3R Home and Barn Project

[EddieWalker]

Your in luck if you plan on coming to Texas in the next ten months. Summer seems to be ending early this year, and for the next ten months, it's going to be very nice outside. Never come to Texas in July and August if you haven't seen the good months. It can be brutal!!!

 

[dfkrug]

I'm well on my way to a speedy recovery. Like I said, I've managed to stay busy at half speed, but
what I really miss is my golf game. In fact, don't know if I'll ever play again, especially if we move to a
remote location.

So sorry you can't play golf. I had a recent injury also (Achilles tendon), which may mean I never
play tennis again. I used to play 2-4x/week. It has been 6 mo since I got injured, during a seniors
USTA mixed doubles league match. I have greatly increased my project productivity, however. I
have even fixed some OTHER peoples' tractors.

You do have a beautiful estate....I am surprised you are willing to leave. I don't think I could ever
go thru again all I did to build this place. You put a LOT into yours, too.

I hope you continue your speedy recovery, Rob.

 

[doxford jim]

Hi Rob,

Sorry to learn of your recent medical problems. They do have a habit of cropping up at the most inconvenient times.
Sorry to learn of your potential sale of the beautiful home you built. I understand the reasons why you have made the decision - we are doing the same thing for similar reasons. Just finished replacing deck steps and raised beds in the garden. Our place is much older but it has become too much to deal with, with the present age related medical problems. So we have our place for sale too and thus requires the obligatory repairs etc.

Hope you continue to do well after the surgery.

You are gonna have to find new toys to replace your two tractors.

Wish you all the best for the future and please keep us all updated.

Jim

 

[doxford jim]

Hi Rob,

Sorry to learn of your recent medical problems. They do have a habit of cropping up at the most inconvenient times.
Sorry to learn of your potential sale of the beautiful home you built. I understand the reasons why you have made the decision - we are doing the same thing for similar reasons. Just finished replacing deck steps and raised beds in the garden. Our place is much older but it has become too much to deal with, with the present age related medical problems. So we have our place for sale too and thus requires the obligatory repairs etc.

Hope you continue to do well after the surgery.

You are gonna have to find new toys to replace your two tractors.

Wish you all the best for the future and please keep us all updated.

Jim

 

[MarkV]

Rob good to hear you are healing. My wife had a similar back surgery so I know what you are going through. This getting old ain't for sissies is it. If Georgia is on your list let me know. We are in NW Georgia about an hour from Atlanta and would welcome you to come stay with us as you look around.

MarkV

 

[bindian]

Rob,
You and Brian both should see the mountains in West Texas. Texas still has the room. Wait a minute................I gotta make it to the World Expo and visit Y'all before Y'all move!
hugs, Brandi

 

[3RRL]

Thank you Dave, Jim, Mark and Brandi,
Yes indeed, time does pass by after all. When I was a young man I never really considered being an older, weaker me! Now I have to deal with it every day, and frankly, some parts of getting old scares me. It's like I was another person back then and the current me did not exist. I never gave it a second thought...

As far the new place, it becomes clear that it's gotta have a house on it.
I still have to build at least one more cabin on our other property for additional retirement income, so that will keep me busy for about a year or so. Did I tell you that some of those states also do not count income from rentals or other assets as taxable income? And if we need more cash, properties with homes on it become more valuable than just raw land ... more than what it costs me to build because the land itself is already free and clear. When I get done with that one, it could be time to pull up roots and take the plunge. As time passed building that first one, I started getting tired more and more towards the end. I suppose my condition had something to do with it, but I've gotta keep that in mind when choosing a property. The neurosurgeon told me before the surgeries that I might not recover from it completely, but should not get any worse. With that in mind, it's been easier to accept my disability and limited skill set. However, I surely don't mind fixing up a place because I have made some progress. After all, you know I'm gonna need something to do, LOL.

As far as my golf, I started getting crummier and crummier over the last year. At first I thought it was my age but it turned out to be this problem. I played to, or near scratch for years so I knew something was wrong when I practiced like crazy and still got worse! My handicap is currently 11.1 and low of the year is 2.1, so that reflects what happened to my spinal chord. Under the circumstances, I would love to play again, even though I'd be a higher handicap.

 

[zogman]

Hi West Coast Rob, East Coast Rob here...

