Saturday, March 13, 2021
It's been a while since we had our deep well put in, and I thought I'd update a bit.
The well is great, so far as working and maintenance goes. On our shallow well, we had to run a brooder/heat lamp to the well house and wrap it in a tarp to keep the switch from freezing in winter.
Not so with a deep well, it's all underground. No frozen well this year, and it's been cold! So that's good.
On the not so good side, the water is rusty. Like, leaves a dusty film of it on the tub, sometimes dishes from the dishwasher, and it is yellow from rust.
With the shallow well, we had sand. Now, we have rust. We think it might be the water heater, caused by all the sand before. We don't have $400 to replace it right now. Dh wants to get in there and drain it and see if that helps. It heats fine.
So, we have water delivered for a dispenser from Crystal Springs. It's great water. We cook and drink it, and only bathe and wash clothes and dishes with the tap water. Like I said, straight into a glass and it is yellow. Turns the inner dishwasher and my washer yellow/orange. So far no yellowing of whites, but we don't have many of those.
Other news, I've laid about 75% of the weed fabric down around the front and entry side of the house, in prep for a pine straw delivery next month, hopefully. I'll finish it once I'm sure the ant bed at one corner is truly dead. lol
After that, I want to get some hardy plants for the border, and some bright red azaleas for our yard edges. Perhaps some pink pampas grass for the drive, DH hates that stuff, and some red flowering trees....cant think of the name right now. Prob won't happen all at once, but I hope to make a start.
My porch is covered with pollen. Sigh. As we are not entertaining, I ignore it. Fortunately, none of us have allergies.
The pond area is filling with growing pine trees, and it is making me nuts. I wanted to get out in the winter and chop them down, but Dh is often under the weather. We need to win the lottery!
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Bonus dig!
Apparently, the backhoe guy likes to play in the dirt, lol. Good for us, bc while he was out here for the well, he offered to cover up the ugly hole that the prev owners had used as a burn pit.
It was about 2-3 feet deep, and about 15 feet across, so pretty big. Filled with plastics!, shingles!, old stumps, a side table, and more crap. Also, 2 pine trees had begun growing at the edge of it. We don't want them that close to the house due to hurricanes and storms.
So we eagerly said yes to covering it over. First, he dug a deeper hole, then pulled all the mess into it, then covered it over with left over dirt from....somewhere. The well? Back of the property? Not sure, I wasn't out there during that time. At any rate, its nice and smooth now. Just raw, sandy, dirt. Given a few rains, the grass will begin covering it and you soon won't know it was even there.
We used it as a burn pit once, but it was so wide it easily got out of hand, and once we realized that there was plastics in it, we doused it quickly. Burying might not be the best answer either, but given Dh's health, it was the best we could manage.
It was an eyesore when you pulled into the yard, between the house and shop, and made the place look junky. So much better now! Best of all, no cost!! Double win!!
Today, Dh will work on the pipe layout to the house, though he'll have to get a ditch witch to dig the trench. It's around 80+ feet to the house.
Next up? Getting a new power pole and box to run electricity to the shop, and move the old pole out of the way (also ugly and in the way). Stay tuned, it's the year some things actually happen around here!
It was about 2-3 feet deep, and about 15 feet across, so pretty big. Filled with plastics!, shingles!, old stumps, a side table, and more crap. Also, 2 pine trees had begun growing at the edge of it. We don't want them that close to the house due to hurricanes and storms.
So we eagerly said yes to covering it over. First, he dug a deeper hole, then pulled all the mess into it, then covered it over with left over dirt from....somewhere. The well? Back of the property? Not sure, I wasn't out there during that time. At any rate, its nice and smooth now. Just raw, sandy, dirt. Given a few rains, the grass will begin covering it and you soon won't know it was even there.
We used it as a burn pit once, but it was so wide it easily got out of hand, and once we realized that there was plastics in it, we doused it quickly. Burying might not be the best answer either, but given Dh's health, it was the best we could manage.
It was an eyesore when you pulled into the yard, between the house and shop, and made the place look junky. So much better now! Best of all, no cost!! Double win!!
Today, Dh will work on the pipe layout to the house, though he'll have to get a ditch witch to dig the trench. It's around 80+ feet to the house.
