Water Harvesting

We installed a gutter on the outhouse to catch rain water in the barrel for Loo bucket washing.  A simple way to collect water.  If one had a slate roof on a home and collected rain into a sealed container it could be used as potable water.

Well Completion and Trial Run

The water well was finished up last week by Carolina Virginia Well Drilling, Inc.  Protocol is for the drillers to add chlorine to disinfect the water in case any bacteria were introduced during the installation.  Since our use of the well for the next couple of years (prior to the house being built) will primarily be for occasional camping trips and irrigation the installers hooked it up for running off a portable generator.  The well was drilled to a depth of 425 feet.  It is a 6 inch diameter casing and the pump was positioned 120 feet from the bottom.  The aquifer re-charges the well at a rate of two gallons per minute which is more than adequate for a typical three bedroom residence, but the depth allows for the well to hold about 400 gallons in the casing and another twenty gallons in the pressure tank. We ran the well continuously for about two hours straight out of a garden hose to clear out the chlorine taste.

20 gallon pressure tank

240 volt, 20 amp plug for generator connection

Homelite generator using propane as fuel.  This generator will run on three fuel types: gasoline, propane and NG.  To convert your generator buy the adapter kit from US Carbeuration

Firewood Shed Started

Work began yet again on another new structure.  With all the wood cut from the road building project in the winter and spring we have a lot of firewood that needs to be stored to protect it from rot.  Architecturally it will be similar to the outhouse - log timber framed.  We started the pier footings for the corner poles using concrete forms and metal cleats that will be fastened to the bottom of the poles.

Water well in place and now awaiting pump and pressure tank installation

Water!

This week our well got installed (at least partially).  The hole and casing are in place.  Next week the contractors will finish it with installation of the pump and pressure tank.  Once complete we'll be able to operate it with a portable generator as needed.

Water drilling rig

Managed to make some time to walk around the forest after the heavy rainfall we'd just received hours before.

Moon Creek was very high

Life forms in the bottomland

Wallenstein BX42

Our new machine addition for woodlot maintenance.  The first use of the BX42 chipper we produced enough mulch to build a 2-3" deep trail down to the outhouse.

Our little mouse friend came scampering out of the tractor loader arm when we started it up.

Outhouse is Finished

September 28th we put the finishing touches on the outhouse - a door.  We have plans to trim the roof to match the length of the rafters at the back so we can install a gutter catchment to harvest rainwater to fill that barrel you see in the picture.  It will be used to wash the five gallon Lovable Loo receptacle after dumping...the contents into the compost pile nearby.

Rest of 'roughed in' homestead site is starting to look beautiful now with the grass well established alongside the road.  But a lot of the grass is destined to be replaced with swales and fruit bushes and few nut trees in the coming months/years.  Home site will be somewhat behind the cameraman but right of the grassy area.

Lawn Care and Log Splitting Help

August came and went quickly --as usual.  The grass got greener and longer forcing us to finally haul the lawn mower up to cut it.  Fortunately we had a little help one Saturday when our son and his friend decided to come along so they could earn a little money.  So we put their youthfulness to work splitting wood and mowing.  Our attention was also on the timber frame outhouse construction and there we got the boys to help us with notching of the logs with a mallet and chisel.

Scott cutting notch

Alex chiseling a notch

Alex hopping off the MF 240 after testing the new front tires