3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

Our next rip up will be when Eddie Walker visits us on the 14th of March.
The contractor called, informing me they got that whole house fan installed already. When we were up there last time, they were talking about installing it in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Now, the exhaust is in the upstairs loft area ... perfectly placed to allow the entire home to vent or circulate air without using the AC.
Rob-

 

[bindian]

Our next rip up will be when Eddie Walker visits us on the 14th of March.
The contractor called, informing me they got that whole house fan installed already. When we were up there last time, they were talking about installing it in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Now, the exhaust is in the upstairs loft area ... perfectly placed to allow the entire home to vent or circulate air without using the AC.
Rob-

Rob,
The house I lived in when I was little had an attic fan in the middle of the house and no a/c. We would open all windows and turn the fan on. I took afternoon naps on a pad in the hall under that fan. It purred us to sleep! Then we got a/c installed and never used it again.

 

[3RRL]

Brandi,
I know what you mean. All the homes I've lived in had no air conditioning until I was 35. Then I couldn't figure how we ever lived without it. hahaha
As far as this home, since we are running off solar ... totally off grid, running the air conditioning units will put a heavy draw on the system. Our plans are to have that whole house fan plus several other fans installed to keep the electrical usage down to a minimum.

I'm hoping there will be enough progress to share more photos next week. They should include more of the barn and garage. Maybe more interior shots too? I'll share some for sure of Eddie and his family in any case.

 

[3RRL]

Got back from the property yesterday and I realized I had not shown any photos of how that turn came out where I ripped the DG and and tilted that turn. Here it is again when I ripped it and then 2 weeks later after I got that section smoothed again. Look how the Oaks have sprouted in that time. Also a shot of the approach to the turn.



These are a couple photos of different parts of my road. I repair and smooth them as needed, especially after heavy rainfall. I do it all with the boxblade.

 

[3RRL]

That was also the weekend Eddie Walker, his wife Steph and their 2 kids Alissa and Peyton came to visit.
Eddie told me they were visiting his parents out here not too far from my place in California, and he would swing by to "shake hands" and say hello. They had a million things to do, Disneyland in the morning, then Hollywood, then the long drive up. They also wanted to visit the Giant Sequoias which are just up the road from our place...but a full day for sure!
So I really appreciated that Eddie and his family took the time to stop here.

I spoke to him on his way up to confirm directions and they arrived right at 3:00pm. When they got on Buckhorn, they could see our home and Steph asked Eddie if that could be it? With Spring here pretty much, things have greened up quite a bit now. Eddie was pretty surprised to see the place in person, as opposed to the photos I've posted. They toured the Camp, tree house and tractors, and also the log home. Steph also took some pictures and I hope she will post a couple of them.

Here is the log home from our dirt road entrance, perhaps the way they first saw it? Also a picture of the meadow in front of South Camp. Last, a picture of Eddie, Peyton, Steph, Alissa and myself. They are a very handsome family.
Loretta was kind enough to take the picture for us.

 

[jinman]

Nice photos Rob, as usual. I'm glad you had a good time visiting with Eddie Walker and his family. We sure enjoyed having them here and his Mom and Dad in their motorhome.

The house and road looks like it is coming together really well. I think you'll like the whole house fan. I had one on my last house and loved it. Do you own that peak shown behind your house and to the left? Have you ever hiked up there to take a picture? I bet that would be a terrific view looking down on your house. You may have done it and I just didn't see it.

 

[3RRL]

Thanks for the comments Jim.
Eddie and Steph are really neat people.
That peak is not on my property, it is about 2 miles away. I have hiked there but that was way before we started building. You may have other views that show the nearest hill side. It's also not on my property but adjacent to it. However, from that hillside there is a great view of my parcel. I have not hiked up to take photos of the home from up there. But you've reminded to do that.
Thanks...

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Rob,

The house looks GREAT!!

I am sure you are happy to see spring starting to arrive with all the green. Are your springs usually wet or just sporadic showers?

You did an excellent job on the roads. You should of had Eddie pull his dozer up there and let you use it for a couple of months .

 

[3RRL]

Hahaha, I would love to have Eddie up there with his dozer and his backhoe but for an up coming small pond project. Actually, I know Eddie is not a big fan of the boxblade, so I think he was a little surprised to see what I've done with mine. He should be getting home from his vacation today and will probably post after the dust settles. That had to be heck of a trip for the family.

Our Springs are sporadic showers. Generally, we get our hard rains at the end and beginning of the year. Then in the Summer when it's over 100F+ we get a day or two of monsoon type showers for a little relief.

 

[EddieWalker]

That was also the weekend Eddie Walker, his wife Steph and their 2 kids Alissa and Peyton came to visit.

Rob,

Your description of our trip really captured the spirit of it!!! We were non-stop for 6 days and managed to see allot of the state, but not able to spend any time in one place.

Visiting with you and Loretta was one of the highlights for me. For those of you who are following along with this thread and are familiar with Rob's other projects, you will be shocked to learn that Rob isn't doing himself justice with his posts. Everything he's done is much more impressive and overwhelming then pictures are capable of capturing!!!!!

When you first see the house, it's almost overpowering with the setting and command of the valley. To say he found a good spot to build is an understatement. To say he has a million dollar view isn't even close. The way it sits on the hill gives them one of the most amazing views in all directions that you could ever hope for. Spectacular comes to mind, but even more accurate is to say it's just overwhelming!!! I've been to allot of high end homes with my business and travels, and it's rare to see such a perfect home for the setting. I can't imagine any other type of home that would capture the location as well as they did with thier home.

Since Rob does all the posting here, I'll tell you all that you are missing out on getting to know Loretta. She was an instant friend from the moment we met her. One of those ladies that makes you feel welcome and always fun to listen to. Between the two of them, I can't tell you who was more fun or enthusiastic about what they are creating. You'll never meet a better team, or nicer people!!!!

I'll add more when I get my pictures organized and downsized for posting.

It was a true pleasure to meet you two and see all that you've accomplished. We were talking about it for hours after leaving your place and wish we had more time to have had dinner with you guys. As it was, we made it to the Giant Sequoa's with about an hour of daylight left. At 5,000 feet, we hit snow. General Sherman was at 6,400 feet, and the snow was probably 4 feet deep there. It made for awesome pics, so that was fun.

Eddie