H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Feb 27, 2017 15:11:53 GMT -5
Hi, no I have not, I was out long before she was known to me...I can see if youtube has anything posted by her!
|
|
|
Post by creativechaos on Feb 27, 2017 16:19:38 GMT -5
wow - i learn from you amazing people every day! Amazing Grace Hopper - what an inspiration and positive force in the world! that tree stump house is amazing, H2H. is that second picture a "Shed?" - or your craft studio or what? it is in such good condition - but i call that a "home," not a shed! i live so-called rural (really, it's a suburban rich person's playground now.) i have always wanted a cabin in the woods and i still do. don't need to "own" it but i do need to be able to afford it. i am a "ward of the government" and instead, live in a subsidized low income apartment complex - which kind of breaks my heart every day. my space is about 500 feet, including storage. i have hoarded it up, along with 2 storage units, in 35+years. i have built 9 gardens from scratch. the only way i will ever "own" land or said cabin is to win the lottery and be able to get off of SSI. when i was back in PA for a family visit after 4 years of not being able to save enough to see them, it broke my heart to see all the run down abandoned housing - no doubt foreclosed in the bankster land grab, and all left to rot. those poor families - i wonder what happened to them all. i still want/dream of that solitary place for myself, and i will for all of my life. i kept thinking, "i could squat in that and fix it up." but they were all too close to busy roads and "civilization." i want something remote enough that i don't see my neighbors, or hear them. truth be known, my fantasy would be cabin in the woods, on the coast of the pac NW or NE USA. so no, i wouldn't be in someplace with no population - i'm a coast dweller.
|
|
|
Post by outfromundah on Feb 27, 2017 16:48:20 GMT -5
Hey, your "little" cabin in the woods is three times the size of my NYC apartment. Just sayin'!
|
|
|
Post by outfromundah on Feb 27, 2017 16:49:40 GMT -5
Oops, duplicate.
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Feb 27, 2017 16:58:17 GMT -5
Mynicehome..YES YT has several video clips on Grace Hopper ..this one is short, so FUNNY as a speaker she is when on Letterman show..explaining nanoand pico seconds even cracked him up. I will correct myself..Admiral Hopper was in USN before me, and during my time there I believe, but I was medical/dental, and in CA, not VA nd had no experience of knowing about her then..when I worked in Silicon Valley she was well known in the 80s of course.
I will start with a little craft of driftwood sticks found all over the beach, shells, etc to make a "Home" this type craft adds to my spirit.
Ok Creativechaos.. BEFORE the remodel, this was the biggest mess for 10 years. --Tarps covered all the materials, blew off in winter, the goat shed roof needed reshingling, etc etc.. it was an eyesore, and the "grandma faded baby blue drive me NUTS to look at.... then I got busy in 2011 making this happen with what I had. the "tool shed" is framed against the goat shed ( NOW a craft shed) with scrap wood 2x4's , walled inside with free red fencing, sawdust insulation, etc. BUT the carpenter i hired refused to use old wood doors as the roof base..so I had to give in on his need to be "normal" while he used regular new plywood, tar paper, materials and shingles. ( He also got EVEN with me by framing it 16" on center,not 24", so total overkill..it cost me more But I bit my tongue to get it done.
yes The shed is livable as a small bedroom or lliving room, the slider doors were free of course.. The goat shed COUDL be a kitchen, sitting room if the good shed were a bedroom..so I planned it to be a living space if I went to the simpler life!!
the floor is wood pallets on piers, laid over with scrap ply, then 14 PINK 50s kitchen cabinet doors* I hauled home, stripped the handles off, laid like a puzzle, and cement board on top, THEN I laid the granite. I did these 'experiments' as part of "walking my talk" in natural and recycled home building. (also NO ONE would take the pink door, so I had to find a use or admit defeat!!hahah)
* the pink cabinet doors are the thickets best quality 1/2" ply..but people CAN'T see past the color and former use..so I figured out to lay them with the 8x8 area as a "subfloor" over the 4 of 4x4 pallets.
Sometimes I write a NOTE to leave with the project or use marker to explain what I did, why, my name and date..in case some confused future person says "what the heck..?"
My guest bath in the house was such a nightmare of 6 layers of competing layers of wallpaper, cheap junk materials, and poor workmanship.. people USE what they have..so I try to at least keep it well made.
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Feb 27, 2017 17:09:28 GMT -5
outfromundah.. hahaha not a contest! In the US the massive size of McMansions is what is used as the guide for success, right? then we are made to heat, cool, furnish, carpet and maintain, and fill it up..I refuse.
I can live in a shed, a barn, and people call my cottage "tiny" and to me it is 3 rooms too big!
My work studio (a former horse barn) is 340 sq feet ( I added a bed-nook closet) and I designed but have not advanced an entire apartment for ME, so I can rent my house out for income..but I can't stand most people, so strangers moving in and making noise 5'-10' away is beyond my capacity to tolerate. It may be a work-room for longer, then an apt. for home helper when I am decrepit.
So I get what you are saying..my point was to winnow down to living inside a stump..entirely possible as thousands of hippies, back to landers out in the hinterlands here do just that!!
