Driveway Resurrection

I've had this 35 ft 5th wheel trailer in my driveway for 14 years!



I bought it about a year after I bought the house so that my parents could come to stay without having to deal with coming into a ... filthy hovel.

It worked. They stayed for a week or two at a time. But they are gone and I have been wanting to get rid of it for a very long time. Finally a few weeks ago I made it happen.

Now for some painting and trim work.



Done.

What I've Been Up To

Long time no post, eh? But I've been busy, trust me. Here's a little bit of what I've been up to:

Siding and painting,


landscaping, planting and gardening,


hanging out with friends,


making a deck,


rebuilding the front gate,


miscellaneous interior stuff,


and wandering around looking.

My Living Room Was My Bedroom

I set up my living room to be my bedroom. Because it was warmer, more convenient and I just felt like doing it that way.

Time to change.

A Music Room Of One's Own

When I first moved in late 2002, it seemed the obvious choice for a bedroom. Now it is the obvious choice for a music room.


I set it up this way temporarily. It was like this for years. But I want more. More functionality, more color, more comfort.


Finally, I started taking it apart and putting it back together again.



And chose a color. This time I decided to paint the one wall a nice, saturated color leaving the other walls bright white.

I still don't have it set up the way I'd like but I'm getting there.

Goings on in and around ...

Hanging out with the pups



Rehearsal with the band

Last Room In The Hovel

As Summer winds down, I want to reflect on where I am with this house of mine. It's been a busy 6-8 weeks of work, starting with mudding, texturing, then painting the walls of the living room where I sleep. Next came the decision to pull out the carpet and lay down flooring that matched the kitchen.  Then I built a bed (more on that later).

Next came work on the kitchen in the form of building in the pantry and the smaller under-the-counter fridge, as well as installing drawers.

But most of the time was spent on getting the far end of the house to near move-in condition. Sheetrock, taping, mudding, texturing and painting. We're still working on that space, but it's substantially done.

But the very last room to deal with just finished up yesterday - the second bathroom. It's not finished finished yet, but the toilet and sink are in, plumbed and working, while the shower needs plumbing and tile, etc.

I decided to have some fun and save some water by installing a small sink I was given above the toilet so that it drains into the tank which then gets flushed. It works great!  The rest of the materials are also recycled - old wood and corrugated iron.

Does this now mean the end of the Filthy Hovel?  After all this time and work it has finally been transformed into something else.  It's not exactly a hovel and it's not filthy, really. It's messy and disorganized as a result of living in a space while under construction, and trying to figure out where to put stuff.

I want to continue writing about the experience of creating a space for oneself and all that entails, but should I call it something else? Barky's Excellent Mancave?  I don't know. What do you think?

The Move.

Found in the side yard rubble.

Unimaginable as it may seem, I finally moved into my own house, a place I have referred to as a filthy hovel for years.  Over an 8 week period - April through May, I made a concentrated push to get the most important tasks done that would allow for a minimal, man-cave-ish existence.

As it started coming together I began contemplating what living in a space really means to me.  These were a new category of thoughts. In the past I was usually in survival land. What did I need to do to keep the place from blowing up or falling down? These new thoughts - and decisions, are not any easier. And, I'm continually processing and thinking about this.  But I realized that I wanted to re-think everything.  What do I really need and want, and how do I realize it in physical form that roughly balances aesthetics, function, value and quality?

Some realizations:

1. Aesthetics matter. I want to look at things that appeal to me somehow - everywhere.
2. Color is fun.  I like it.
3. I don't need a bedroom. 
4. I want to be delighted and surprised.
5. I want the right combination of clutter and un-clutter, simplicity and complexity.
6. I love things that grow.
7. I'm grateful for what I have.

My new bathroom with guitar towel racks.

It Works (mostly)! Low Tech Solar Water Heater.

The hovel is without a real water heater, so I rigged up a solar water warmer with black tubing on the roof.

Good enough for washing dishes, and an interesting shower experience! When I get the real - energy sucking - water heater I want, I'll use this loop to preheat water going into the tank.

All Work

And no play, will make the old hovel a home some day. 

I hope. 

Waiting On Parts

Before I get a real water heater, I'm rigging up a solar variety - a very simple one - using a black hose on the roof. Of course this is nothing new. It's done all over the world and makes such sense. Why wouldn't you want to cut pollution and save money by letting the sun heat, or pre-heat your water?

But, I didn't have all the parts I needed. They should be here mid-week and I should have some warmth by next weekend. The first phase is a test. 200 feet of 1/4 inch black irrigation pipe just laying up on the roof. Fed through cold water pressure, it shoots up through the roof, loops through the coil, back down through the roof and straight into the hot water line.  Other tinkering will include trying different lengths and diameter of piping, and placement of the coil including inside a glazed insulated box. 

Later on when I obtain the right electric water heater, I'll use the loop to pre-heat water.