Dropping Some Acid Stain

Update time! Things are really starting to pick up. Getting the first course of blocks down was pretty time consuming, mostly because I had to get everything placed just so. Of course I also had regular assistance from the rain fairy.

Once the first course was set, the second went in really fast. And here we are!

The next course will be above grade. I really hate gray and I really hate the look of bare concrete, so I wanted something nicer than plain concrete blocks. My initial plan was to use colored split faced blocks. However one of the drawbacks to living this far out is that getting large heavy things delivered can be quite costly. I did find one place that would sell in smaller quantities, but while considering the price of the blocks and delivery I looked into some alternatives.

One thing I kept coming across was acid stained concrete. Usually this is done to floors and the results can be stunning. I could not find any examples of it being done to blocks, however, so I decided it was time to experiment.

I got sample sizes of some Vivid brand acid stain from Amazon. First I did some sample swatches on a couple different block types. From left to right they are Mission Brown, Weathered Terracotta, Amber, Caramel, and Jade.

Then I used a stain pad to apply the stain in a mottled pattern.

After four four hours I hose the blocks off and give them a light scrub with a wire bush.

Here they are after they dry. I will most likely apply a sealant that gives them a permanent wet look. Because reasons. 

Here they are dry stacked to give me an idea how they will look once they are installed. The blotchiness is because they got wet overnight and are still drying off.

Personally, I think this is much better looking than the split faced blocks. Besides, I've started noticing how common split face is in cheap crappy retail buildings. The local Walmart, Burger King, and Taco Bell: all built out of split face.

Yeah, my blocks are way better.

So now I have three gallons of acid stain being shipped my way. They won't be here until Wednesday, so I'll have to find something else to do this weekend. Until then, have some chicken photos.

Coming Home to Roost

Today we finished enough of the chicken coop that we could move the birds from their brood box to their chicken house.

While there's still siding and painting to do on the coop, I'm quite please with how it came out. It is made from about 95% reclaimed materials. We only had to spend around $150 on the whole deal. I'll do another post on how it was done once it's finished.

Once we had the birds settled into their new digs we needed to show Jack his new friends. I had Ann bring him over to the open door. This was his face:

Kitty mind blown

My ballsy little Black Copper Maran rooster stood in the doorway and stared him down.

Jack is not pleased.

This cat food sucks

Why did you put tiny dinosaurs in my cat fort?

So, without further ado, here are some photos of our feathered minions.

Welsummer

Welsummers are a breed that can be sexed right after they hatch, so I have just one Welsummer girl. She has lovely warm brown plumage coming in and is sweet but rather shy.

Black Copper Marans

First, look at the feathered feet! These guys are going to need hobbit names.

Of the four Marans, were're almost certain that two are hens and two are roos.

Rooster

Hen

Ameraucana

Two of the Ameraucana chicks are definitely hens. They are very good natured birds and their muffs and beards give their faces this soft sweet look.

Chicken Combo Number One

This guy was supposed to be our third Black Ameraucana, but he doesn't look quite up to spec. He has a single comb instead of a rose comb and he's quite clearly not solid black. I suspect that a Welsummer cockerel was sneaking into the Ameraucana pen and was having his way with the hens.

I guess you could say that he had a... side chick.

*sunglasses*

Anyway, I was planning on cross breeding to get some olive eggers, so this guy is totally welcome in our flock. He's so far the only one we've named. Since he's our first cross-breed, he is chicken combo number one (comes with fries and a drink). Since he's number one, his name is clearly First Officer Welsummer Riker.

Just look at that face.

They haven't ventured out into the run yet, but after they get settled in maybe they'll get bold and venture out (where no chicken has gone before).

The hens should start laying sometime in August. I'm really looking forward to blue, brown, and speckled eggs.

More posts as things happen.

I Like Potatoes

It's finally that time of year where I can start putting plants in the ground. I usually wait until the first of May for anything that a cold snap will kill, but it's not too early to plant the potatoes.

I am so gay for potatoes

We just managed to get some more deck wood for a new raised bed. Every spring the suburbs have a big item pickup day where people put all kinds of large items out to be hauled off to the landfill. These events have become a minor religious holiday for us. We've been able to get all kinds of things for our project. This time around we got wood.

This year I will be planting five different varieties. They are (from left to right in the photo below): some blue potato from a big box store that I don't know the name of, pinto potatoes from Moose Tubers, Magic Mollies from Moose Tubers, Viking Purple potatoes from Territorial Seed Company, and some regular grocery store baking potato that I spouted.

Here's a close up comparison between the two blue potatoes. The big box store potato is on the left, Moose Tuber's Magic Molly is on the right. You can see just how much more pigmentation the Mollies have than the store bought ones. Big shocker there.

So, in the ground they go. I was able to get about 14 pieces from the box store blues, 16 each of the Pintos and Mollies, 21 pieces out of the Viking Purples, and just 5 from my grocery store baker.

Of course I totally underestimated how many pieces I would get so some have to go into a spare bed until I can get a second one built. Until then, I made a little sign to remember what I planted here.


Hey, Sam! What did I plant here?