Next up? Getting a new power pole and box to run electricity to the shop, and move the old pole out of the way (also ugly and in the way). Stay tuned, it's the year some things actually happen around here!
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Down, down, down
Finally, we are getting a well.
A deep well, that is. Our shallow well, which has been here over 12 years, we reckon, is spitting sand, and has been a while. A shallow bath shows nothing, fill the tub for our 11 year old a bubble bath and the bottom has a ring of sand.
Dishes in the dishwasher come out gritty. We've switched to paper plates and cups to limit what needs rinsing after a wash. In the same sandy water, but a good wipe down with a cloth gets it off.
We now have Crystal Springs water delivery, and love the quality. However, we are hoping the new deep well will eliminate that need. Even before the sand issue, the shallow well smelled of sulfur, and we never drank it nor cooked with it.
Now it only smells after a good hard rain, but still. Ugh.
The well guys showed up today, while we were in Savannah. Not sure how deep they went today, they were gone when we got back at 5. There's grey watery mud around, and a long L shaped trench with it at the bottom they dug. I dont know why.
They'll be back in the morning to hopefully finish. I'm so happy. We've been officially on the list for 4 months now!
After this, we want to see about a hand pump to go on the shallow well, for when the power goes out. Neat, huh? It would be sandy water, but better than pond water, I figure. We'll see how it all turns out. :D
A deep well, that is. Our shallow well, which has been here over 12 years, we reckon, is spitting sand, and has been a while. A shallow bath shows nothing, fill the tub for our 11 year old a bubble bath and the bottom has a ring of sand.
Dishes in the dishwasher come out gritty. We've switched to paper plates and cups to limit what needs rinsing after a wash. In the same sandy water, but a good wipe down with a cloth gets it off.
We now have Crystal Springs water delivery, and love the quality. However, we are hoping the new deep well will eliminate that need. Even before the sand issue, the shallow well smelled of sulfur, and we never drank it nor cooked with it.
Now it only smells after a good hard rain, but still. Ugh.
The well guys showed up today, while we were in Savannah. Not sure how deep they went today, they were gone when we got back at 5. There's grey watery mud around, and a long L shaped trench with it at the bottom they dug. I dont know why.
They'll be back in the morning to hopefully finish. I'm so happy. We've been officially on the list for 4 months now!
After this, we want to see about a hand pump to go on the shallow well, for when the power goes out. Neat, huh? It would be sandy water, but better than pond water, I figure. We'll see how it all turns out. :D
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Appraisal
Just had our home/land reassessed for a refinance, and it appraised for $119,000!
This is a place that sold for $55,000 4 years ago. We are most pleased, as you can imagine.
Don't overlook bank foreclosures, mobile homes, and other 'forgotten/unacceptable' places
to find your next home. You might be surprised what you truly get, with a bit of work and time.
This is a place that sold for $55,000 4 years ago. We are most pleased, as you can imagine.
Don't overlook bank foreclosures, mobile homes, and other 'forgotten/unacceptable' places
to find your next home. You might be surprised what you truly get, with a bit of work and time.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Canyon Brown, for the win!
We got it done!
The porch is painted (well, the main posts) and the floor stained.
We went with Canyon Brown by Valspar, in the semi transparent shade.
However, b/c of differences in computer 'recipes' at the store, the color varies
according to which computer you pull the 'recipe' from! Ours is a rich, deep,
brown, but when we needed a second gallon for our 16x12 porch floor, the
worker at Lowes (diff lady) pulled from another computer, and that batch was
a nasty rusty orange color. More orange than anything, with no brown to be seen.
I did not know this til Dh came by work to show me, he thought it was diff (he has
some color blind issues, and glaucoma), and it was awful. No way were we putting
that on the porch. Thankfully, Dh just poured some out into a tray and saw the diff.
We had to take it back, and wait for the first lady to mix it when she came in the
next day, but she got it right. The porch looks great, and if I could share pics here,
I would. They are up on my FB feed.
The little bit of red that was in the tray wound up being a happy accident. I used it
to stain the metal sheet of 'stone' that faces the porch under our picture window. You
can maybe see it in pics of our house earlier in this blog. The sheet was faded to pale
pink, and gave a shabby, worn air to the porch. So I dabbed on some of the rusty
orange here and there, then went over it with watered down Canyon Brown.
