The Home Improvement Thread

[tx_shooter]

Permaculture is just a new word for terraced farming imo

I was reading that thinking it looked a lot like the terraced hay and grazing fields. I know a guy that increased his hay yield by 1/3 with terraces. He put designed them to maximize water capture and channel run off to run back and forth across the slope. Once it was all done he got some good results.

 

[Taco Loco]

I was reading that thinking it looked a lot like the terraced hay and grazing fields. I know a guy that increased his hay yield by 1/3 with terraces. He put designed them to maximize water capture and channel run off to run back and forth across the slope. Once it was all done he got some good results.

Yes sir, it works.

I have 2 minors, crop science and the other in horticulture, the practice of maintaining soil, erosion prevention and capturing rainfall is technology from ~1200 years ago.

The CCC did a bunch projects back in 1930’s

This guy Geoff seen in the video and these guys Bill Mollinson and David Holmgren just studied past practices of many cultures and permaculture was born, they refined what is now known what modern day permaculture is aka sustainable agriculture.

 

[Oswego]

Yeah, I will have a tractor here at my place pretty soon, I plan on making some terrance lines here, maybe add thornless blackberries crop, sandy soil here, most of the rains here, not much run off, gets soaked into the ground, even though our plan is to buy and move to some land.

Ive been looking for sloped land ever since I saw what could be done on land that has a little grade to it. Also helps that everyone else wants flat land so pricing is less for land thats uneven.

Yes sir, it works.

I have 2 minors, crop science and the other in horticulture, the practice of maintaining soil, erosion prevention and capturing rainfall is technology from ~1200 years ago.

The CCC did a bunch projects back in 1930’s

This guy Geoff seen in the video and these guys Bill Mollinson and David Holmgren just studied past practices of many cultures and permaculture was born, they refined what is now known what modern day permaculture is aka sustainable agriculture.

I took Geoff Lawtons online permaculture class last year. It's cheap and a good resource for the uneducated city slickers like myself. I specifically paid attention to the earth moving and land surveying portions so I could start looking for land that will do what I want and keep me alive. My fakebook home page is full of his reposted stuff.




On another note - here's a pretty cool looking stud system I came across this morning doing insulation research

 

[Taco Loco]

Bastards!

#11

#12

 

[balakay]

After using a cheap, flimsy IKEA table for the last year or so since I bought my house, we decided it was time for a real table. Had @fsbrain03 build us one. It turned it awesome! Now just waiting for our chairs to be refinished.

 

[tx_shooter]

So I have a drainage "ditch" on the side of my backyard that has become a rough cut muddy mess. I have worked out a few possible solutions to improve drainage and allow for better use of that side of the yard. I am clearing/defining a ditch in the bottom of the drainage area before filling it with medium/large crushed rock. On top of this I am going to put down interlocking flat rocks to help bring up the level of the ditch to the surrounding area while adding some eye appeal. Once the drainage ditch is done the front yard and sides of the house are going to get similar treatment.

But before I started any of this tonight I had to put a new tire on my old wheel barrow. I put the new tire on and it promptly broke after twenty feet with three bags of rocks in it.

I moved the bags of rocks without the use of the busted ass wheel barrow and managed to get some good results from the initial tests with the rocks. Hopefully I can finish up the other 50 feet of ditch this week. I have in-law's coming into town tomorrow night and my sammich maker is leaving for a week on Wednesday (not public info). So if the rain can hold off I should be able to get it done.

 

[Anathollo]

So I have a drainage "ditch" on the side of my backyard that has become a rough cut muddy mess. I have worked out a few possible solutions to improve drainage and allow for better use of that side of the yard. I am clearing/defining a ditch in the bottom of the drainage area before filling it with medium/large crushed rock. On top of this I am going to put down interlocking flat rocks to help bring up the level of the ditch to the surrounding area while adding some eye appeal. Once the drainage ditch is done the front yard and sides of the house are going to get similar treatment.

But before I started any of this tonight I had to put a new tire on my old wheel barrow. I put the new tire on and it promptly broke after twenty feet with three bags of rocks in it.

View attachment 15247


I moved the bags of rocks without the use of the busted ass wheel barrow and managed to get some good results from the initial tests with the rocks. Hopefully I can finish up the other 50 feet of ditch this week. I have in-law's coming into town tomorrow night and my sammich maker is leaving for a week on Wednesday (not public info). So if the rain can hold off I should be able to get it done.


View attachment 15248

I like those "never flat" tires because you don't have to worry about them...but I don't like that they have zero sidewall flex when moving heavy loads. I put them on a moving dolly, moved some stuff and then took them off because stuff kept bouncing off when going over curbs or up a stair.