Perfect.

A Box of Undercooked Nuggets

Today we acquired a new addition to the homestead. Meet our ambulatory puffballs.

Initially, we were going to start our honeybees this year and chickens next year. However, after reading up on beekeeping, I decided that the chickens will actually be easier and cheaper for us to start. We have pretty much everything we need to build the coop now, so that project will start tomorrow.

We found a local breeder that was raising the two breeds I really wanted: Black Copper Marans and Amereucanas. She had several other breeds as well, and I decided I really needed a Welsummer pullet too.

Right now they are settling into their new surroundings and doing well. I'm letting them have some quiet but just had to snap a few photos first.

Amereucana (Beard!)

Black Copper Maran (look at the fuzzy feet!)

Welsummer (She looks like a chipmunk from above :D)

UPDATE PHOTOS! They're about two and half weeks old and becoming much more chicken-like

:

Today Things Were On Fire

It's been a good couple of weeks. The weather has been nice. I rebuilt the batter boards. I'm getting everything leveled out. I've poured about a ton and a half of cement in the ground. I have a large stack of cinder blocks and am preparing to get them in the ground.

This evening as I was finishing up, the farmer that owns the surrounding land came out and started some controlled burns. At first I thought it strange that he would start so late in the day. However, when the sun got low in the sky the flames and smoke were just stunning to look at. I grabbed my camera and shot some images to share.

While shooting this I saw a squirrel on our land for the first time. We have a lot of hawks and eagles out here, so small eatable creatures tend to lay low. This little guy, however, was tearing through the tree tops as fast as his little squirrel legs would propel him. I believe he was saying in squirrel language, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, HOT, shit, shit shit."

While on the roof of the little house, I also took a shot of the build site. I think I'll be taking progression shots from up there as things progress.

More as it happens.

It's So Warm for February.

It's so nice out today, I'm doing prep work for the next step. I put straw down on the concrete to protect it over the winter. Right now I'm pulling that straw up. It has been sitting in water for three months. It does not smell nice, but it will make a nice addition to the compost heap. Hope no one complains to the county about it... who ever or where ever these tattle tails are.

There are honey bees out today. They seem to be drawn to the water and are keeping me company. I'm tempted to go raid a post-Valentine's day flower display and leave them out so the bees can have some nectar. I must make a point to plant some early blooming flowers this fall. Sad bees make me sad.

Pictures later!

Building Department, Round 6.825

So... after getting that mildly threatening letter from the county, and being told that we have to get a surety bond to renew our residence permit...

After telling them that the original inspector told us we didn't need one...

After contacting multiple online surety bond companies and being told that we can't get a surety bond for simply moving/disconnecting a trailer...

After contacting multiple local surety bond agents and being told the same thing...

After calling the building department and having them refer us to the local agent that supposedly does these surety bonds...

After driving to the recommended agent's office...

The agent looks the building department's form and says he can't write a bond for simply moving/disconnecting a trailer.

He calls the building department and tells them this.

Now the building department says we don't need one.

This is my face right now

On the plus side, now I can use that money for building materials instead of a stupid bond. We also went ahead and renewed the building permit and I can start doing some preliminary work on the site. It's still too cold to start on the masonry, but I can get things ready. I want to hit the ground running this spring.

Dealing with the Building Department, Round 6.5

I actually don't know what round this is. Really, I don't think there are rounds. It's more like a continuous melee.

But whatever.

Yesterday I got a letter from the Building Department telling me my building permit expired. Well, duh. The next step is masonry. I can't exactly do masonry in below freezing weather, now can I? So, why would I renew the permit until I can actually work?

They also said my temporary residence permit expired. What? I was under the impression that it didn't expire.

So I go down there.

Getting the building permit renewed: $125. I knew that. No paper work involved, so there's a bonus.

The residence permit didn't expire. She said my surety bond expired.

Oh, boy.

When we first got started on this project, I read about the surety bonds. These bonds are a guarantee that once building was complete we would remove the temporary residence from the site. Some of the county's sources said we would have to pay a bond for the travel trailer, others said we didn't. So I asked John, the first inspector I worked with. He said we didn't have to pay it. There was no reason to pay it because a travel trailer doesn't have to be removed; we just stop living in it.

But, nooooooooo. Now it's a different story. Now they want a bond. A $5000 bond.

They have to have this bond. How else will can they be sure that after we build our house we won't live in a trailer next to it?

Who does this?

No one. No. One.

No one builds a house so they can live in a trailer in the back yard.

It's already against zoning regulations to do so. We could be fined for doing so. But it is such a threat that they have to have a bond to make sure that they can fine us and get paid.

Really?

Really.

Yeah, really.

So, I'm getting bond quotes now. Later I will eat country ribs and beans. And whiskey.

UPDATE: One of the bond underwriter people persons called us back. He can't give as a quote because he can't write a bond to guarantee something like this. So, there this saying about asses and holes in the ground...

Etsy, Google Sheets, Smarty Pig, and Managing Debt Free Home Building

Since El Nino has run out of steam and our unseasonably warm weather has left us, I have a moment or two to catch up here. Briefly, we've been winterizing the little house, making some handmade Christmas gifts, and putting Jack in fuzzy sweaters.

