Solar Power Shed Project

3RRL · Jan 9, 2007

I'm glad you like the campground.
The deck is plain pine... I guess cedar? (what do I know?) It is sealed with a light stain water sealer... not Thompson's but another brand that Home Depot sells. The 4 x 4 upright posts are also sealed with "Hunter Green" sealer same (unknown) brand. It's held up very good considering.
It's been 2-½ years now (almost) since we built the campground so it's time to re-seal everything. It's directly out in the weather (duh) so I should do it every year but been too lazy and had other stuff to do. This Easter we will take a vacation up there for one week and I'll sand where I have to and re-finish all the wood after our company goes home.

It really made a difference with the rain from this little blue tarp between the canopies...

To this when we put the new green giant tarp over both canopies. We are a LOT drier now. Notice how the trees in our atrium go through the new tarp.

You've probably seen fire place and those benches before. Loretta and I made them at camp. Then she did all the staining and water sealing too. They are pretty cool and beefy and can be moved all around the camp. So during Spring and Summer we will pull them out front when all the kids and grandkids visit this Easter. They will camp all around the campground and 3 or maybe 4 will have motor homes. We should have over 40 people for the weekend if the ex-wife and her new family and the son in-laws with their side of the family all show up. Heck 18 of them will be our kids and grandkids alone, not counting their spouses.

The kids are going to plan a paint ball competition where they split up into 2 sides and play war games. They will each have a fort as a home base and their objective is to capture the others fort. That should be fun. We are also planning on a hike into the neighboring BLM where some will take their .22's and do some plinking too. I might have to rent a porta potty for the event? I have 2 now but they are camping ones. Of course the motor homes will help.
Then therapy. ???

3RRL · Jan 9, 2007

I'm directly at the South entrance of Sequoia National Park. In the foothills and our elevation is only 1,600 feet. Three Rivers is where the 198 runs into Sequoia. It is approximately in the middle of California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Sequoia is full of those GIANT Redwood trees and caves and hiking trails. The largest tree in the world ... make that the largest living THING in the world is in that park.

Lake Kaweah is also on the 198 about 8 miles from my place. In this picture or property is over the top of that hill on the right of the lake (the very end) and about 8 miles from there.

Someone asked what is going to happen with the campground when we build the house. I'm going to leave the camp for as long as it lasts. I'm sure the kids will continue to visit so it will be a place for them to camp. Keeps them out of my hair. Plus when Wesley gets bigger and he has buddies sleep over they can camp down there and have a big time. There's a great tree house next to the camp too and a playground for the kids.

Thanks for looking....

schmism · Jan 9, 2007

so bust out the google sat and show us

im close

Google Maps

find me at

39.047386,-90.015728 (but the google sat sucks for our county as its all IL farm land)

3RRL · Jan 10, 2007

Yep that's it.

stumpfield · Jan 10, 2007

3RRL said:

Rob, That's an awesome fire pit. Great job! After seeing your picture, Liana wants one just like that. I guess that's will be my next project....

Tom

patrick_g · Jan 11, 2007

RavensRoost said:
For those that are interested, Prescott is correctly pronounced "press kit".

RavensRoost

Prescott rhymes with Bisquit.

Pat

RegL · Jan 15, 2007

"Rough calcs tells me the maintenance, upgrades and battery replacement every 10 years or so will be close what we would pay if we had a monthly electric bill."

That's probably assuming rates not going up that much. Here in CT. electric bills have just about doubled in the last year or so and another increase is to take effect soon. So if electric rates keep going up and the price for solar components come down you will probably be better off than you originally figured.

3RRL · Jan 16, 2007

RegL said:
"Rough calcs tells me the maintenance, upgrades and battery replacement every 10 years or so will be close what we would pay if we had a monthly electric bill."

That's probably assuming rates not going up that much. Here in CT. electric bills have just about doubled in the last year or so and another increase is to take effect soon. So if electric rates keep going up and the price for solar components come down you will probably be better off than you originally figured.

RegL,
That's a good point that I didn't think about. More money in my pocket during those retirement years make me happy. Thanks!

patrick_g · Jan 18, 2007

Hey, What if the total cost over 20 yrs or more is more than grid would have been. So what? There is something to be said for doing what you want to do the way you want to do it whether or not it makes your accountant drool. If it turns out to bring a return on your investment and you beat the cost of a grid tie and monthly bills then whoopee, that is even better.

I get a lot of comments about the house I designed and built, including a lot of comments about part steel building part stick and part ICF but cast basement walls as well as the overall size and the HVAC system... a favorite is, "why did you put it in that hole instead of up on one of your hills, youi can hardly see it from the highway?" All I can say is we did it for us. We did what we wanted to do where we wanted to do it. We didn't build it on a hill for others to see, we built it for us.

Your location is terrific and if you have the means to build there, supported by owning and operating your own electric utility, then good for you. Like the song, I did it my way! You are doing it your way. Some folks just can't be satisfied by a cookie cutter tract house with a view of other cookie cutter tract houses on top of some land fill near shopping and schools.

I can appreciate the joy you must feel as you see your ideas starting to turn into realities. I get a bit of that every winter morning when I get up and run around barefoot on warm porcelain tile.

Pat