I dont know if you remember me but we used to talk a little bit here and there but its been a long time since I've been on the boards. My family has taken precedence over my tractor fun and I've been good whith that. When I decided to get back on the boards and see whats up with my favorite project guy I see you've had a setback. I am truly sorry to hear that. I almost felt bad for you until I heard your golf game at its worst is better than my completly heathy best. Just kidding, I hope things are going well in your recovery.
I thought I read that you were going to sell a tractor? Which one will it be??? I can't believe you would sell the big Kama with so many mods and memories. How is she doing these days?
On another note, I took my family out to LA to see my brother and drove up through the big national parks and across to San Fran then back down to San Diego in 7 days. This country is awesome, I wish more people would get out and see it. I did think about your place and I'm pretty sure I was near it at one point but didnt have the time to look you up. I probably wouldn't have wanted to drop in on short notice anyway but I did think about you! You have touched a lot of lives with your posts and have inspired me to do things I might not have otherwise. I think its pretty clear by the other posts I see that I'm not alone when I say - you will be missed on the boards when you decide your done with us. Good luck in your next adventure and let us know where we can find your future creative outlets.

 

[3RRL]

East Coast Rob,
Of course I remember you and the conversations we had early on when I first joined TBN. That was a long time ago now that I think of it. I'm really not sure what we will end up doing. I may keep the tractors or not, depending what the next chapter of our lives brings us to. It's too bad you didn't get a hold of me sooner Rob, because you could've spent some time at my place and visit Sequoia National Park just up the road. Any way, thanks for the compliments, and I hope you and yours are doing well!

 

[3RRL]

East Coast Rob,
Of course I remember you and the conversations we had early on when I first joined TBN. That was a long time ago now that I think of it. I'm really not sure what we will end up doing. I may keep the tractors or not, depending what the next chapter of our lives brings us to. It's too bad you didn't get a hold of me sooner Rob, because you could've spent some time at my place and visit Sequoia National Park just up the road. Any way, thanks for the compliments, and I hope you and yours are doing well!

 

[zogman]

We actually did go to Kings Canyon and Sequoia, we hit Yosemite as well. We took back roads from Bakersfield up to Kings Canyon and went on the longest-windiest road I've ever been on. I am sure we were very near your place at some point. We did the whole tour, our teenagers loved it believe it or not. This year we are looking at taking a train across the country. Leaving from Charlotte NC, making stops at DC, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake and San Fran then north to Portland and Vancouver. We hope to see the U.S. like most never will. I want my kids to know why America is great not just hear it from other people. I've traveled all over the world with the military and there are some nice cities in Europe, but nothing compares in my mind to the freedom and open spaces we have here.

On another note, I was hit with the flooding in SC. Nothing life threatening, it just washed out my bridge to the house. I get on the Kama to fix it and my FEL hydraulics decide they want to quit. I bought seal kits to rebuilt the lift cylinders and couldn't get the gland cap off to rebuild them. The design is very poor, I only had an 1/8" to put a wrench on, by the time we were done they were ruined. I couldnt get Koyker to answer the phone so I bought new aftermarket cylinders(magister brand - seem to be well built and they will answer immediately) and had the ends modified to fit my tractor. I installed the new ones, put fresh fluid in it and all worked well for about 10 minutes. The lift cylinders worked beautifully and hold firm but the bucket cylinders failed to hold pressure. I guess 10 years is about all I can expect. I'm so frustrated at this point... I took the bucket cylinders to a machine shop and he is cutting a specialized tool with a water jet to fit around the entire gland nut. It always seems when you absolutely need something to perform it decides to show you who's boss!

If you ever come to SC or want to tour down this way in search of a new homestead don't hesitate to call on me. I live right outside of Columbia in Lexington - 2 hours from the coast or the mountains.

 

[zogman]

We actually did go to Kings Canyon and Sequoia, we hit Yosemite as well. We took back roads from Bakersfield up to Kings Canyon and went on the longest-windiest road I've ever been on. I am sure we were very near your place at some point. We did the whole tour, our teenagers loved it believe it or not. This year we are looking at taking a train across the country. Leaving from Charlotte NC, making stops at DC, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake and San Fran then north to Portland and Vancouver. We hope to see the U.S. like most never will. I want my kids to know why America is great not just hear it from other people. I've traveled all over the world with the military and there are some nice cities in Europe, but nothing compares in my mind to the freedom and open spaces we have here.

