The Corrugated Water Cistern

There's the cistern, standing still open all winter so far. I meant to have it all hooked up and backfilled a long time ago. Last fall when I was busy at work the weather was nice, and about the time I got all done with work the rain came. So I did'nt get around to this task. There is not much space between the trench and the basement trench. I have drove through with the backhoe, but it just fits and it is pretty risky of sliding into the basement and crashing my dreams. lol. So it is time to get this thing backfilled. I took the picture from the main floor of the house. Gives you a bit of an idea how high it is.

The water line here is buried over to the house. I always had it in my mind that I was going to drill a hole in the side of the cistern and hook the water line in via a pitless adapter of some sort. I assumed that one should just drive to town and find the right pitless adapter for a corrugated pipe like this one. I was wrong, it has not been invented yet. So I got phoning around and one guy I talked to who does these things, clued me on how to do this. Just dig the line in underneath the culvert cistern, then pour my concrete around the pipe on the inside. Sounded pretty simple, but man did I ever work myself doing this. That dirt is pretty well frozen. I was a good part of the day yesterday doing this (Feb 27). I was soaked by the time I got it all done. I wanted to dig a little deeper under the cistern wall than I did, but it was just to tough of going. I did bend the lip of the culvert up where the hose goes under, just incase things settle and want to crush or cut the hose. It should be good I think.

I had to cut the line and send it through from the inside of the cistern, otherwise I would have kinked it in alot of different places trying to run it through. I don't really like to have a splice in there, but, what can you do?

I hand shoveled some nice lump free dirt over the hose connection, and packed it a bit. Then I layed a bunch of orange tape over it. If I ever do have to dig that splice up again, I should be able to find it without ripping the whole line out accidentally.

I was in the process of backfilling the cistern, breaking up big chunks of frozen dirt. It was time consuming. Eventually I blew a hydraulic hose on the backhoe. I'll have to get a new hose built in the morning. I did a little more work on the basement for the rest of the day. This backfilling needs to take place in the morning because it has been getting pretty messy out later in the day, but it usually freezes overnight. It is kinda like spring here, and has been like that for quite awhile now. Now with that being said, I can probably expect some -40 stuff soon. lol. I sure hope not. Last year we had alot of that in March if I remember correctly.

Busy February at Work.

I hav'nt found much time for working on the cabin this month. It's hard to believe that the month of February is already done. The weather has been pretty nice for here, and I have been
spending it out in the bush playing in the mud alot of the time hauling equipment. It's almost like we're in the middle of an oil boom or something. The other driver was getting tired and needed some time off, and things did pick up for awhile there. I THINK that things are slowed down again. I hope. I would like to get my basement done and backfilled soon, before things really turn warm and sloppy. Today I just kinda got started working on the house again. Well, actually on my water storage cistern. I need to get it out of the way before I can backfill my basement. I have just a little bit left to do before I can get inspected. This is something that I hoped to have done by the beginning of this month, but I guess I am a tiny bit behind. lol. Below are a few pictures from work. It was actually a nice break for awhile there, but I'm ready to build now.

I had to unload this D9 cat 3 times within 46 kilometers. The ole Peterbilt just would'nt haul it up some of the hills in there. Just too much weight and stupidly steep hills.

Just a bit of an update. I hope to have something to blog about real soon. I plan on finally backfilling my water cistern tomorrow if things go as planned.

Plumbing Boo Boo

I know that I sometimes do things kinda backwards. When things were at this point in the game(above photo) I should have had a plumbing permit and I should have called Mr Permit man for a plumbing inspection. Then he would have told me that I need a vent line on my 2" line (smaller far left line) in between the trap and where it connect to the 3" line. Or that I should have left the trap off the 2" completely. It could have been put on above the floor. But instead of getting the inspection, I was eager to get things done and never really thought about it until the foundation was poured and I had the plumbing all covered with gravel. Then I went in, bought a permit, and told them I was ready for an inspection. He inspected it, but could'nt really tell what was going on with things. So I just kept on building, which was'nt the correct way to go about things, but I was'nt real concerned because it was a plumber who drew a picture for me to follow. He probably did'nt draw a trap on that 2 inch though.

Once I got to this point, (above photo) I start thinking that I would like to be certain that things are going to be good, before I completely close things up. I guess I could still change things if I absolutely had to, although it would be a major pain in the ass. Anyway, so I phoned my permit guy and started asking a bunch of questions. I thought that maybe I should just send him some pictures of the in ground plumbing, I should have done that earlier. So I did. So the 2 inch line that was meant for my laundry drain is'nt going to work for me, but it is not a major thing. I can tie in a new laundry line above ground and hook into the 4 inch main stack. Everything else is good I guess. The morel of the story is: always get things inspected when you are supposed to. lol. It could have been something that needed to be dug up and changed, but thankfully it was'nt. Well I can sleep again anyway. Floor drain construction (above).

The floor drain. All these little things in the floor do take some time. A concrete floor would have been alot quicker to do, but thats ok. I have nothing but time, sometimes.

This last week was actually pretty busy at work. I did'nt have to work today, but it was a pretty lazy day. That seems to happen to me after going to work, it takes awhile to get back into things. Today was spent paying bills and getting caught up on all kinds of paper work trying to keep track of my house building expenses and all.

Snowflakes

Snow is nothing new for me. For 45 years I have been crawling, walking, falling down, or driving in snow, but I have never had a real close look at it before. Well, maybe a long time ago, but I kinda forgot what a snowflake looks like. They all look different, but they all have six usually symmetrical sides. Thats a big word for me, but thats what the encyclopedia told me today. It was snowing this morning and I brought my ice scraper out from the garage. I guess being black like it is, any new snowflakes really stood out and caught my attention. I just had to go get the camera. Little things that amuse little minds. lol.

