I could tell from his facial expressions that it wasn't passing the sniff test, but no, he couldn't really do anything about it since it's essentially my word vs hers.

Sorry to hear about your accident, that sucks.

Regarding teh brackets you used, I stopped by home depot on the way from work and they had all kinds but I couldn't find that particular style.  Do you have a model number or anything?  I even  asked for help and pulled up this thread to show a pic to the guy in the orange apron but no joy.

His suggestion was to take the 'T' he has and bend it [it wasn't as stout as what you used] in a vise.

Did you bend yours or find them as you hung them?

Thanks

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-18-Gauge-2X-Rigid-Tie-Connector-RTC42/100375007

They're like these, but the 2x4 versions. The 4x4 versions won't work if you're using 2x4s. Ask me how I know.

Excellent, thank you!

Previously aforementioned Prius damage:

Aint saving the environment today, leaking all that antifreeze everywhere...

This is skunk #2 of the year. I heard something rustling under the house, and he had CHEWED through my crawlspace door. Guess Ill be making a new one of those this week...



This weekend was my traditional pool opening weekend (I tend to target when the water temp is around 65*, and it was 63 when I checked on Friday).

From this:


To this:


Those pictures are about 24 hours apart. Ive gotten this down to a science at this point. Better living through chemistry.

Now on to what something I really need...

This weekend was also garden weekend.


I was a few weeks behind with plowing (i.e. a few months...) and then again with discing. Actually, the latter turns out not to be as big of an issue since we had a hard frost on Thursday.

BUT, that being said, I only intend to plant a row of tomatoes and two watermelon hills along one of the fencelines. The rest I intend to let fallow for the year, but I was curious if its too late to hit it with clover or the like to cover crop for the summer and/or fall and get plowed under in November? Any suggestions? The farm I hunt on uses buckwheat for summer cover crop and I could come by that easily. I really just want something easy to manage thatll give back to the soil for next year...

Bumper and hitch mainly. Hitch and rear frame are all an integrated piece now. Unbolt, rebolt, done.

I'll get on getting seed in hand and getting it soon to cover for the summer. I'll see if the local famr and seed has some orchard grass.

We are zone 7b based of the USDA maps IIRC. Ill have to look that up tomorrow.

Definitely 7b. Called the local feed and seed and asked if they had clover or buckwheat seed and they acted like they had zero clue what I was talking about.

Man, I need to update this. Theres been a ton happening at work, school and just in life in general.

Good news is, I have AC in the barn now. Life is WAY better with that.

Bad news is, the house is crawling with ants. Theyre EVERYWHERE. We had almost 2 weeks straight of rain every day and theyve invaded everywhere in our house and our neighbors. Ive sprayed. Ive used granular pesticide in the yard. I have baits. I dont know what else to do, but it doesnt seem like I can stem the tide of tiny black creatures that are everywhere.

In our last installment, we had the utility room in the barn up. Now its painted!



Take it from me kids, DO NOT hard pipe your regulator into something that youve hard attached to a steel building. Talk about resonance chamber...

A $10 whip hose, back in business.

Next, I started on framing the north walls. These were critical for reasons that shall be obvious later.

Clamped

Hard Mounted

Other side

Next wall


Mostly framed.

I chose to frame out like this because I can piece back in around the panel and/or beam because of how the structure was put together. Those parts require some extra touching vs 20 minutes of power nailing 8ft sections of studs together.

On to the reason for framing out the north walls:






Thats right friends, two separate one ton mini split units. BEHOLD, AIR CONDITIONING! I really cant stress what a difference it makes. Even at 80 degrees, they dehumidify so well that its pleasant to work in.

But wait, theres more! Over Memorial Day, my wife and I were both off, so we set about sheeting/painting/wiring the area directly around the workbenches:



I know someone will ask, so Ill go ahead and answer. The bottom row of board, especially under the mini split, were put on and leveled, and then the next row put on that. The floor, however, is not level so Ive had to shim the 2x4 studs in places as well as raise/lower the bottom row of boards. Ill have to do this throughout because the way its settled and/or was put together is nowhere near level/square in some places.

