But the yard is done and looks nice.
An annoying thing I noticed while I was out mowing: despite spraying this knotweed literally every week last season, it isn't dead. It came back. It is definitely a lot thinner at least.
Interestingly, the stuff down by the road that I waited until July, cut it down, and then sprayed it seems to be mostly dead.
Thursday was a scorcher, almost hitting 90° in Sullivan (it did in Keene). But being short on time, I gathered up a spare set of muscles (thanks Anx) and we moved the cap to the backyard, down by the well.
The cap was a bit heavier than I expected, but I didn't expect it to leave permanent deformation in the 5 gallon pales it was sitting on. I guess Home Depot buckets kinda suck.
I cleaned up some stuff on the slab, the various cinder blocks and all that stuff, and called it a day. It is nice to have the space on the slab.
Friday I unfortunately got stuck at work late, and got out on the edge of the storms. They were quite impressive; despite the picture, it was 87° and sunny when I left, and when I got home it was 71° and falling.
I managed to grab my deliveries before it started though. The casters for the carport, the three point tow hitch (more on that below), and my water faucet.
It didn't fit on as I had hoped. I don't have a solution yet. It sucks to cut up my brand new faucet, but it looks like I will have to. either that or buy one of those jugs that it is designed to sit on (those big 5 gallon water things). Hannaford has them.
The whole weekend was wet, cold and miserable. Saturday I dodged showers all day, and it was cold enough to see your breath. Since time was running short though, I still did some work on the carport. I started off by installing the hook eyes for the carport (since it was drizzling). They were only rated for 350 lbs which isn't nearly enough, but they were the beefiest that I could find on short notice.
I put large fender washers on them to hopefully help distribute the pulling force.
During the next dry spell, I got the 3-point tow hitch assembled. The reviews were accurate, there were metal shavings all over the threads that needed to be cleaned out. Hurray for reviews for being useful.
I got it assembled and installed though.
After that it was time to install casters. The jack lifted the carport like it wasn't even there, I didn't even really need the handle, so perhaps the carport wasn't as heavy as I thought. Just really awkward.
Except that my screws were too small. And the casters were a little bit too wide to sit nicely on a 2x4.
So instead I got a bunch of boards cut for bracers. I did a few other odds and ends, like covering the push mower. I already toasted one by leaving it out in the rain. I didn't get it covered before the Friday storm, but hopefully it will be fine.
After that I went into to town to shower and get mounting hardware. As I came out of the shower, I went to put my phone in my pocket (like I have a million times) but this time I apparently missed. Looks like it is time for a new phone. Fortunately, only the glass is damaged, the display and touch panel are both fine. You can't really tell from the picture, but there are two cracks that go completely across the screen, and there is minor shattering on the opposing corners. Ugh.
Sunday was carport day. So naturally, even though it wasn't supposed to rain until the afternoon (and even that was only 40% chance), it rained all day. Literally all day until about 7PM.
Still, I am out of time, so I pressed on. I spent most of Sunday installing casters. It took longer than expected. My drill didn't have enough oomph, so I had to use a ratchet for the lag bolts.
I also found it interesting where the fulcrum point of my carport. I knew it was towards the back because of the back wall, but I didn't expect it to be quite this far back.
I also didn't realize how much the carport settled/sank. That ditch is almost 3" deep.
But later in the afternoon, everything was ready. I put a few extra braces in as well.
The tractor had no problems pulling it. The casters didn't really work the way I hoped, but they worked enough. Fortunately, there was only one brief moment where I could have used some brakes on it, but it hit a rough spot shortly afterwards which stopped it from crashing into the tractor. 
It left big ruts. Most likely because it rained all freakin' day and softened everything up. Still, I didn't need to run it across plywood or anything. That old tow strap I got from Matt continues to impress. It feels really lame and wimpy, but has yet to fail even doing things outside of its pay grade.
It looks weird off the side in the yard. It also shows how unlevel my yard is.
I also went and got all the blocks and boards and stuff out of the way, and rolled up the power cords. I no longer have power in the shed.
The area up there looks really open now.
Sunday night, once I was done peeling ticks off of me (I was wearing long sleeves and still got four of them on my arms), I went and at least started to get the house ready. I started by getting the washer out. It made a mess.
I got a few other things ready, like I got the portable toilet filled and ready, but I was pretty beat at this point though.
I also cooked the last meal in the tiny home.
A couple other notes, it is kind of crazy that Thursday (and Friday) it was almost 90° and I had the AC running. Saturday and Sunday I turned on the heat. All weekend, you could see your breath outside. In June. I don't have a thermometer in the house anymore, but it felt like it was down in the 50s inside.
All that is left is the house at this point. I did start bleaching drains (the hope is that it will limit any smell, since I expect the traps will get jostled and possibly not be full when the house gets to its final position), but for the most part will have to do it all today. I am taking a half day today, but also have to run to the dump and whatnot as well. Hopefully I can get it all done. I am still pretty stiff and sore from crawling around under the carport all day yesterday. The stuff in orange has been postponed to after construction is complete.
Before the site work:
- Build prototype cap/camper (or at least move it)
Empty slab. Get the grill, storage bin, clothesline, bug zapper, and other junk off the slab.Replace tires on tiny home trailerDetermine where to and move carportDouble up the studsWall BracingInstall skidsInstall cross membersDrag to new location- Build kitchenette for the truck camper
- Get rid of unneeded appliances (propane, stove, fridge, water heater)
Stove- Fridge
- Dishwasher
- Water Heater
- Finish prepping/moving the house
- Pack Totes
- Pack Food
- Remove washer
Remove TV- Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water
- Bleach the drains
- Drain the hot water heater and pressure tank.
- Cut off drain line and plug/cap it.
- Cut supply lines and cap them.
- Temporarily move futon, laptop, fridge, microwave, stove, etc.
Disconnect electric for carport and shed.Fill up tires- Disconnect the electric
- Remove the blocking.
- Attach to truck and move house to parking spot
- Refill traps from bucket.
- Fix generator again.
No comments:
Post a Comment