Mike Haasl

I'm gonna guess that your whole property saw a dusting but the elevated deck was a couple degrees colder so the snow didn't melt on contact..

Good work gentlemen!  If that pulley is attached to the top corner of the gate, I think, over time, it will put a lot of twisting load on that door.  Not when it's closed, just every time you open it there will be a twist applied to it which would likely shorten it's life.  Could the rope be attached closer to the handle where you're pushing/pulling on the gate?  Then there'd be much less twist...

Thanks Ben, I didn't think about the possibility of glue in the seam but that makes a ton of sense.

My plan is to have two of these side by side with a central run of blocks to support where they meet.  The fire would be at one end, the heat would run to the other end, do a U turn and come back under the second tank and end up at a chimney next to the fire opening.  Any thoughts on why this would or wouldn't work?  That way I can do a 2 or 4 person hot tub experience...

Thanks for posting this Ben! I was imagining something similar with dry stacked cinder blocks but I hadn't thought of capping the walls with roofing tin. I was just going to use the stock tank to contain the fire but this seems smarter.

How hot is the bottom of the tank to sit on?  

As I understand it, ice dams are primarily caused by air leaks from the house up into the attic that warm the roof deck and melt snow.  That snow melt runs down the roof until it hits a colder section of the roof deck, typically over the eaves.  There it freezes, forming a dam.  

So you can yell at your roofer all you want but the problem stems from a lack of good air sealing between the house and the attic.  Or heat from other hot things in the attic like a chimney or heating unit.

Currently I know of 39 Otises!

Otis #12:

30 wooded acres in the North East TN area with an artesian well, barn, tractors, livestock, sawmill and a bunch of tools.  No houses currently but there's room for building them and camping in the meantime.  

I'd go oddball or homesteading oddball

Well, I can't speak to legal stuff, but I'd start by shopping for a Pepper that might be a good fit in the List of Peppers.  If some seem like a possible fit, send them a pm

I think that the way it's written, you can do whatever BBs you want within the Straw list. I might try to avoid redoing them but I don't think that's a deal breaker.

Thanks Jack! I haven't had time to improve it this year or last.  But the plastic has started to fail so I do need to reskin it this summer.  I have been leaning towards twin wall polycarbonate but I'm not sure if I need to add any structure to hold it up.  My rafters happen to be on 4 foot centers but it might need some horizontal support.  Which is doable if needed.

I think I'll skip the glass for the yoga area.  Getting glass up there would be a real struggle and a potential safety and air sealing nightmare.

Based on my experience, I'll be able to go with one or two tiny vents at the bottom, instead of the row of patio doors.  And I'll remove the reflectix roller and associated hardware at the ridge.

Fun project, anyone wanna come help with it?  :)