Playing with the Basement Floor Again

The main floor is all on, glued and nailed. At first I started nailing it with ordinary 2.5 inch nails, but then got clued in to use ring shank nails or screws. Live and learn. Three walls are all sheeted and nailed, the fourth wall is going to remain open for a little bit longer for access.

Well I can kinda see the end in sight, of the foundation construction anyway. I still have a bunch of smaller little things to take care of before the inspection. I don't even want to say how long, because I am always wrong on that one anyway.

It is kinda neat to be at a stage where I can turn on some heat and be out of the snow and stuff while building. Just about half of the basement floor is insulated and ready to be permanantly screwed down. But I do have some little things to work around and seal off where the plumbing comes through, and the floor drain and at the sump. I guess I might have to build some stairs pretty quick once the floor is all done also. And then there are other little items that need done. It seems those little things takes up a fair bit of my time. To much thinking I guess.

There are bunch of other things I'm wondering about also. I guess I'll just get mr permit man out here, and he can tell me what else needs to be done I guess. So far the permit people I have been dealing with have been quite helpful and good to get along with.

It is quite unbelieveable to me that January is almost over. Wow how time has been flying. Life is really good out here. I could'nt even imagine living in town again. The solar energy situation is treating me pretty well, although I do fire the generator up occasionally, but I try to keep it to a minimum. It has been snowy and clouded over the last couple of days, so there will always be times where the panels ar'nt going to deliver fully. I am still so far from being tired of living in this little shack, that I am starting to wonder about myself, myself. I love it. I worked on the pay job for 4 short days all this month so far. It's nice to get a few days in of work ever month. So far between the rent income and a little bit of work, I have been living and building off of that income alone. I do expect that soon I will have to start dipping into the savings account a little bit. I can kinda predict some larger expenses coming my way soon. lol. Fridge, stove, tub, heating, water heating and on and on. Now I am depressed, but I will try to get over it soon. I don't have to finish the floors and stuff, but if I don't do it know, it will probably never get done.

I sure hav'nt been very active on the old computer lately again, I do jump on sometimes in the evenings and quickly glance at alot of my favorite blogs and stuff, but I have been spending most of my time in the evenings reading and educating myself on building issues. I have alot to learn as I plan on doing all my own plumbing, electrical, and whatever else. I get researching things and before I even know it, it is midnight and time some sleep.

Sheathing the Main Floor

I woke up this morning thinking that I should be able to have that whole main floor sheathed easily. But I was wrong. I ran out of glue, better known as lumber lock. Only a couple sheets left to go too. So I proceeded to do a bunch of a nailing, as I was just tacking down the edges as I was going.

I always meant to get a good shot of the main floor framing, but I always seemed to get real involved with things and forget until it was too dark. I moved a few sheets around just so I could get a picture of the stairwell framing. The rest of it is pretty basic. I am going to sheet right over the stairwell opening and leave it closed up for awhile, while I do things down below, in hopes of keeping the snow and rain out. I will cut it out when the time is right.
I gotta go to town later in the day tomorrow, so there is no point in going in the morning to get glue. I guess tomorrow will be more a day of non-thinking nailing. Give my poor old brain a bit of a rest. I'll finish gluing the floor on Saturday if weather and work allow for it. I have a few more things to do to the basement, then soon it will be time for my foundation inspection (hopefully this month sometime). I don't think there will be any new walls going up until that inspection is done.

Happy New Year, Anniversary and Birthday.

Happy New Year. Ya, I know it's late. I hope everyone had a good one, over the holidays. I also had an anniversary. Dec 28 2009, marked 5 years of no alcohol use for me. I pat myself on the back. I used to really like to drink, (usually rum and diet coke). then I quit, and turned into a hermit. lol. I also quit smoking, but I did'nt quit living. Alot of people who know me might look at me like I quit living, but right now I am living more than I have ever lived in my life. Just building on the cabin, living off the grid, and living in a small shack in arctic type weather. This is something I have dreamed for as long as I can remember. When I made the plunge at the end of October, there were times when I thought that by this time, I could possibly be regretting the move I have made. But there are absolutely no regrets on my end. I could'nt possibly turn back now. It just keeps getting better and easier all the time.
January 1 was also my dogs birthday. She is now 9. She has'nt been helping me much lately, usually she's just bundled up in the shack most of the day. I guess she is the smart one of the bunch. I have been building a few hours a day usually. However sometimes it's pretty cold in the morning and I usually do some planning and thinking then. I figure that -20C is cold enough to build in. If it is colder than that, I usually do other things such as planning my stairs or getting supplies in town. I hav'nt spent much time on the computer lately. There are times where I have gone a few days and not even turned it on, I just don't seem to have much time for that lately.

The shack is coming along slowly. It takes me a long time to get things done. Alot of the time I spend just researching stupid little things. Code, code, code. Right now my stairs down to the basement and up to the loft have got alot of smoke rolling out my ears. If I had my own way, it would just be a couple of ladders, done deal. If I ever do this again, I would maybe get someone to build me some blueprints. I guess those things can be pretty handy at times. lol. But I will get more satisfaction knowing that I designed and planned everything myself in the end. I think. There's the basement so far.

A look from the inside. I'm going to need a good set of binoculars to see from one end to the other.

It was'nt all that long ago I used the old dodge and brought a new load of lumber home, and it is already covered in snow again. Seems we get alot of that around here lately, but it dos'nt even bother me anymore. Bring it on, let it snow, see if I care.