I have seen incredible dumps, and also adorable old rusty trailers converted..my "alternative homes" business exposed me to some wild ideas! I just want to do them all!!
I know an amazing young woman with a "summer kitchen" it is 46 old glass framed windows of all sizes nailed to gather and a scrap board roof and floor, propane gas 2 burner stove ..she does all her cooking out there, even in winter, and has a view of the forest too.. anything is possible if we allow ourselves NOT to get sucked into what is "normal"
I wish I could share the many unbelievable photos of living spaces people create when they have little money, and can salvage and think outside the box.
|
|
|
Post by outfromundah on Feb 27, 2017 17:41:04 GMT -5
I've often fantasized about living in the woods far away from it all. I used to dream about building a tree house. But I couldn't do it because I'd be squeamish about bugs, worms, spiders, and worried about bears and mountain lions. Ever since I was a teenager, I have had recurring nightmares about a bear coming after me. Plus, as much as I am introvert, I do need to be around people (I just need time to recharge afterwards) and enjoy seeing art and what they create. I'm a loner but I've been too isolated these past the few years and that depresses me.
I live mostly in my BR, so I know I don't need lots of space. I think I could live a nomadiic life in a campervan or small Class B RV, because then I could live visit museums and galleries and artists' communities all over the US, make friends and connections, but still have my cocoon on wheels to retreat to.
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Mar 8, 2017 15:20:23 GMT -5
I just started a topic on STAYING or SELLLING/MOVING from our place..please join and comment. takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/29598/keeping-selling-home-ageoutfromundah << the move to trailer/tiny house living is all the rage..i know I can live in such a small place on wheels BUT people forget you have to park at Walmart in most towns, getting rid of waste, fresh water hookups..all of that is the bigger part of daily life.. the time spent in a shady tree lined grotto is 10%maybe..then we move on. I try and keep that in mind. If you don't own the land you are parked on you have to leave or pay for all the amenities, even with solar panels on top..etc.
|
|
|
Post by hiding on Mar 9, 2017 1:08:50 GMT -5
Is that your little trailer? It's so fantastic, whoever it belongs to.
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Mar 9, 2017 2:03:10 GMT -5
Hiding ( SORRY... caps, I am too tired to retype..not screaming)
FOUND THAT cute crochet covered trailer PIC ONLINE it looks like real yarn was used to cover the entire thing!!! or was glued on in pieces.
...I DID HOWEVER DO A WHIMSY IMPULSE PURCHASE..A LITTLE BOILED FELT WALLET..IT HAS BRIGHT COLORS OF FELT SEWN ON IN THE SHAPE OF A tiny TRAILER, LITTE CURTAINS IN THE DOOR WINDOW, FLOWERS POPPING UP..
I BOUGHT THAT PURSE TO REMIND ME I CAN TRAVEL OR RUN AWAY ANYTIME.... nobody says I HAVE to live in this house...if and when I feel better I may be able to drive around the country someday again...it's a positive reminder of the 'possible'
I love that little purse and keep it full of coins.
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Mar 14, 2017 14:07:16 GMT -5
Tackling the guest bedroom aka 12 year storage facility onsite, closed door is helping a lot. I have fabrics and quilts airing out from deep compression storage, and the jeans fabric is now bagged at sitting at the street for pick up.
I am delaying calling the one likable contractor who warned me about deck repair before collapse and serious injury...yeah, built in 85, I can look under a few areas and see punk wood so soft a pencil penetrates it..just a few spots. the deck goes from 1' tall to 1 story tall on this sloped property.
I had a big rebuild on one 30' length in 2006.. I cleverly FLIPPED over the deck boards to expose fresh new fine grain wood not rain damaged for 30 years, sanded and clean, NOW other areas of the deck are getting rotted. Prolly all of 19 posts need to be replaced, a big job. The deck, if it can STAY, needs support with jacks, then one by one the 10' tall 4x4 posts get replaced with PT wood.
A whole new rebuild would be so expensive I cringe, looking at permits, and inspections, changing the rail design to new codes, etc etc. and the waste of all the wood that comes down, getting someone to take it....a lot of work. or paying to have it taken to dump..
So I put bricks under the rotted one to support them for now, not ideal, , and would love to do a partial fix,
If the wood post is ONLY ruined at the bottom, from rain etc. then slice off those 3-4" and place a metal/pressure treated block under it. toenailed in. this is pretty much the same support in a quake as the regular posts would have as they are!! but if no quake has moved them in 32 years? keeping that in mind..and any major quake is a total loss anyway..my insurance requires I pay for all repairs myself. Most people here do NOT pay the $$ quake insurance.. but if i remodel I will get it.
have a feeling I will be told, NO, I have to replace the whole thing, so do I go with TREX decking.. do I decide NOT to replace the 30' walkway between decks that gets used rarely anyway? If I STAY for 10 more years the deck will fail I believe for sure, a lady I know broke her back when a railing gave out and she fell 20 feet..can't have that!