One other "homestead" related update. We have lived with the paint in the house and done some painting of rooms ourself, but a few weeks ago, my wife took it upon herself to call a painter that goes to church with us and get quotes to basically paint the ENTIRE house. Short of what we had already done, and one other room, they did. Kitchen, living room, foyer, stairs, upstairs hallway, guest bathroom and Katies bedroom. BEST $2500 Ive ever spent. They did trim. They patched. They painted where the stairs had settled. But the difference is in the details that I admittedly cant do.




My biggest worry was painting the staircase. The difference in paint/paint quality is huge. HUGE. Painting is absolutely one of the things about home ownership that I can NOT stand.

Also, while my dad was babysitting the house, he saw this guy:


Ive seen four others this year. At least our mice population should be good and low.

I built my barn house similar to your garage.  Metal building with closed-cell spray foam insulation.  Paid for 1" thick because it was so expensive.  Then I laid 23" wide R-19 rolls sideways behind the studs for additional insulation.  It's cheap!  How thick is your spray foam, and is it open- or closed-cell?

Closed cell, avg 3" thick. A little more or less here and there, but I figured R-19 all around when I did my Manual J for sizing the heat pumps.

Looking good!  Looking at doing some mini splits but not very familiar with them.  Where does the condensate go?

They have slinky tubes that I ran into 1/2" PVC. The slinky tubes are bad about growing mold and stopping up, so hard piping is preferable.

I have Pioneers. I buy them locally from an HVAC guy I met through my previous employer and he gives me the buddy buddy discount.

In terms of too cold, you may be surprised. The models I have, which are the 17-18 SEER units are good down to about 17-20*F for balance points in terms of putting out enough BTUs to keep your space warm. To give you an idea, the one I have in the bonus room above the garage had no issues keeping it at 65 over the winter with outdoor temps in the single digits. Granted, its helped a little bit by being over an already warm space (garage) but I figure that 2 tons with mine plus a diesel heater to knock the chill off in the winter will be perfect.

Today was the test, I started them this morning, and hit up the barn for some work after lunch. Granted, it was 99 degrees today, but they were still holding tough at keeping the barn at 80-82. I had them set at 75. Our design temp is 89, so I was obviously over that so I am right at capacity or very slightly undersized with two tons of heating/cooling. Hit it on a mid 80 degree day, and it would keep it a nice comfortable 75. The fact that I havent insulated the roll up door and could stand to suspend some R-30 batts from the ceiling would help A LOT with that.

Interesting, thanks!

Yep. I've had a busy month of non homestead related stuff. Idpa matches, an endurance race, vacation etc.

This weekend is the first "off" weekend I've had. I plan on some maintenance stuff if the weather holds. We've had some serious rounds of thunderstorms that I'm hoping are done.

Predator gen update: I drug it to Ohio for the 24 hour race with me, and the extended run kit ran 28 hours with time to spare on the eco setting. I do need to figure out the priming and feeding setup (there's apparently a vent hose you need to clamp for it to keep siphoning) but it was 100% solid. I plan on an oil/spark plug change before it gets pressed into service for winter backup duty.

I'll put up some pics shortly, but we have a herd of fawns this year. I've seen a few bucks in velvet too. Should be a good year to fill the freezer!

Well, this weekend certainly got off on the wrong foot...
Came home, got started mowing. Saw the groundhog Ive been trying to usher into the afterlife for the past MONTH posted up in the front acreage, just staring at me. Run inside, grab a rifle, BAM, gone like a fart in the wind.

Got done mowing, decide to get four wheeler and spray. Wind is fairly still, so I figured Id put down ground sterilant around the fence and on the rip rap ditches. Turning to back up to the house to dose the sprayer, I hear POP and feel the four wheeler list to one side. Tire sidewall gone. No puncture, looks like dry rot. Granted, the tires are original (from 07) so theyve lived out their life so I shouldnt complain. I had noted some minor cracking, apparently it was a little more than minor.

Off to shop for ATV tires.

Haha, nope. I've sent two of those little terrorists packing in the past week or two.

Side note: We usually have a fawn, maybe two per year since we've lived here that we see on the regular. This year, we have eight distinct fawns that we see with some regularity. And bucks. Bucks EVERYWHERE. Not big ones mind you, but solid spike to 6pt racks. I don't know what's happened with the population this year, but it really seems to be on the uptick. I saw bucks last year on the game camera and finding the velvet shed, that was it.

I really wonder if it's because the local farmers planted 'baccer and not soy this year.