On another note, I was hit with the flooding in SC. Nothing life threatening, it just washed out my bridge to the house. I get on the Kama to fix it and my FEL hydraulics decide they want to quit. I bought seal kits to rebuilt the lift cylinders and couldn't get the gland cap off to rebuild them. The design is very poor, I only had an 1/8" to put a wrench on, by the time we were done they were ruined. I couldnt get Koyker to answer the phone so I bought new aftermarket cylinders(magister brand - seem to be well built and they will answer immediately) and had the ends modified to fit my tractor. I installed the new ones, put fresh fluid in it and all worked well for about 10 minutes. The lift cylinders worked beautifully and hold firm but the bucket cylinders failed to hold pressure. I guess 10 years is about all I can expect. I'm so frustrated at this point... I took the bucket cylinders to a machine shop and he is cutting a specialized tool with a water jet to fit around the entire gland nut. It always seems when you absolutely need something to perform it decides to show you who's boss!

If you ever come to SC or want to tour down this way in search of a new homestead don't hesitate to call on me. I live right outside of Columbia in Lexington - 2 hours from the coast or the mountains.

 

[3RRL]

Thanks for the invitation Rob, in fact our search criteria has revealed several plots of land in NC which we would like to inspect ourselves. Now it's just a matter of getting my home completely refinished ... deck and railing, and the log home, breezeway and garage. Also the wood that covers the crawl space/basement. A really big job!



I'm glad to see you are taking care to educate your children about America. It's refreshing to hear someone (besides me) who still thinks this is the greatest country in the world. Very admirable Rob, my hat is off to you!

 

[zogman]

You are always welcome here, NC and Tennessee are beautiful(so is your place by the way), they seem like a good fit for you. I could visualize you building a hydro-electric plant on a river right now. I'm ready to read about it. Tennessee has no property tax which is nice, lots of mountains and water. NC has the Blue Ridge Parkway, Hendersonville, Asheville(cant see you there-a lot of hippies) and the decent to low end ocean sites. SC is a pretty state as well, a lot flatter compared to NC and TN. We have much better beaches and more historic cities. The downfall is we have winter and summer, fall lasts about 2 weeks. Summer is hot and lasts till October, we are still seeing temps in the mid 70s in late November. For the price you will get for your place you could probably buy a hundred acres of beautiful big hardwoods in uptate SC with water/ river access and still build a mansion.

 

[EddieWalker]

Now that you have built and lived in a log house, will you do it again?

 

[3RRL]

LOL Rob,
I don't know how much building I can do anymore, but I sure have learned a lot over the last ten years. Hope to see you when we visit over there.

You are always welcome here, NC and Tennessee are beautiful(so is your place by the way), they seem like a good fit for you. I could visualize you building a hydro-electric plant on a river right now. I'm ready to read about it. Tennessee has no property tax which is nice, lots of mountains and water. NC has the Blue Ridge Parkway, Hendersonville, Asheville(cant see you there-a lot of hippies) and the decent to low end ocean sites. SC is a pretty state as well, a lot flatter compared to NC and TN. We have much better beaches and more historic cities. The downfall is we have winter and summer, fall lasts about 2 weeks. Summer is hot and lasts till October, we are still seeing temps in the mid 70s in late November. For the price you will get for your place you could probably buy a hundred acres of beautiful big hardwoods in uptate SC with water/ river access and still build a mansion.

 

[3RRL]

Yes Eddie, I wood (pun) LOL.
Now that I know what to look for, concerning the refinish, it should be no more maintenance than a regular city home would need on it's most weather beaten surfaces. The key is as soon as an exterior surface loses it's sheen, it's time to wash and spray a coat of Cascade sealer on. Had I known that, it would eliminate sanding those huge walls, making up keep considerably easier.

Now that you have built and lived in a log house, will you do it again?

 

[PAGUY]

Rob- How's the wife doing now a days?

As I recall she was a hard worker around your place. Liked the posts about her having her own Jinma tractor.

 

[PAGUY]

Rob- How's the wife doing now a days?

As I recall she was a hard worker around your place. Liked the posts about her having her own Jinma tractor.

 

[EddieWalker]

Rob, that's good to hear. I've always loved log homes and really enjoyed seeing yours in person. I've worked on several here in East Texas that suffer from rot. they seem to have issues at the very bottom log that is exposed to the splashing from rain, and then on the logs that stick out at the outside corners where water will remain. A full, wrap around porch is the best solution.

Most of all the log homes here are from Satterwhite. They are the local log home company. They use the D style logs that come from standing dead trees in Colorado.

Did you have any settling issues? Did you have to adjust or raise your walls over time?