 

[Anathollo]

Spent part of my weekend running a new 10/3 wire to my brother's stove and wiring it into the panel. It was a mofo to drop down into the ceiling because it was underneath the A/C unit in the attic. The old 10/2 wire that fed the oven had a damn nail driven through it! I can't believe it worked for so long without popping a breaker or setting the house on fire.

Also hauled off a couple of trailer loads of heavy trash to my house to dump it since heavy trash is coming this week. Also the city where my brother lives doesn't have heavy trash pickup.

And I cut all the low hanging branches off the trees in my yard as well. That way I don't have to duck under anything when I'm mowing my yard. Sawzall with a wood demo blade makes quick work of branches.

 

[Oswego]

What waste does "heavy trash day" refer to? You got me intrigued

 

[CowboyTaco]

A lot of places refer to it as large item collection. Basically stuff that doesn't fit in the supplied trash can.

 

[Anathollo]

What waste does "heavy trash day" refer to? You got me intrigued

The city will pick up anything except oil and paint. They have trucks with huge claws on them that come around once a month to pick stuff up. Couches, TV's, construction trash, etc... We pay for it in our taxes and I absolutely love it. Also, the only length restriction is stuff needs to be shorter than 8'L.

 

[Oswego]

Ahhh.... thats pretty cool. We have similar but my town is so small our pick up is not 'hands off' yet.

I can't wait to see how much they will want us to pay for those trash cans when they do go automated. Right now they want $20 for a POS recycling can that only last a a year



Right now I'm having a hard time finding a legal means to get rid of the 10 gallons of bad gas I took out of the Tacoma. Typically I just add a little bad gas to the oil I recycle before I take that in but 10 gallons of gas is allot and I'd like it gone soon. Maybe Ill just leave it out to evaporate, but thats dangerous so I would rather not.

 

[Silverback]

Bon fire!!

 

[CowboyTaco]

Bon fire!!

Careful lighting it!

 

[Oswego]

Just called for my first yard care related quote on any sort of work at my house. Going to be difficult to start realizing sometimes my time is not best spend doing manual repetitive labor when I am surrounded by a workforce willing to do it for dirt cheap so I can do other things that save me time/money I'd never allow anyone else to do for me . Also going to take a while to get over my ego.... but at this point shit just needs to get done. I need some trees trimmed that are high and require a bucket, 2 trees brought down, and some leaves and general yard clean up. I know it would burn up a two day weekend + then I'd force myself to buy a new saw so.....

 

[Anathollo]

Careful lighting it!

It's ok. @Oswego never went to A&M

 

[achirdo]

Ahhh.... thats pretty cool. We have similar but my town is so small our pick up is not 'hands off' yet.

I can't wait to see how much they will want us to pay for those trash cans when they do go automated. Right now they want $20 for a POS recycling can that only last a a year



Right now I'm having a hard time finding a legal means to get rid of the 10 gallons of bad gas I took out of the Tacoma. Typically I just add a little bad gas to the oil I recycle before I take that in but 10 gallons of gas is allot and I'd like it gone soon. Maybe Ill just leave it out to evaporate, but thats dangerous so I would rather not.

I know here locally they have programs to dispose of that stuff. There is usually a collection place you can bring it to anytime and periodically they have days where they post up at city hall or something and collect it locally. Here you can also call them and schedule a pick up.

I have like 20 gallons of old coolant and like 30 gallons of old Oil/gas/paint/paint thinner mixture I need to get rid of.

 

[Silverback]

The city will pick up anything except oil and paint. They have trucks with huge claws on them that come around once a month to pick stuff up. Couches, TV's, construction trash, etc... We pay for it in our taxes and I absolutely love it. Also, the only length restriction is stuff needs to be shorter than 8'L.

I have never taken advantage of it for large items. But our city comes around every other Monday and mulches large tree limbs or stuff like that. I've used that several times and plan to use it again soon. I need to trim up some trees in the backyard.

 

[Anathollo]

Just called for my first yard care related quote on any sort of work at my house. Going to be difficult to start realizing sometimes my time is not best spend doing manual repetitive labor when I am surrounded by a workforce willing to do it for dirt cheap so I can do other things that save me time/money I'd never allow anyone else to do for me . Also going to take a while to get over my ego.... but at this point shit just needs to get done. I need some trees trimmed that are high and require a bucket, 2 trees brought down, and some leaves and general yard clean up. I know it would burn up a two day weekend + then I'd force myself to buy a new saw so.....

Glad you're coming to this relization

 

[Silverback]

After using a cheap, flimsy IKEA table for the last year or so since I bought my house, we decided it was time for a real table. Had @fsbrain03 build us one. It turned it awesome! Now just waiting for our chairs to be refinished. View attachment 15243

I built a VERY similar table when we had a condo about 17 years ago. Differences were that the one I made was all stained, no white. And it was attached to the wall at one end like a peninsula. Nice work @fsbrain03