Time for some long overdue updates...

The weather has turned the yard into a jungle, but the other thing its done over the past month is REALLY suppress the animals in terms of moving around.


I happened across this lil guy about 6-8 weeks ago, and have seen him, his sibling, and the mama a few times. I almost ran him over with the mower. About an hour later, I saw him chasing mama down the hill and get tangled up in his own legs and faceplant in the yard.
One of the two pictured here:


The other wildlife we have had in spades lately is wild turkeys. Not just one or two, but 10-20 of them at a time!



Two different herds, about a week apart.

My neighbor has a stick built barn with poured footers, and about 2 months ago (the last time I mentioned the groundhogs) he noticed that the footer has settled about 6" and the corner of the barn is structurally damaged. Guess who we have to thank for that? So, Im having a work from home day, and see one in front of the barn. Usually Im iffy about shooting onto someone elses property, but I a) know that they arent home and b) wont care, so I put a suppressed .22 subsonic in him. I know it hit him because I found the bloodtrail, but he was nowhere to be found. Turns out, he made it back to the burrow, bled out, tried to crawl out and made it about 10 feet outside. They found him the next day, he hid out long enough for me not to see him apparently.

Then I find this guy. Coming home from church, my daughter says "DADDY THE GROUNDHOG IS IN THE FRONT YARD". Well, get the car stopped, hop out, and chase him full tilt down the front yard. I have exactly ONE tree in the front acreage that he decided to try to climb. He was about 8ft off the ground, and I boxed him to where the bullet would bury itself in the tree to minimize the chance of sending it into someone elses property.



It is Gods job to judge the terrorists, it is my job to arrange the meeting.

Also, the neighbor across the street pops out and yells "The groundhog is in front of the tree" because he saw me sifting through the grass and I yelled back "Yeah, but that was a nickel 9mm case and I want it back!"

Reloader problems and all.

Sidenote, discharging a Glock 26 with no earpro WILL make your ears ring for the rest of the day, but it was worth it.

In non animal related news, I mentioned the four wheeler issue, ergo, new rubber:


Had a local shop mount them (since none of the powersports places would ) and I can say there is an astounding difference in grip level. Thankfully with us forecast to be colder and more snow this year, I did this now.

Speaking of weather, Ive had one of the cheap $40 weather stations at the house. Great for reading outdoor temp, but not much else. Well, it kicked the bucket, so I made an upgrade:



This thing, for $125, is AWESOME. It literally does EVERYTHING, and it integrates with IFTTT and hosts its own webpage so I can see what the conditions are at the house at any given time. Since it works with IFTTT, I have it writing high/low temp, humidity, and rainfall to a Google Sheets on my Google drive. Ive always wanted some way to better track the weather here because our forecast is SO MUCH different than whats on the news for a town thats 15 miles away, its astounding.

Lastly, work on the barn has progressed to some extent. I finally got the closet wired/organized:

I finished framing out around the panel and will have two small removeable panels on the sides for access:
And Ive framed out the south facing wall:


For those keeping score at home, that leaves me with the top sheets of OSB to do, and one remaining wall. I also purchased 4 52" ceiling fans at Lowes I found on clearance to help move air around because even with the heat pumps, I get big spots of dead air.

Now, for the fun part of this update:
Two weeks ago I was approached by a neighbor who wants to grow a strain of "winter" oat on my back property. He initially mentioned an electric fence for deer, but based on our discussions, I dont think he is going to go that route.

Right now, as it stands, he is responsible for bushhogging and plowing it, sowing the oats and maintaining. They have to be threshed by hand, which is good because of how the land is with swales and whatnot, and how rough it is.

The agreement as stands is that he will pay me $100/acre, no fence, my path around the back acreage remains available for me to ride on the four wheeler (hey, my daughter would be PISSED if the daddy-daughter four wheeler riding went away), Id still be able to hunt the back acreage, and he will sign a lease agreement that basically states these terms and absolves me of any responsibility for personal injury and crop production. Meaning, if it grows and he doesnt harvest, I keep the $500ish.

What does ARF think about this? For non commercial production (hes not selling these), I dont think zoning matters. I think Ive got my bases covered in terms of liability. And to be honest, while I COULD grow hay on it to the tune of $1500 a year, I cant do that in winter and final harvest for the oats is before last frost. So in other words, what drawbacks am I missing?

