My biggest project...

[alchemysa]

This is what I bought my Kubota for 18 months ago. The site is 100 yards from the beach but about $500 from the nearest hire tractor. So I decided to buy my own tractor and sell it when the job was finished. Trouble is I like it so much (the tractor) that I want to keep it forever. (I paid about $12,000 for the B1550 and had three offers to buy it before I even got it off the trailer!) What a gem its been. First job was to clear an old tin shack off the site and rip up the old concrete stab. In my 'yoof' I would have been silly enough to tackle that with a sledgehammer but I decided to do things the easy way instead of the cheap way. The Kubota, with a 4-in-1 bucket, forks, and a backhoe has done everything asked of it, and its fun too! The only thing I have had to hire a professional driver and tractor for was to dig out and level the base for the new foundation. I dont see many pics of US houses using corrugated iron so I thought you might like to see these. (The brown stuff is outdoor ply with stain in it. I dont know how thats going to stand up to the elements but I'll soon find out). Now the dreary work starts... painting inside... groan!

 

[JerryG]

Wow, I like. In a few years, when we build our last house I would like to have something different. Seeing yours gives me more ideas. I hadn't really thought about one like that. As you go along, show the inside and other details.

 

[Luremaker]

Great looking house mate!! I noticed water pooling on the drive. I thought you guys were in a serious drought?

 

[BTDT]

Good job. I like it. I like it even more when it's not the norm.

 

[EdC]

Alchemysa

Great looking house! Keep the tractor; being that close to the water there is always "storm cleanup" for an excuse.

 

[alchemysa]

Great looking house mate!! I noticed water pooling on the drive. I thought you guys were in a serious drought?

We are, but we did have a bit of rain overnight. (We are nearly a month into winter). Fortunately where this house is, near the sea, it does get just a little more drizzle than most places and the evaporation rate is lower so it doesn't get as parched as places just few a hundred ks away. I'm also lucky to have an excellent ground water supply here. I've got a bore, and the water table is only about 5' below ground. But the house itself will entirely run on rainwater when its finished, using one or two 5000 gallon tanks.

 

[alchemysa]

Good job. I like it. I like it even more when it's not the norm.

When people say that, I say we wanted ''a post-modern design that challenged people's pre-conceptions.''. OK, thats just architect BS. Its just plain weird.

Officially I was the owner/builder but in reality I was just the labourer. I had two excellent tradesman on the job almost fulltime for the last 6 months. Between them they had every trade covered except electrical (and one of the guy's sons did that). I also employed a neighbour just 2 doors away who did a lot more labouring than I did because I couldnt be there anywhere near as often as I'd hoped. Heres a BIG tip. If you are planning a job like this employ your own laborer who can be on the job almost full time. Tradesmen get a heck of a lot more done if theyve got someone to do the runnin' around and all the tedious stuff. They'll also be happier. Dont rely on the tradesman to find their own labourers because so often they wont be available when theyre needed. I was very lucky to have a handy and willing neighbour. I paid him of course but it was a lot less per hour than the tradesmans rates.

Incidently, heres the shack we pulled down. It was cute but not something we wanted to retire into. (Had some good times in it though!) It must have had a million nails holding it together which of course went everywhere during the demolition. But amazingly we havent had a single puncture ...yet.

 

[sandman2234]

So did you paint that old tractor in the background behind the old shed orange or is it still sitting out back patiencely waiting it's turn under the roof while your out playing on the new tractor?
David from jax

 

[alchemysa]

So did you paint that old tractor in the background behind the old shed orange or is it still sitting out back patiencely waiting it's turn under the roof while your out playing on the new tractor?
David from jax

That was a 1920's Ford that I 'inherited' with the shack. It had been used for years to launch boats off the beach but by the time I got it it was totally shot. It was way beyond restoring. I didn't know what i was going to do with it but it just 'disappeared' one day. A scap metal dealer was in the area and a neighbour said i wanted to get rid of it so he took it! I was kinda surprised to see it gone but I was glad. Apparently it took him about 4 hours to drag it out and get it onto a trailer.

 

[Renze]

hmm... so he just took it ? even it being just scrap, estimated the tractor weighs 1500 kg, he stole 225 euro off you, at the current scrap rate of 15 eurocent per kilo...

Anyways, you'd still have to get rid of the tires, and haul it before you can make some money of it at the melting ovens.