Draw me like one of your French Girls

Raising money through Etsy

As I've stated in previous posts, I have supplemented our income by selling off our possessions, most notably my massive collection of My Little Ponies. I had to stop while I was working on the house, but I started back up in mid November.

The last round of pony sales went on eBay. I've been selling there since 1999, but over the past several years I have grown to HATE that venue. Their website is clunky, their fees suck, and sellers regularly get screwed by unscrupulous buyers.

Fortunately, since the items I'm selling are vintage I have another option. I have been selling handmade items on Etsy since 2010 and I LOVE selling there. I have opened up a new shop for my vintage items and it has been going pretty well. In the six weeks it has been open I've been able to raise over 75% of the money we need for our next step.

It's mostly stocked with collectibles and household items ranging from the 1940s to the 1970s right now, but I have so much more to add. There are more collectibles and boxes and boxes of ponies that need to go.

See all the things here

The profits from every sale I make are directly funding our homestead. In order to keep the funds organized, I have employed a couple different tools.

Google Sheets

The first is Google Sheets. Google Sheets is simply a spread sheet program that you can access through your Google Plus account. This is very handy considering how often I bounce from computer to computer. Here's an example of how I have mine set up:

The first column is the price that I sold the item for. The next column is what I originally paid for the item. This is an important figure to have as it will be needed come tax season.

The next two columns are Etsy fees. Etsy charges $0.20 for listing an item for three months, and processing fees after it sells.

If you use PayPal, you'd want to include those fees as well. However Etsy now has a feature that manages direct payments and PayPal payments through their account manager.

The next two columns are the total profits and self-employment tax. Total profits are figured by taking the sale price and subtracting the item cost, listing fees, and processing fees.

Since I am selling items at a profit, I must pay taxes on the income. One of these taxes is the self-employment tax. The self-employment tax is your FICA taxes: social security and Medicare. The rate is 15.3%. So, to find your total tax, multiply your profit by .0153.

You also have to pay income tax, however since we alway have extra withheld from my husband's paycheck, I don't bother saving for that.

The next column is an adjustment column. Most of the time, I only put the net profit into savings. However, on some items (mostly ponies), I want the initial cost of the item to go into savings as well. This column allows me to offset the initial cost being taken out of the profits.

The column marked "Total for SP" is the amount I put into savings. The last column helps me keep track of which sub-account that total is deposited into.

Speaking of sub-accounts, that brings me to:

Smarty Pig

When we first started packing money away so we could buy our land, I started shopping around for a place to stash our money. I don't like having it all in our checking account (darling husband is a spender) and I wanted to earn a little interest.

My Google Fu led me to Smarty Pig. Their interest rate was attractive. Well, as attractive as interest rates get in this day and age (which is pretty sad).

State of this country's banking system aside, Smarty Pig is a really great tool for saving money. The feature that I love the most is the ability to create sub accounts within your Smarty Pig account. These "Savings Goals" really fit into how we are financing this build. Here's their info page on creating goals.

When we first started planning how to do this, we were torn between buying a kit house like a Katrina Cottage or buying plans and building it all ourselves. One benefit to kit houses is that they would be easier and faster to build. A down side is that we would not be able to do any work on the house until we had saved 100% of the money.

This would be a big problem when it came to our temporary residence permit. Most counties (ours included) will want you actively building to keep your permit.

With the DIY house plans, we have the ability to save funds for each piece of the house, and build it as we reach each individual savings goal.

For example, late last winter, I calculated out the material cost for each part of our foundation. I started savings goals for the footings, the rebar, the cinder blocks, and the mortar. (I had to combine the funds and shuffle things around because of the re-design, but the funds were there nonetheless).

Smarty Pig lets you set automatic payments into your goals, or if you're a control freak like me you can transfer funds manually. It seems that they used to require a monthly transfer, but from my experience that is no longer the case.

A word of advice concerning goals: it may be wise to keep your goals small or even divide larger goals up into a couple smaller goals. Once the money has been transfered into a goal, you cannot do a partial withdrawal. If you have an emergency crop up and need to free up some funds, you have to close out the goal and withdraw all of it. This isn't a HUGE problem. You can just transfer it all back to the bank, and then create a new goal and transfer some of the money back to Smarty Pig. That's a little clunky, but not the end of the world.

One you reach your goal, you get to close it out and go buy things. This can be done by transferring it back to your bank, or you can put it on a gift card. They incentivize the gift card option by offering a bonus cash boost. There is a hardware store on the list of retailers, so this can really help on a project like this. Here's their page with gift card info.

I've been able to integrate this into my Etsy shop and use it as a tool to show customers exactly where their funds are going. Recently, the most aggressively funded goal has been the architectural blocks.

With each purchase I'm including a thank you note that tells them what part of the building project their purchase will go to. 

I'm going to try to update with more detail on each piece of the build so people can see exactly what is being saved for, where it fits into the house, and when it is purchased and installed. Until then, I have some Etsy orders to fill.