Movin' on Up!

mdt-son · May 6, 2022

grandpaul said:
4/26

Sally gave me a reprieve right as I hit Liberty Hill so I stopped and got 4 blue rain barrels. I turned around and installed the 3rd light and wired them in. Yep, they work!

View attachment 94774

GP, are those armatures hanging by the chords? If so, I doubt the armatures will survive a storm!

On another note, do you intend to create a living space at the second floor? Or is this a project for leisure activities only?

- Knut

grandpaul · May 6, 2022

mdt-son said:
GP, are those armatures hanging by the chords? If so, I doubt the armatures will survive a storm!

On another note, do you intend to create a living space at the second floor? Or is this a project for leisure activities only?

If I understand your question - NO, the 8" receivers will be welded onto a 1/4" thick steel plate that is welded to the top of the 4x4 column. n this photo the end of the receivers are simply sitting on top of the storage container.

Both floors will have living spaces.

1st floor-

We sold the motorhome, and will be selling the boat soon. the camper will NOT be parked in the carport after all. We will use that area for pickleball, volleyball and basketball.

2nd floor -

grandpaul · Jun 5, 2022

I've neglected keeping up with this thread, but I happen to have more time on my hands now with a 30-day fecebook ban!

5/25
I am ALMOST finished with the master bathroom (decided it was the better choice than starting with only a half bath). I tweaked my back muscles hanging the drywall sheets yesterday, but it is now a useable bathroom even though the shower isn't finished, and I can't seem to get the water pressure switch adjusted properly. For now, I have harvested enough rainwater to operate on gravity feed to the toilet and sink.

5/27
Pretty good rainfall, the "pond" FINALLY got noticeable water in it!

At least all of the puddles are WITHIN the confines of the planned creek & pond, none in other formerly lower areas nearby. So, the BASIC plan worked. I really need to rent an excavator, dig it nice and deep, then line the bottom with Sodium Bentonite to seal it up.

grandpaul · Jun 5, 2022

5/28
Before today, there was no 2-1/2" female/female threaded PVC adapter to be had in the entire metroplex of Austin, TX. So, I bought a 2nd PVC shower drain adapter and cut off everything that didn't look like a 2-1/2" f/f threaded coupler!

Job done, and it worked!

There, proper shower drain.

After two rainfalls within a week, and a tedious job of rigging up the transfer pump with 100' of hose, then going from barrel to barrel, my 500 gallon main water tank is full.

It rained again since this last photo, so now I have another 200+ gallons sitting on the sidelines. I need to drop a chlorine tablet in each barrel, and 4 of them into the big tank...

grandpaul · Jun 5, 2022

(present day)
Yesterday I got a reprieve and tackled a job I'd been wanting to check off the list - the first wall of my workshop, with ceiling/second floor joists to hang the garage door tracks from. Not easy getting a full 8' wall up off the ground and set in place solo, not a lot easier getting (8) 12' long 2x10 joists hung atop that wall either!

Done!

Let there be light!

This will make it so much easier to pull the truck in for unloading, as well as loading out the shop equipment and my big tool chest from the storage trailers.

Sharp eyes may note that I did NOT simply rest the right ends of the joists on a horizontal purlin, but I fabricated a "saddle" on the top joist, then carried the load down to the slab via timber columns. As near zero deflection as the 2nd floor will ever need.

Oh, yeah, Harbor Freight to the rescue! Bought a new water pump (got a full refund for the other one and the e-bay seller told me to just keep it). Works as a pressure pump is SUPPOSED to. Also got the 2-year warranty "just in case"...

grandpaul · Jun 5, 2022

Must not have been 10 minutes after I took the photos of the garage door project done, who should arrive to buzz the place? Jeff, in his Quicksilver MX Sport!

He "dropped in" for a quick chat, then took off to rendezvous with another ultralight guy whose place is a quick 5 minute hop from my place...

After he left, I paced off his landing and takeoff roll distances - right at 100' (33 paces) in each direction! (like he planned it or something) My 625' main runway will be SO nice when it's done...

BERT · Jun 5, 2022

What do you plan on doing for potable water for the taps?

BERT · Jun 5, 2022

grandpaul said:
Must not have been 10 minutes after I took the photos of the garage door project done, who should arrive to buzz the place? Jeff, in his Quicksilver MX Sport!

View attachment 95921

He "dropped in" for a quick chat, then took off to rendezvous with another ultralight guy whose place is a quick 5 minute hop from my place...
View attachment 95922

After he left, I paced off his landing and takeoff roll distances - right at 100' (33 paces) in each direction! (like he planned it or something) My 625' main runway will be SO nice when it's done...