Well, hurricane preparations are underway.

This couldnt be worse timing because Wed-Fri next week Ill be in Alabama for IDPA Nationals. Looks like if it follows current forecast, it will make landfall somewhere right on the NC/SC border. And if that path holds true, its heading right for us.

Based on the 11am update, unless there's a massive shift, this is gonna be the real deal for us.

I can tell you the local authorities have gone from being nonchalant to nervous in a hot minute. I know from my house there is a couple of roads that won't flood that I can make it back to civilization.

Cars full of gas
Generator checked and exercised
Tractor full of diesel
Extension cords being bought today since I've been lazy and haven't hardwired into the house yet
Plenty of water on hand
330gal of propane in the tank
25 gallons of gas
Chainsaws gassed and lubed with sharp chains
Rifles zeroed

NC has been overdue for a major hurricane. It looks like we're gonna punch that ticket this week.

Sounds like you're pretty well prepped.  Hope you guys make it through ok!

Based on latest projections, the NOAA has shifted the track south of us. But even if that holds true, we are still in the 6-10" of rain band and the tropical storm wind bands. We got ANOTHER 9/10" of rain last night, so the ground is soaked already. Creeks and lakes are already high. To Kitties point, yes, I live on a hill, but that hill feeds down into a lake. A lake with bridges. The storms we had a few weeks ago had the water to the underside of the girders on one of the local bridges to us which is one of our ways into town. I rode the four wheeler down there this morning. That creek is already almost at its banks. If we add 6-10" onto that, Im willing to bet that bridge wont exist.

If the water makes it to my doorstep, its time to call Noah.

Its old horse pasture, so honestly, plowing/discing would probably do it some good. Its ROUGH.

Chemical wise, most likely nothing. These are hearty, bug and fungus resistant, and being winter, those things usually arent problems anyway. So, we will see. He hasnt been by to sign the lease yet, but I think hes still working on arranging things to get it taken care of.

Checking in. Drove back from AL and IDPA Nationals yesterday and got home about 3pm. Had some wind at the time. Since then we've had a few 30+mph gusts, but mainly in the 10-20mph range.
So far, about 2.25" of rain, but looking at the forecast, we are just getting started with that. We expect another 6-8" overnight if the forecast is to be believed. There have already been a few downed trees and power lines, but so far, we havent lost power. I checked in with a friend of mine who lives in Goldsboro, and they are getting absolutely hammered. No power, severe flooding, but they were well prepared unlike some of their neighbors. I dare say based on previous forecasts from this week, we REALLY dodged a bullet.

@Kitties-with-Sigs

https://www.ambientweather.com/amws2902.html

Thats the weather station I have, and so far, Im loving it.

In terms of level ground, its not bad. I wouldnt lose a lot in tillage and wash, its just that its not smooth at all. Definitely not "yard" quality land.

Alright. No major damage from the tropical storm short of a few rows of shingles, and thats normal for any storm for us.

On the land lease, I bushhogged my acreage. The guy asked me to bushhog an additional 2.5 and 1 acre plot tonight. Offered me an additional couple hundo', so why not. I point blank asked him "have you walked these" and his answer was "yes". Well, turns out, it was a no. The first one had been cleared by a skid steer with a forestry mulcher the year prior, so I knew it was good. But the acre plot, aside from being almost too steep for a tractor, on my second lap around I found two LARGE stumps with the bush hog. Snapped the shear bolt, but not before it stalled the tractor in its tracks. Never had that happen. Clear the crap under the bush hog to find one of my blades looks like a L. So, Im out a new blade at minimum, but Im pissed.

Ill disk the other two tomorrow, then Im done.

So, surprisingly, we had more storm damage from Michael than from Florence. Trees down everywhere, power out in some places for weeks, I think it really caught a lot of people off guard. Thankfully, we were only without power for a few hours, but...
Ive discovered an issue with my Predator 3500. I had exercised it before Michael just in case (which was a good call) but I pulled it out to exercise it about a week ago and found that it would start, run roughly, and choke with a good load (like a space heater). Pulled the plug, and it looked like shit. Did some googling and reading of the ARF thread in general about the same generator, and come to find out, it runs rich. That problem is only compounded when you run the extended run tank and it soaks the charcoal canister. And to top it off, it gums up the spark arrestor. So, fix #1? New plug. Fix #2? Toss the canister. Once it gets pressed into house service this year, it will most likely never leave without the extended run tank. Fix #3? No more spark arrestor. I plan on a Genturi setup to get exhaust out of the cove that itll live in and above the roofline, so no need really. Started it back up, and it idles and runs like a champ.