So if I only rebuild 1 -2 sections, I lose use of the walkway between them. how big a deal is that? of course a new owner could build it themselves. yes. but few want to. as buyers age, Boomers like me don't want the work of all that. A young buyer or flipper may.
the thing to do is ASK the contractor, he will give me best case ...and 2 bids will help me decide.
NEXT comes do I replace the siding once the deck is down? as it is rotted on the bottoms under the deck? half the house has new replaced cement board, looks good..but the front and one back side do not, nor does the carport N side that gets no sun and is almost like new. Replacing just the front, and small back side, maybe a new window needed too will improve the appearance of the house.
of course this means NONE of the interior is any better. just the outside. SANDING snd PAINTING the current wood from 1949ish is an option to last 5 more years ..I think I can do the sanding and painting..but will I? I painted most of this house myself...WHERE do I apply my limited energy?
Directing the work inside like massive professional wall painting and moving of furniture, having floors finished with final choice? Kitchen counters and sink/plumbing replaced? all cabinets stripped and sealed 9aftr 30+ years of no one doing it the finish is gone..do I have those repainted to be modern? MAYBE. A leaking faucet in a tub that requires tearing out bedroom wall to access pipes, AND make it to code? A tub I NEVER use because i CAN'T get in and out now, and NOT going to pay for a "walk in tub" either. The bath has nice professional tile job, but it is PINK & pale grey..no one would choose this now..but at least it looks like new.
EVERY DECISION I MAKE ON MAINTENANCE IS A BIG ONE. A costly one. Just deciding to INSULATE may take a ton of money and work..for a 1949 design that may not be as functional for today? I accept this place as is, a buyer may not. SO spending money on siding or insulation, new windows may be a waste if they tear down or remodel completely and chose their own materials. A REALTOR will tell you to fix it all..because it's a bigger sale..no one wants to spend time a shabby little house and commission..I GET that. so trusting realtors is an issue, and I have spoken with many..an close minded insular group that holds to their 6% at all costs...
I know why the 90 year old lady in the old houses here did NOTHING after hubby passed away...they just lived in their 1930's design and flooring until they went out feet first, and the grandkids had to deal with a failing house. 9 I have seen kitchen floors from the 30s which have never been replaced..ther is an actual DIP into the subfloor where linoleum wore way while she stood at the sink for a lifetime! and no dishwasher, or room for one. In my home I had to move BANK of cabinets 12' long, pay triple cost for electrical /pipes to run to an installed dishwasher close to the sink.. and lost cabinet space too.
|
|
|
Post by danny15 on Mar 14, 2017 14:43:41 GMT -5
That's a HUGE, expensive list!
From what you've said after you're gone your property may be a tear down or a major fixer upper. If you are in a depressed, rural area it may continue to sit into decay.
Once you start tearing into something you may not be grandfathered in anymore for that particular thing and have to bring things to code that will be more expensive.
Attend to safety issues first if you can. Maybe you can barter some of your good stuff like tile for work done by handymen. If you are not making major changes and don't have nosy neighbors who will report you, you can do discreet things without a permit or having to bring it to code. Not as a safety shortcut measure ~ you should still strive for keeping the structure safe ~ but it could save you the aggravation of permits, people coming on your property checking things out and money.
Try to be realistic ~ if the 30' walkway is rarely used let it go in a rebuild. Since you already flipped the deck planks you've gotten almost double life out of them. The support posts are the most important. I wouldn't do any jerry-rigging on those.
How long do you plan on staying in your home?
|
|
H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
|
Post by H2H on Mar 14, 2017 17:04:39 GMT -5
Yes..and non of this is hoarding or stuff removal, interior decoration, yard care ongoing or 200 other things that could be done when you own a home.
I think I am planning to stay thru to the end...it will be cheaper to stay, and travel when I can, than a whole big move..I am at overwhelm and low health right now. When I get it cleared/empty more again I will ask a realtor for an assessment..I DID THAT in 2014..it was a nightmare of insult and expectation place on me for asking. See?
Good point..I DID get many years from the 30' section!! It might be a full 10 years! So I can let that go.. Since there is NO window or access to that 30' it is only attractiveness that makes it more useful to walk around. Building steps OFF the back decor fire escape may be enough cost to equal a walkway rebuild..will see.
NEXT GOOD POINT- a friend said "you buy an old cheap house..start repairing, spend $100K to come full circle to where you began and STILL have an old house." Once you tear open a wall it is PROBLEMATIC indeed.. THANKS for reminding me. I think this is one reason I don't care as much for new wood flooring, or fancy decorations or kitchens..there is too much going on needing attention to offer real value for the money spent to "decorate"
Possibly removing that 30' totally, and rebuilding only the 12x 10 deck in back is workable. will have to see. A sunroom slider door opens onto it, so can't lose that space.
I did tell people who want to DIY their homes, and grumbled, hating the code guys, that" A house built to code is the worst home you can build" because codes are minimal safety requirement. Burning alive in a fire because of too small BR windows (like those bedroom-high up, narrow high ones in the 50s..killed people) means egress and safety for your family/children are important. Same with burning the house with non inspected electrical wiring!
I ALWAYS hire licensed help on those repairs.
|
|