I have began taking down the chimineys. One is very old and has come down pretty easy, no cement in the mortar. It was packed full of soot and crud that was at least 2ft deep inside. It collected water like a sponge and transfered it to the inside walls. The 2nd is much newer with cement in the mortar, much harder to get down. I think the big jack hammer from above is the way to finish it off. Here are a couple of pics of the easy, old chiminey. When I start over it will be just a shell. My friends think I'm crazy!
gma2rjc, I joked with our gas meter reader and electric/water reader, when we started to tighten up our house. I have started to see a savings on our gas, with our new water heater, on the latest bill. Cannot wait for the summer bills, when they are pretty much zero for use, but still of course you have that damn gas delivery and line maintenance charges on the bill.
Solar guys showed up at 7:30 this morning. I hadn't even had a shower yet. I had them move the big red pressure ball out of the down stairs bathroom. Sure looks better. They will finish up tomorrow. I got the tiles up around the work sink area. Just need to grout it. Here are a couple pic's. dorf dude...
I had to go to work today but the Solar guy's got it done. I'm now "Green" :thumbup: I have no idea how they set up the programming. I think I will take it at face value and trust that the parameters were set correctly. It's their job on a daily basis. Of course now that I'm ready the weather has gone to total sh!t. Supposed to be rainy and cold for the next week. I can't wait to get the whole system in to operation working together under ideal conditions. I still made some electric from the PV panels though. It gives me a good feeling knowing that it's all come together. Now I'm waiting on the bill. 2 1/2 days for 2 guys plus their materials. Here is a pic of the Solar stations. on the left the little white meter is tracking my electric production. Next project! dorf dude...
Time for an update. I gave away the wood pile and that exposed the retaining wall that wasn't really retaining any thing. I didn't want to keep the rocks so I put an online add for "Free Landscaping Stones." The wall was gone the next day and I didn't have to lift a finger:thumbup:. I finally got a rain gutter mounted on the awning at the entrance. What a difference. So much dryer with no splash from the ground. Notice in last pic the splash on the wall where I still don't have a gutter. I buried the power cable to the shop and leveled out the dirt. I've ordered the round stones for putting up a new wall where the old rock wall was. Same one's I used last year behind the tent. I will go much higher and level out behind it. This is going to be pretty big by the time I get done. I still have so much stuff to clean up but no place to store it until I use it. Here are a few pic's. dorf dude...
I made it home safe and sound. Mia gave me a huge greeting and has been hanging on me all weekend. I will get back on the wall this week. I'm still sore from what I've done already. Solar Update. I'm 43 Kw ahead of my 14 April reading. 92 Euros total production. I'll post pic's as the wall gets further. Thanks for following.
I've gotten a little further. This is the last of the 2 stone stacking. The rest will be singles. I have about 6ft to finish on this section. All rows have been re-bar spiked deep. This wall isn't going to move in my lifetime. :no: Another pallet of stones scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Weather for the weekend is predicted for extreme heat 95F+. I will be getting up early for sure. I really need to find a way of covering the neighbors ugly doors. I'm thinking Bamboo mat's. Any other ideas? I'm open for suggestions. Here's a pic. dorf dude...
... I really need to find a way of covering the neighbors ugly doors. I'm thinking Bamboo mat's. Any other ideas? I'm open for suggestions. Here's a pic. dorf dude...
Jim, here is another perspective shot. The grey boards will come down and I will brick up to the same finished height. It's the stucco below the grey boards that is getting knocked off and re-done. I hope this helps. dorf dude...
I've been blown off by 3 different people with Bobcat's for leveling out my back yard dirt piles. Guess what? I'll keep my money and do it my self by pick and shovel. :yes: Going quicker than I thought. Which isn't very fast but.... I'm like an ant. Keep chipping away a little bit. I've gotten a few more ring stones set too. Starting to take shape. The rain gutter showed up the other day for the new roof. I hope to get it up this weekend. Here's a few pic's. dorf dude...
I picked up 5 more Arborvitae and 9 more concrete rings yesterday. I put a couple hours in this morning moving dirt over. I'm dead! I forgot about the big rocks we buried under this dirt pile. I'm going to have to break out the jack hammer to take care of a couple of them. Here are a couple pic's. dorf dude...
Glad your not hurt too bad Marc. The blocks in the wall are Ytong. They are a silica based insulated block. Pretty soft stuff. Heat transfer won't be a problem. I was kicking around a couple of ideas on how to get past the tent layer. Then I remembered the advice Campbell gave me. "Drink a beer" So I did and "Bing" The solution became clear! I screwed and sealed the tent to the framing and coated the outside with cement stucco. I'll add 1 more sealing of silicone between the tent fabric and stucco. Thanks for following. dorf dude...
The pellet stove in the "Shent" is up and running. :thumbup: I have come up with an undercover chimney. When the wood stove goes in to the right of the pellet oven then I will go higher with the chimney. Things are coming along. dorf dude...
I've gotten all the finish work on the awning done. Bracing, trimmed to length ect... I went on a service call last week and got a great photo op. I thought I'd share. This morning we had a great fall sunrise. I missed the great part by the time I got the camera. Still not too bad. Here are a couple pic's. dorf dude...
