Jay Angler

Ned Harr wrote:

I looked up the costs of digging a well several months ago. I learned it's commonly in the $10-15K range. Good to know, though I consider that a backup option if I can't get municipal water or do rainwater catchment for some reason.

Where I live, I am in a small bubble of the Municipality where the Municipal water pipes don't service. The rules are such that if we were to want that water, we would have to pay the entire price of extending the pipes from the current location, past our house, to the far edge of our property. The cost might exceed what you've been quoted for the well.

Luckily, we have two excellent wells on the property! But making sure you know how far away the Municipal water pipes are when you put an offer on a property that isn't serviced would be a good plan. No Municipal water pipes also means no fire hydrants. One neighbor whose since moved, dug a pond which they kept filled from their well during the high-risk part of our year for forest fires/grass fires. Even if you have Municipal water, some rainwater catchment for fire safety would not be an unreasonable plan as part of the "barn" build.

and wrote:

If the cost of bringing electricity from the grid is higher than a solar setup I'll do a solar setup.

If you are on a well, no electricity means no water... sigh... the joys of being more independent! There are many people who either have a small back-up generator, or now, a small stand-alone solar system, for when grid electricity is not available. *Many* caravans now have roof-top solar either built in or as add-ons, so depending on what you end up with, keeping the caravan as back-up/family guest accommodation, may have that benefit. If the well is deep, it may take a lot of power to pump the water up.

First off, not all RV's are built to the same standards, so some issues come down to luck.

We bought a motor home for trips when the kids were young - so dealing with 4 people. Compared to stopping at a different hotel/motel every night, a motor home was wonderful.

But it wasn't without issues:

1. Noise - *everything* rattled. I learned over time to control what I could by making bags or similar for the things that rattled the most.
2. Some have better levelling mechanisms than others - the fridge didn't work and was damaged if asked to work without decent level.
3. No thermal mass made for significant temperature swings. It got *very* hot in the sun, but it also got very cold overnight if the weather was cold. Some are bound to be better insulated than others.
4. The heater was very noisy and didn't distribute the warmth very well, and it seemed like I got cold within 5 minutes of it turning off. Things like hot water bottles would be a better alternative.
5. Some motorhomes are made for all weather - so the grey water tanks were within the insulation envelope. I recommend that if there's *any* chance you might end up in freezing weather.
6. Humidity - People breath out a *lot* of water and most motor homes don't have a good way to deal with it. Mold is often an issue.
7. Leaks - I've met a couple of motor homes with roof leaks. I would go for a Vardo (Romani) curved roof RV if I was trying to DYI. I refuse to deal with any more flat roofs, unless maybe a stationary green roof - the greenery protects the underlying waterproofing from the temperature/UV extremes that destroy caulking.
8. Poor layout: Most RV's are designed for sunny weather. I rarely see ones with room by the door for gumboots or wet gear. Hanging wet gear in the shower is a common approach, but often you have to cross 6 ft or more of floor to get there. I *have* seem DIY layouts that accepted that rain is a thing and was well designed for it.

Is that enough reasons? If you really want to build a house, may I suggest you build a house on wheels first so you learn lots of skills and get a finished product that will really work for whatever climate you're planning for?

Dave Lotte wrote:

I have had some people tell me i should throw out the cut off boards of wainscotting putting in part boards looks ugly - about 18 - 20 inches off EACH board.
I do not agree.

That would be such a waste. I had a similar discussion with a neighbor recently. Acquaintances of my mother had a similar sort of situation decades ago. They used trim to cover the join. The trim looked intentional.

In the industry, they finger joint the short boards and paint the trim so it doesn't show. But the project my neighbor and I were discussing wasn't going to be painted. I had suggested that the board pieces be joined like "puzzle" pieces - I would use a scroll saw to cut out shapes out of scrap material, and matching "sockets" in the ends of the boards.

Just think, you could do a line of Hobbits walking along, each on a different board!

Putting them just as you have in your porch would be far less time consuming!

After 1177 B.C. - the survival of civilizations

by Eric Cline

Many of the records make me question the definition of "civilization".

Timothy Norton wrote:My recently planted bareroot peach was doing so good! It leafed out and... cold snap.  

I wish it was easier to get fruit trees in the fall. In my area, the experts all say that fall planting gives trees the best chance, because their roots can settle themselves in before any worries about leaves. I hope you find something nice to replace poor peach tree.

Don't leave alphabet soup cooking on the stove unattended.

It could spell disaster.

You know the old saying—igneous is bliss.

How do you fix a broken pizza?  

With tomato paste.

Edward Lye wrote: It is hardly a life sustaining basket.

Judging by what does grow well, would Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) grow in your ecosystem?  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit

https://dab.hawaii.gov/add/files/2014/05/Breadfruit-Nutrition-Fact-Sheet.pdf

It does seem like quite a large tree, so maybe not an option if you have close neighbors.

As you say, it makes not sense for it to hold something like plants and have them leak all over the lower shelf.

My next thought was some sort of equipment from that era, which needed to not overheat? Metal and it would allow airflow. Phones didn't require such a thing, but possible a radio?