Sandy Cromwell

paul wheaton wrote:

I was on the road and visiting a homestead and there it was.  I know that I need about a quarter of "dawn" compared to what I'm used to.

Let me plug what I use quickly:  

   oasis brand dish soap for greywater systems
   oasis brand laundry detergent for greywater systems

If they have it, get it now.  Because it is available only half the time.  So when it is available, you need to stock up.

Yep, I went there, and then I found the ingredients (listed way down low on Amazon).
There are so many that cannot be pronounced by normal people - so I looked them up. The second ingredient is listed by PubChem as corrosive, irritant and an environmental hazard! So, thanks, but I'll stick to Zote - grated or chopped, soaked in water, then blended until smooth (otherwise it gets gloopy and chunky). I use it for EVERYTHING. It's cheap, made from lye and fat, and, depending on the color you pick (I use white) dye and fragrance. The fragrance of the white is citronella, which I believe also helps keep some bugs off my skin.

When a product claims to be 'biodegradable" and 'safe', then lists off multiple chemical ingredients that are NOT safe, I question the use of the product.

Cassie Langstraat wrote:Maddie was recently at Wheaton Labs and tooks a bunch of great pictures. You can see them all here. But here are a few good ones of wofati 0.8.

I love the wood floors.... Hoping that this year I'll get my own Wofati started - been waiting too long already!
Any chance a bit of detail on floor installation could be shared? What's under there: vapor barrier, beams, etc.?

Love this thread! Thanks for the info.
We definitely have some sugar maple as well as plentiful birch we could tap, but not enough to make syrup a viable option. I love the idea of saving the sap as a resource and would appreciate any more information and updates on this subject.

A 'few' years ago, I made myself a cloak. I was living in the Pacific Northwest, East of the mountains where the rain wasn't anything like Seattle. Winters were COLD. And I didn't have a car, so walked everywhere.

I made the cloak out of polar fleece, and it had the lovely voluminous hood and slits for armholes. The closure at the front was 3 'frog' buttons, which looked really cool. It was almost ankle length.

Even on windy days, walking around getting things done, walking to and from work, etc., I stayed REALLY warm. In a light rain, that polar fleece actually repelled most of it, and even when it started getting wet was still much warmer than a coat. The inevitable snow could be brushed off, and hanging the cloak once I'd arrived at my destination allowed it to dry before heading out again.  I didn't need gloves, because I just pulled my arms in and my hands stayed toasty.

Practical for homesteading? Really not sure I'd want to use one!! Made with different materials, shorter, and removeable hood (really like the idea of a hood with a shoulder cape!), and repellant to hay, I might consider one.

Now I have more food for thought.....

Thank you for the pictures - they are from the book.

paul wheaton wrote:have you read mike oehler's book?

Yes I sure have!! Started reading that far too many years ago to admit....
But I still have a rough time actually "seeing" the uphill patio.... it's a blind spot in my imagination.
Especially where he talks about covering it with the greenhouse corrugated material and using that to harvest rain water.... I 'get' the idea, just can't 'see' it.

I've been reading this thread a lot lately - soaking up the info a little at a time.
But I still haven't seen any pictures or drawings of the uphill patio... There is one right?

Reason I'm asking, is I'd like to construct my own Wofati structure, and my mind's eye just can't envision the uphill patio...

paul wheaton wrote:

Here are two pictures I just made up that attempt to express what is in my head.

Okay, not sure if I am replying to this correctly - I get lost in the intricacies  of html.....

What I'm replying about is the images you put here Paul - I was referred to this thread from another thread - my purpose being the planning of building my own home. It's on a hillside that is kinda steep, but not horribly so. We average 4" of rain per month (more or less depending on season) and I want something that will last without being soggy-fied.

So far this whole conversation has been pretty confusing - do it this way, no THIS way, and your way is wrong, my way is right, they work this way, but also that way.......

Your images here finally stuck in my head as a plausible explanation of what works and why. Light bulb moment, ding ding ding!

I love your images, Paul, and hope you continue using them to describe what's going on in your head. They really speak to me (most of the time).

Heather Staas wrote:I'm exploring opportunities too,  it's difficult to do from long distance!  I'm looking to sell my house and business here in MA and use it to relocate to TN or similar, and invest to get out from under a mortgage/rent payment.   Plus after 50 years of winter up here,  I'm ready to be done with that too.  Have you looked into tiny homes or yurts or "shed to cabin" conversions?   Those are some of the things I've been looking at to get off to a faster start and not have to worry about all the up front labor.  

Yes, long distance makes things difficult for sure!

I could see why you're tired of the winters in MA, I have friends up that way and shudder at every winter update. Definitely not a place my body would be kind to me.

Yurts - wouldn't mind living in one in the summer. Lack of insulation would be a problem for my arthritis in the winter as I can't see it would be much warmer than living in a trailer.
Shed to cabin conversions - yes, I've daydreamed of how to convert a shed to a tiny home for many hours. I've even gone shopping around locally and there are several that I think would be able to be a great little home.

In all of these options (Tiny homes) there is one recurring theme - the up-front cost of obtaining them, then the added costs of making them livable and comfortable. Money that could be used for the eventual home now gone. Being on a limited income (Disability doesn't pay much!) means I need to save every penny, scrounge any resource, and be creative.

My current plan is to use the small tent I have in my camping gear already, add a tarp to create an outdoor kitchen/living space and use that as my base of operations while clearing and constructing. Being a very small footprint and free because I already own the resources, I can set up right where I want to build and get a real feel for what it will be like. I can then move my camp around as needed or wanted to be convenient for any project in process.

So maybe I won't be as comfortable as I would be in a yurt or shed conversion, but I would be comfortable enough, and have a little extra cash for my projects. Because I literally worked myself into my disability, and divorce took everything from me, there is no nice savings account, or business/property to sell to add funds, etc. But I am doing okay with what I have, and expect to become very comfortable once I have a home built, which I will be most motivated to do to avoid a life of tent living (ha ha!)

My mistake, got the wrong link, very sorry... Check this one out. . . .

The 20 Best Home Buying Websites in 2021