and didn't completely clear the bed, but as you can see by the shovel that was still rusty (I used it to chip ice most of the winter), I didn't need to use it. 


It is a little disappointing just how little a ton covers.


Then came time for the spreading.  The first pile was fairly small and the tractor with the dozer blade did a really nice job on it.


The second pile however was too large for the tractor.  This is where it stopped.


Because the tractor is waaay too small for what I am doing with it, it wouldn't back up the hill either.  Some "assistance" was required.


It dug some pretty deep holes very quickly.  It didn't help that everything was soggy, the holes already had water in them by the time i got it dragged back up the hill.


I had to spread the rest by hand, but that isn't a huge deal.  It was actually easier to spread it with my feet than it was with the shovel.  I will probably get another load today.

I am not sure how I feel about the load handler.  On one hand, it did greatly ease unloading the truck.  It is worth what I paid for it, but you really need 2 people to use it effectively; one to drive the truck, one to unload the bed, so I don't see it replacing my desire for a dump trailer or a bed that dumps in my next truck.  It was a real pain to install, the design for the straps that hold it on the tailgate is poor.  It is almost easier to remove the tailgate to install it.  Time will tell if it holds up, but there doesn't appear to be any significant damage to it.  If I had a real tractor with a bucket, it would be a lot more useful since I could just dump it all in one pile and then move and distribute it with the tractor. 

The (hopefully) last gasp of winter.

I woke up this morning to a very red sky.  Unfortunately my camera app was updated, and it had faded a bit before I figured out how to manually set the picture parameters, but it was still pretty pink this morning. 


It was in the middle of putting a layer of ice on everything.


Fortunately the cover I bought for my bike came in yesterday and I got it put on before everything started.  I had to bring it in since I broke the valve stem when trying to put air in the back tire.

Sadly no dishwasher until the hot water is ready.

I finished up hooking up the dishwasher the other night.  It turns out that the 3/8 hose wasn't actually 3/8, it was closer to half, so I ended up trying to use a PEX fitting.  It predictably leaked, even after cranking on the hose clamp.  It is kind of ridiculous that it takes almost 50 dollars worth of fittings (I sure wish I had a Humble Plumbing type place) to get the dishwasher hooked up, but it is finally there.


Despite leaking since it wasn't a proper barb fitting, I gave the dishwasher a go.  What I attempted was opening the second valve so and closing the first, so the only part of the hot lines live were the sink to the dishwasher.  I then tried to backfeed it by opening the mixer valve on the sink (run the sink on warm even though there isn't any hot water).  It failed; the disappointing flow rate of the sink, which was divided again didn't fill the dishwasher before it triggered the no water error. The idea wasn't a total failure; there was water in the bottom of the dishwasher, but it just wasn't filling fast enough.  It also filled enough that when it drained out what had filled, I got to see that the pex fitting idea failed.

Nice weekend. I can do dishes again. Lots of pictures.

It turned out to be a really nice weekend after Friday.  I got the inspection bill for the car on Friday, and it was stout, right at 1800.  Ouch.  The car will have to last another year after that kind of bill.  Also annoying is that my truck apparently eats bulbs as well as brakes.  I lost yet another turning signal bulb on Friday, which brings the total to 5 bulbs in the last 3 years I have owned the truck.  Annoying. 

Saturday was really nice so I decided to start my annual genocide.  I got all my dunks out.  The bugs haven't really come out yet, so I don't think it is too late.  I am still on the fence as to their effectiveness; two years ago I think I put them out too late and they didn't work, and last year the bugs weren't bad, but the weather was brutal, weeks of 70s followed by a week below freezing, which is hard on them, so I am not sure if it was the dunks or the weather that killed them. 


I also walked around a bit to survey the condition of the lot.  There was a lot of wind damage over the winter. 


I took a look back at the trail, and it is still being used, there were fresh tracks and droppings on it.


Closer to the home, the crack in the slab now extends all the way across.  It has gotten bigger too. 


