Like Legos but bigger

Ok, at http://www.everblocksystems.com/ 

"..EverBlock™ is a Life-Sized Modular Building Block That Allows You To Build Nearly Anything..."


and rebar... (?)

Their site is thin with regard to building "modular or mobile structures" they have placeholder data.  A bit thick for interior walls giving up so much sq ft per wall, curious what:

• sound attenuation 
• fire ratings

the units have.   A threaded rod with compression down to a wooden deck for quick and colorful walls of a storage shed would be cool - but wonder how much total load is left after compressing - enough for 10-12' wide span of roof with snow loads?

Ummm

So not sure if this is another method to consider... a friend sent me this:

ECOCAPSULE 

a mix of a tinyhouse and teardrop trailer with contained solar/wind.  My issue is not sure how I could join more than one (or if it would be cost effective to do so).  Part of our desire for something modular which we can start with and expand would be that ability to grow it - and although "tube shaped breezeways" (to match the aesthetic and mitre to the 'hull') are are certainly possible, I think sticking with orthogonal shapes may be easier to work with.

I say bravo to doing their thing and bringing it to life.  Not sure I'd want to be anywhere near these in a tornado ;) but good on them for making something new to consider.

Another choice to consider

A friend sent me a link to: The Bunkie

Pics are their property, but I couldn't link to them so uploading here...

Source page: http://www.thebunkie.com/models/

Their concept:

With no building permits required and a complete set of preassembled components. The Bunkie offers an ideal personal sense of place that can be assembled in just a few days.

Pretty cool.  

Back in the Saddle

As you can see, 2013 was a thin year for content on this blog.  Our best laid plans in the spring were derailed by a tumultuous family event (RIP CAS) which altered priorities and resulted in us focusing on family and not building and blogging.

Life goes on.  And that was proved true by the overgrowth on the approach trail and property as of this past weekend, sheesh, it is going to be a lot of work before we can even get to work.

The plan at this point is to work on getting access as easy as possible and starting with a large platform and some form of modular structure set.  Could be heterogeneous both in size and building method.  So what starts as the base structure could eventually be a storage unit or the utility module (ie: kitchen, bath, utilities, batteries) with separate sleeping modules later.  We'll see.  

One thing my friend turned me on to which was new to me is Arched Cabins:  http://www.archedcabins.com/ 

Looks pretty cool, I have an info request into them.  The pricing is reasonable: for less than the cost of a Yurt a structure that requires less maintenance, and the setup time is claimed to be modest.

So the bears are out in force, here are some pics from a neighbor's game camera:

Black bears aren't as big or aggressive (on average) as the brown bears out west.

White Blanket Goodness

Happy New Year!

We made it up this weekend, waiting a over a week since the snows in the area.   I heard from a neighbor that last Saturday they couldn't even make it up the first hill; when "going in" uphill = southern slopes and they thaw first, so if the uphills are bad, downhills will be horrid and unsafe.  I got stuck 4 hills-in, 2 years ago.  The fourth and final downhill going in was much deeper than the others and we never made it back up.  I did not yet have a winch, and didn't have snow chains.  The other ups/downs were clear, this one had 6" of snow on it - of course the one  I didn't pre-walk.  In short, we left the truck and hiked out. Momma bear wasn't thrilled to come out and get us, the three vagabonds on foot.

So, this time, with a winch on the truck and 180 pounds of tire chains on board, we went back.  Plus a neighbor was going to be up there, so with pull straps, my winch, a come-along, and working together, I was confident we could get out.  Here is a shot of the first downhill, north slope, view from the driver's seat:

Again, the uphills were fine, the downhills definitely had more snow.

The view was fantastic.  There was plenty of snow on the surrounding hills:

So, how did we get out?  Chains baby.  Worth every penny today.  

We tried to get out with chains only on the rear wheels, but that failed at this spot, this is before we tried.  You can see where the snow is scraped where one breaks free on the way down.  it gets real steep at this dog-leg-right, and the scary part is going straight back at that point is the tree behind you in a gulley:

So we tried, and failed.  And safely rolled back down.  Time to get cold and wet; while putting on the front wheel chains, I came across either a bobcat or coyote track.  The 'arched' front pads looks like a bobcat, but the simpler rear pad and possibly a claw mark on one 'toe' looks like a coyote:

So we made it up this challenge, the dreaded fourth hill.  Good thing, there are 3 more downs and ups...

Momma bear let me know it was a good thing I got my butt out, I agreed

Weather Widget

So, I finally made progress on testing wiring up the PV panels and charge controller and such; all on my fancy workbench (read: patio table).  This motivated me to get the weather station going, also on the patio.  It will be at least another week before I can take it up to the land and get it transmitting weather data from there.

At that time, I'll edit the location name, but for now, I'm experimenting in adding the weather widget to the right gutter on this blog.  So, please ignore the erratic weather data and wrong town name for now.  I'll give another update when the unit is deployed on site and transmitting weather data for real.

Roll With It

So, the surveyors and I crossed wires on rain delay or not.  In short, I was up there waiting for them, they were not there.    So, I found myself with some free time.  I realized I rushed to get there skipping breakfast for no good reason.  So I decided to drive down "into town" and take a route I've never used before.

This is the first stream crossing I've ever done from a paved road.   I've done many on trails and wheeling trips, but I was going down an asphalt paved road, with a double yellow line in the center, up ahead my GPS showed a sharp chicane... whoa.  Water.  Cool.   About 20-22" deep at most.

Again, very odd.  Paved road with beautiful homes on either end.  Full time residences.  Obviously they would normally get to their home from "their end" of this road (it does connect at either end to  larger roads) and presumably only yahoos and lost sheep actually drive through the creek end to end.

Bonus: I found the smooth river stones for our outdoor shower...