DD..are you kidding me! Once the snow arrives on the upper part, it will accumulate and flow,hence transferring the accumulated weight to the bottom part of the slope..and then..I don't think those supports without 'cross' structure are gonna do anything..but..collapse..but then again..you prolly figured the run and the rise of the slope..and all will be ..good! All I remember is that 10 inches of snow equal one inch of rain..on a flat surface..and snow..accumulated..has an impact speed of 70KMH over a flat 20 degree surface..unobstructed..so..maybe snow will 'fly' off the edge!
Cheers
Scogy
DD..are you kidding me! Once the snow arrives on the upper part, it will accumulate and flow,hence transferring the accumulated weight to the bottom part of the slope..and then..I don't think those supports without 'cross' structure are gonna do anything..but..collapse..but then again..you prolly figured the run and the rise of the slope..and all will be ..good! All I remember is that 10 inches of snow equal one inch of rain..on a flat surface..and snow..accumulated..has an impact speed of 70KMH over a flat 20 degree surface..unobstructed..so..maybe snow will 'fly' off the edge!
Cheers
Scogy
I'm no engineer but the sliding of snow is not my worry:no:. I hope it will slide. I used massive lag bolts to tie this thing together. The header beam on the house is set quite well also. My worry is flat snow load. I jumped the gun with the last pic. I have another beam added and when it does snow I will put a jack stand under it. I was busy cutting up old wood today. I'm trying to give it away. It saddens me but I had to retire my old boots today. Over 15 years with the original laces. The bottoms are slick as glass and toes worn through. It's time. Good bye old friends. dorf dude...
I'm back at it full throttle:thumbup:. I rented a bucket truck for the weekend. Matt gave me a hand mounting 2 more PV solar panels. That brings me up to 2kw. They will catch the afternoon and evening sun. As a 2nd benefit they shade my windows which will keep my house cool in the summer. In the one pic it looks that the panels are not centered but it's the roof ridge that's not centered. I also stained the eves on the front and will do the back today. What a fantastic machine. My neighbor asked why I didn't just put up a scaffold? It would be cheaper. I told him that finding a scaffold, loading it, setting it up, having parts of it in the way where you want to work, taking it down, hauling it back ect... You get the point. This bucket truck puts you exactly where you need to be at the flip of a switch. Well worth the money in my book. Here's some pic's from yesterday, time to get to work! dorf dude...
Dick, I'm packing the dirt in the holes. Not too concerned about great grass growth. Grass will grow no matter what. I've turned the stones upside down where the carport will be. The holes are tapered and I will concrete them in. It will be locked in. I was out at 6:30am on Easter digging my dirt pile away. I have a delivery of sand coming and had to make room. The further I get the more work I find. I have lots of stones to cut and have always had a problem getting a straight cut. I glued a level on my grinder and now I know that it's straight. Here are a couple pic's. dorf dude...
I've never mowed yet. I've waited to put the 2nd layer of dirt until the grass had a good hold. Mia keeps things packed down. Random dog wanderings keeps things in check. She packs the dirt in and doesn't even know it. The down side is she tracks it in the house, big time. Thanks for following.
Being the owner of a Pellet Stove leaves you with 2 options. Fix it yourself or pay a company. I refuse to pay if I can. Last night my stove quit working. After troubleshooting I had no pellets dropping into the burn chamber. The stove was trying to drop pellets but nothing getting delivered. I gutted the stove to find out the main shaft had sheared off. I got together with my buddy Matt and came up with a permanent fix. He cut a key way in the main shaft with his mill, 5mm. This should be the last time I have to deal with it. Working good so far.
Absolutely perfect and perfectly amazing! After seeing this thread was 174 pages along I was tempted to move on to the next subject. I'm so glad I didn't. Your home is wonderful. Owning a home in Germany is an accomplishment in itself, but building takes real fortitude. I can't believe the progress you've made. I moved back to the "homeplace" my grandfather built in 1905. I started remodeling it in '89 and I'm still remodeling. I need you here to help I would have been done years ago. What caught my attention was not only the huge project you chose, but the locals calling you "Zimmerman". Great grandfather, grandmother's side, the one who built this farm was a Dutch/German and his last name was Zimmerman. I moved state-side in '89 after living in Germany for 2 1/2 years. I lived in Berlin before the wall came down. So much of your story is so interesting because I can personally relate to the mammoth project you are doing. Thanks for posting your building diary from Germany!
The hours involved is in the triple digits. Don't believe those TV shows that do it it a week. Well they can do it when 50 people jump in on it. I'm a 1 man show. It will get done in time. Thanks for following, dorf dude...
Dick, I'm going to paint the car where it sits. Just going to clean the heck out of the floor to keep the dust down. Paint quality is very low on my list of priorities. I've seen way too many cars with a Jazzy paint job that sucked. Mine will have an ok paint job and Rock! All rust cut out and fixed right. All interior cavities have been rust treated. Suspension and steering upgraded. Motor is a 347 Stroker, 4 speed with a Gear Vendors overdrive. The rear end will have a Trac Lock with the stock 2.7 gears. I need the tall ratio for the highway. Gas is very expensive here. Thanks for following, dorf dude...
Most interesting thread I've read to date. Awesome work with everything you do! You're a true DIYer.
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