It was also warm enough that the door doesn't latch anymore.  When I came back the door was wide open.


I also noticed that the wind blew my ladder over.  It dislodged the screen and punched a small hole in it.




I got the screen put back in, though the hole isn't patched yet.


I also pulled out the cargo unloader so I can start getting gravel.  This of course was the first thing I saw.  Way to go Northern.  The white circle is a defect.


I also did realize that there was something I was supposed to bring down to KY and forgot: skirting.  I still have a few pieces leftover that I was going to bring down.  I have this cut one and an untouched 11ft panel.


Some bugs are already out though, since I had a visitor.  Not sure what kind of bug it is, not familiar with red ones.


I also noticed that with the new water, the toilet is cycling better.  I still need to clean the rust out, but the float is working much better.


Today was also really nice.  I spent part of the day outside, working on my bike and giving it a tune up until I broke the valve stem putting air in the back tire.  I will get that fixed this week.  I also worked on the kitchen sink.  It isn't complete, but it is functional.  I ran out of pex clamps, so the hot water isn't hooked up yet, but the cold is and works.  The throughput on this faucet is very disappointing.  It only pushes through 0.9GPM, whereas the bathroom runs at 1.1GPM.  Typically kitchen faucets are in the neighborhood of 3GPM.


It looks kinda odd with the dual shutoffs, but it works.


In case anyone forgot, I hate PVC work.  With that out of the way, this actually went nice and smooth and everything was perfect on the first try.  I had to use some strange orange PVC cement (my clear stuff had gelled and orange was all Home Depot had in stock), but it is connected and is water tight.  It is a little strange to have such a long drop, but that is because I didn't put a tall enough riser on the sanitary tee for the drain.  Oops.


Due to many issues with plumbing, I have tons of spare parts if anyone needs any.  If dad wants, I can bring them down since I know you still have to redo a bathroom.  I am completely done with PVC work at this point, the kitchen sink was the last piece, so I have no need for any of them.


I will try to finish the kitchen sink and perhaps the stove tonight.  Anx is coming up this evening to give me a ride to pick up my car, so that will be returning home. 

No movement on the checklist.

Nice water.

I ended up working from home this morning by tethering my phone to my computer.  It worked, for the most part, but the phone internet access is pretty poor.  
The guy came up a little late, but I have a new water system installed.  They want the system to settle a little bit before they run the final water test, but turning on the faucet looked (well, smelled) promising.  Since it was below freezing I brought the washing machine back in.  The room looks surprisingly neat with all the stuff taken out.



The unit doesn't require any salts or maintenance (I am guessing it is a reverse osmosis system?), but it will need to backflush every few days or every 200 gallons.  It is really loud and obnoxious so I have it set to go at 10AM while I am work, instead of at night.
I didn't quite realize just how much crap I had stuffed in there.  This is all the stuff I had shoved in there.  Most of it will require a new home.





Since this wasn't on it, there is no movement on the checklist.  At this point the onus is back on me to get the water heater in.   I also have a bunch of things lingering that I need to finish wrapping up.  I just need to finish the silicone in the bathroom for example before that can get crossed off.  Everything else is done and has been for months.

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Almost ready for the trip south.

Today was spent wrapping things up before bringing my dad's tractor back down this weekend.  I got a bunch of odds and ends done, tax paperwork, got the ball rolling on the water system, got all my trash taken to the dump, and so on. 

The main thing I did when I got home was get the tractor ready to roll.  The snowblower came off a lot easier than it went on.  There was only one thing that gave me any trouble, this guy.


As you can see by the bent 4 way, a little leverage is all it needed to persuade it.  After that I just drove it into the truck.  It was a pain filling the tires, since three of the four were flat.  The flat one behind a wheel weight was obnoxious.


I still have some minor things to take care of tomorrow, since I haven't packed yet, but nothing major.  I am headed out tomorrow, so there won't be any posts for a week or so.