Thursday, January 16, 2014

the U G L I E S T thing i have done to the manor yet!!!

jambaloney here!

yes i have a surprise for you all!!

 but first i take you allll the way back to december 09 and the winter prep post when i took the fornt porch off and made some barriers with windows...



 i added cloches of water in garbage bags....



here they are all sealed, with cloches and snowed in!!!




they did a great job of keeping kitchen floor warm.... i wanted to do the other half of the front, but it got cold and snowed and snowed and snowed.........



so any such nonsense stopped!!! HOWEVER  - there is a big difference when you get a week above zero and rain!!!!

a couple of days into warmer weather - you can see the melt  (and kymber getting ready to go to fourchu ;-)



and today!!!



yep almost alllllll....



gone!!!!



so back to work... a month ago i prepped for this by filling in the trench 2 feet out from the house - i wanted to use rocks so i had to make a barrier..



here is a better view...


it is made up of these - discarded lobster trap sections that i got outta, you guessed it, someone else's garbage!


here is the filled in stuff - the dirt covers the part under the overhang, the upper part of the house protrudes over the foundation by about 1 1/2 feet... and about f feet above the basement wall - lots of air get in this overhang -  pretty ugly eh... oh no, wait, there is more..


you all know i have tons of old windows - i wanted to build a window "wall" to capture heat and provide an additional wind barrier against the worst and coldest wind which is at the front of the house - yesterday was awesome so i did and MAN is it hideous!!!!



here it is in all it's glory, next to the barrier at the lower front of the house!!!


side view after plastic was added to fill the gap - this is temporary so i didn't even cut the last stud!!! it isn't ever straight, but you can see the condensation on the inside already!!


in case you missed it..... ;-)) !!!!


special added bonus - atv went to our neighbor's garage today for dry storage. it is an awesome feeling to have neighbours who are always willing to help out - thanks so much E & D!!! i have a new carb and oil filter and spark plug - i will fix it up over the next month and have it running tip-top!!


sorry i didn't answer comments on my last post - i will this post and visit your blogs!!

cheers all!

(kymber adds: IT is ugly! but there isn't much at the Manor that isn't ugly....except for my jambaloney! after he added the windows at the lower level of the house, we noticed a remarkable improvement in heat retention in the kitchen floor and we were able to keep the thermostat at a lower temperature!!! THAT is always good news! and with the new window overhang covering up the basement, the basement will also retain more heat and that, kids, is a definite score! that man is brilliant! his designs are sometimes not the prettiest - but they work! i am very proud!)



21 comments:

  1. I don't think it's ugly. I think it's a utilitarian, practical and intelligent approach to Winter, which is a big deal ! It's as wet at your place as it is at mine. I have horses sinking ! Today I mucked stalls, and slipped in the mud. I landed on my knees in deep mud when the muck wheelbarrow got stuck as I was pushing it. I had trouble getting up because the suction from the mud kept me there as I tried to get up. If horses could laugh, I think they would have.

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    1. hey jane!!!

      THAT is a pretty funny story - i will laugh on behalf of all horses... assuming you were not hurt...

      and while i appreciate your compliments, face it, that is a one ugly addition ;-)

      cheers and all my best for the new year!

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  2. Replies
    1. Warlock buddy !!!!

      hope you are holding out well!! thanks for giving me waaaay more credit than i deserve!

      hope you are well!

      Delete
  3. Hey, Jam and Kymber,

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I vote for practical innovations that give you a greater comfort level or aesthetics any time. I'm always impressed with how you two figure out these things, and then do them yourselves. It's no wonder you can survive up there, because you adapt yourselves to your environment. I liked the pictures of your place in the snow, I know you two were all snug and enjoyed looking out at that arctic landscape from inside your warm abode!

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    1. harry!

      yeas, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, when that beholder is kymber, you can't blame here for saying "what did you do my house!"

      we are warming and snugger now - you are too kind!

      be well friend!

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  4. that should say "over aesthetics" but I guess I was lucky to spell the word right even if I messed up the prhase.

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    1. i got what you were saying, have you seen my typos??? lol!!!

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  5. Whatever works is good! Anyway, who is going to see it / judge your work? As long as it is functional, go for it, I say!

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    1. hey dani!

      oh i went for it all right - functional it is, in the spring down it comes ;-))

      cheers to you and all my best!!!

      Delete
  6. Sweet Kymber, and Jambaloney,

    If what you did outside keeps the inside warm, who cares what it looks like!!!! It's a temporary fix. Besides, there's not much that can be done in the freezing cold.
    I think it was great idea!!!! No more stressing about how it looks. Are y'all getting ready to start planting again? How's the green house coming?
    I just ordered lights for mine little green house, can't wait to put it all together and start planting.
    It's a good thing temperatures are warming up, and the snow is finally going away. We are planning another fishing trip for tomorrow, this time closer to home.
    Have a great day, sending hugs and love to you both.
    Your Friends,
    Sandy and Bulldog Man

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    Replies
    1. hey sandy!


      thanks as always fro being such a cheerleader - you warm my heart!! thanks!

      we are planning for planting, but the seeds don't get started until march, although this year we are probably gonna start some radishes and lettuce in the greenhouse late feb. i am glad you got your lights - we have 2 of those greenhouses - they are surprisingly roomy! i jsut got 2 replacement covers last week!!!

      20 cm last nigh so back to white!

      hugs and love back to the two of you!!!

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  7. Looks don't matter when it comes to staying warm. We had frozen pipes again. Finally fixed the right way. Glad to see you posting again.

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    1. rob buddy!

      you would knwo Minnesota is like Ottawa, which we left!! frozen pipes suck - hope you keep them thawed for the rest of the winter!!

      thanks for stopping by, be good and stay warm!

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  8. I agree with Rob. My big butt wore a hideous furry-hat-lined winter coat for a month because it was donated to me and warm. Looks smooks, as a famous comedian once said...just Git R Dun!

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    1. ojd!

      hi there! thanks for adding to adding to the support for the monstrosity! it is doing a good job and we have another cold spell coming - git 'er done indeed!

      stay warm in your, uh, trousers ;-))

      cheers to you!

      Delete
  9. Driving around the countryside, there is all sorts of really odd redone structures. Your changes may not be pretty, but they have a lot of company.

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    1. that is pretty "diplomatic" of you russell... ghetto loves company ;-)

      cheers pal!

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  10. A happy Hi from the Netherlands. What a wonderful idea reusing the old windows! I hope you and yours are doing fantastic!

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  11. an happy hi, not a happy hi... high school English feels like ancient history...

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    1. well - hi back to the netherlands!!!!

      i thought it was a good idea, even though it is ugly ;-)) it is working well so far!

      cheers and thanks for stopping by!!!

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