All of the acreage is planted now. They rented a no-till planter to do all of it, so as long as the guy pays me on time, I dont care.

Because this is ARF, I bought a Kel Tec RDB with the extra scratch. I made the mistake of playing with a friends that he got after he traded a prize table gun from an IDPA match for, and I had to have one. So, I do. Itll most likely be my new "truck" gun for road trips since I dont have to do the ATF paperwork for transporting a SBR across state lines, and its the same length as my 10" AR when collapsed. Win!

Unfortunately, after Florence and Michael, I have taken a good long hard look at two aspects of the house that need to be rectified. During a recent trip to the crawlspace, I noted some minor mold on the joists and standing water. Its something that we have had issues with in the past, but it has been particularly bad this year, and its time to deal with it. So, I will be getting estimates to seal/encapsulate the crawlspace and then look at rehanging the insulation after. I think part of the problem is that the crawlspace vents on the pool deck actually lead to water infiltration, so theyll likely get sealed and covered in concrete as part of this process.

Problem #2 I have is the roof. Ive replaced a bunch of shingles, but at this point, its time to call a spade a spade. So, in the spring Ill be soliciting quotes for a metal roof. Standing seam only, I want to do this once and not worry about it again. The fact is, with the amount of sun exposure and/or wind, even if I went with a 30 year guarantee shingle, Id probably be back in this spot in 15-20 years.

For metal roofs standing seam is definitely the way to go.  If you wanted the shingle look you might check out Decra.  I know a couple people that have used them and have been very happy.

Decra

Interesting. I've never seen those. I know my wife is not a huge fan of how a standing seam looks, so that might be the way to go. I'll see if I can find a local contractor, thanks!

No problem!

With all the wind and rain were there any water leaks into your shed?  I noticed in one of the earlier pictures the concrete by the garage door was green, indicating high moisture.

On my project house there is one section of roof that gets sun and wind that 30 year shingles only last 10 years before they get ripped off again.  A metal roof wouldn't really look right, although they have really good looking metal roofs now.  Not sure I will do for that one spot side of the roof that always fails.  The previous owner confirmed multiple fixes in his 30 years there.

Yes, I had a fairly large puddle in the center. Its funny you mention that because as I frame more of it out, thats something I need to deal with. I think the ultimate fix for the roll up door is going to be one of those speedbump type setups and a different type of gasket on the outside of the door.

From what I've seen the only real fix is the type of drain pictured below.  There should be some type of hard rubber gasket that you would seal to the concrete where the door closes.  That would create a small bump and provide a better seal.

Something like this.  

Update on the crawlspace:

Ive gotten a few quotes that ranged from $5k to $25k for crawlspace water remediation. Ive chosen one that I think will solve 99% of my water issues. It includes a FULL perimeter drain system, two sump pumps and discharges, new overlayment in the crawlspace and a dehumidifier. All in price in the $10k neighborhood. Not quite a full encapsulation setup (no wrapped piers or insulated crawlspace walls), but like I said, I think this will solve 99% of my issues because a) the drain system plus drilling weep holes in the foundation block allows them to drain and b) the dehumidifier can take care of anything that does come through the block. It also includes sealing all the crawlspace vents and a new door.

In other news, we have had freezing rain TWICE within the past two weeks. Having been a born 'n bred North Carolinian all my life, I cannot for the life of me think of a time where we had winter weather in November. We have, already, had multiple nights in the upper 20s. So, with my wife having the only non-AWD/4WD car (aside from the Mustang), she got a 2019 Honda Pilot this week. Her prior car was bought in 2012 and had gotten long in the tooth, and it was an easy checkbox of things I dont have to worry about this winter.

And in other news, I had my bi-annual "burn crap that I collect out of the field and yard" bonfire, and decided if I have to babysit a bonfire, Id plow the garden in the dark. Because I can. My neighbor commented that they could probably see my tractor from orbit.