How is an ultralight launched on rough tetrain,just wondering.. totally unfamiliar with them...

Flatspot · Jun 6, 2022

BERT said:
How is an ultralight launched on rough tetrain,just wondering.. totally unfamiliar with them...

I think you pick it up and hand launch it and then hop on quickly.

mean gene · Jun 6, 2022

Looking good! Summer is theeee busy season!

grandpaul · Jun 6, 2022

BERT said:
What do you plan on doing for potable water for the taps?

It's rainwater, so just fine for bathing and washing.

For cooking, we will boil as needed and/or bring 1-gallon & 5-gallon jugs of water, and regular individual bottled water in the fridge.

grandpaul · Jun 6, 2022

BERT said:
How is an ultralight launched on rough tetrain,just wondering.. totally unfamiliar with them...

You can see from the video, "damn the torpedoes (or bumps and rocks), full speed ahead!"

I still have a lot of work to do with a road grader and my tractor with a box blade.

grandpaul · Jun 6, 2022

Flatspot said:
I think you pick it up and hand launch it and then hop on quickly.

Actually, with the older "swing seat" weight shift models, they were able to be foot launched exactly like a hang glider. Wheels did not appear on them for a few years, then technically they still had to be able to be foot-launched. Hard to see the vestigial curved rear axle, to allow legroom at a trot!

However, you really needed to be able to EASILY handle 200 pounds of dead weight a full run, with any breeze more than 5 mph providing a huge resistance!

Pup · Jun 6, 2022

You do nice work. I reckon I'm one of the sharp eyes, (at 61, that's somethin' I reckon to be self proud of !)
My twin preceptors went straight to the upper left hand corner. As someone that has done alot of
plumbing, that is CRAZY about the adapters in short supply. Who would've thought that would
ever be an issue, but who would've thought anything else that is ever would be either...... You did what
You had to though, improvisation becoming more and more necessary.

grandpaul · Jun 6, 2022

1977years said:
You do nice work. I reckon I'm one of the sharp eyes, (at 61, that's somethin' I reckon to be self proud of !)
My twin preceptors went straight to the upper left hand corner. As someone that has done alot of
plumbing, that is CRAZY about the adapters in short supply. Who would've thought that would
ever be an issue, but who would've thought anything else that is ever would be either...... You did what
You had to though, improvisation becoming more and more necessary.

I used 1" for the main, the "T" fitting neck down to pre-fab Sharkbike PEX taps. I didn't want to have a bunch of 1/2" take-offs from a pex main. Then, I transitioned down to 3/4" for the upstairs bathroom. Pretty straightforward...

Pup · Jun 6, 2022

Good call grandpaul. It wouldn't be too straightforward to several people I can think of...!

daveforty · Jun 7, 2022

grandpaul said:
........... then technically they still had to be able to be foot-launched. Hard to see the vestigial curved rear axle, to allow legroom at a trot!

However, you really needed to be able to EASILY handle 200 pounds of dead weight a full run, with any breeze more than 5 mph providing a huge resistance!

A friend had a Superfloater - only one in the UK, he foot launched it once - to prove it could be done, but generally aerotowed it. A very cool glider. Quicksilver probably pre-dates the Superfloater?

grandpaul · Jun 7, 2022

daveforty said:
A friend had a Superfloater - only one in the UK, he foot launched it once - to prove it could be done, but generally aerotowed it. A very cool glider. Quicksilver probably pre-dates the Superfloater?

I would think so. The whole genre started on the west coast USA with hang gliding.

grandpaul · Jun 30, 2022

I've been a busy bee the last week and a half! Purchased 2 loads (truck & 16' trailer) of lumber and framed out the remainder of the shop (including ceiling / 2nd floor joists)... * * lumber prices have come down at least 20% * * <hooray, just in time

Next, I framed up the dining / living room section...

Finally installed the 1/2 bathroom fixtures to set the last wall line (no photo), will frame that wall in a couple of days (I need a break after today's marathon). Framed the remaining master bedroom wall, this wall will support the left side stair stringers...

grandpaul · Jun 30, 2022

I set the left stair stringers, then built the right side wall and set it against the stringers to mark matching opposite locations. Once I fixed the right stringers in place, I COULDN'T LIFT THE WALL! No worries, pulled out the come-along and jacked it right up...

Then, I set all the treads. That was it, I crossed into leg cramp territory and wrapped it up for the day. Stairway to nowhere...

Looking like a lumber forest / maze...