It honestly looks more like the dark brick than any stone color, but the blocking on
the metal sheet is def stone shaped, lol. Nonetheless, it is SO much better, and I"m
quite pleased with it, and myself, lol.
We removed one rocker b/c of a broken runner, and rearranged the seating and
grilling areas. We added a deep navy blue loveseat in wicker, and I repainted the
tables either white or 2 diff shades of blue, as blue/white are my porch colors.
So cozy, and welcoming! Around $200 (this includes the $60 loveseat and a cushion),
and we have a whole new 'room' in the house. Well, out of the house, but still!
Well worth it.
The porch is painted (well, the main posts) and the floor stained.
We went with Canyon Brown by Valspar, in the semi transparent shade.
However, b/c of differences in computer 'recipes' at the store, the color varies
according to which computer you pull the 'recipe' from! Ours is a rich, deep,
brown, but when we needed a second gallon for our 16x12 porch floor, the
worker at Lowes (diff lady) pulled from another computer, and that batch was
a nasty rusty orange color. More orange than anything, with no brown to be seen.
I did not know this til Dh came by work to show me, he thought it was diff (he has
some color blind issues, and glaucoma), and it was awful. No way were we putting
that on the porch. Thankfully, Dh just poured some out into a tray and saw the diff.
We had to take it back, and wait for the first lady to mix it when she came in the
next day, but she got it right. The porch looks great, and if I could share pics here,
I would. They are up on my FB feed.
The little bit of red that was in the tray wound up being a happy accident. I used it
to stain the metal sheet of 'stone' that faces the porch under our picture window. You
can maybe see it in pics of our house earlier in this blog. The sheet was faded to pale
pink, and gave a shabby, worn air to the porch. So I dabbed on some of the rusty
orange here and there, then went over it with watered down Canyon Brown.
It honestly looks more like the dark brick than any stone color, but the blocking on
the metal sheet is def stone shaped, lol. Nonetheless, it is SO much better, and I"m
quite pleased with it, and myself, lol.
We removed one rocker b/c of a broken runner, and rearranged the seating and
grilling areas. We added a deep navy blue loveseat in wicker, and I repainted the
tables either white or 2 diff shades of blue, as blue/white are my porch colors.
So cozy, and welcoming! Around $200 (this includes the $60 loveseat and a cushion),
and we have a whole new 'room' in the house. Well, out of the house, but still!
Well worth it.
Monday, August 26, 2019
2019 Update
We have added a small deck off the back/side door, which greatly helps with grocery unloading and just general going in and getting out. A 4x4 stoop isn't enough. It's actually two sets of mobile home steps side by side next to the existing deck, with the center arm rails removed. Makes it 4x12, or 10, I haven't measured it. Sounds weird, but it works until we can afford a 'true' deck. You do what you have to. I've painted it white to match the front porch, so we'll call that a day.
Our porch has begun to leak. Or rather, it has leaked for a few months now. So tomorrow, a gentleman is coming to fix or patch that area. It's the porch roof, and not the house, so not a panic inducing thing. Still, we want to get it done before it becomes unfixable, and way more costly. The price was very reasonable. Let's pray he does a good job.
The pond area? Well.....
It hasn't been cut in over a year. Year and a half, actually. Dh got really sick, the lawnmower needed repair, ect. We may have it bush hogged as fall moves in and the grass stops growing, then maintain it from here on out next year. That's the plan, anyway.
I want to retouch the front porch with white in the next few weeks. The past year or so was very wet here, and there are mildew patches all over. Yuck. I also want, still, to stain the floor. Prob a deep walnut to hide the existing stains. Ds's 11th birthday is in a month, so I need to get busy!
Our porch has begun to leak. Or rather, it has leaked for a few months now. So tomorrow, a gentleman is coming to fix or patch that area. It's the porch roof, and not the house, so not a panic inducing thing. Still, we want to get it done before it becomes unfixable, and way more costly. The price was very reasonable. Let's pray he does a good job.
The pond area? Well.....
It hasn't been cut in over a year. Year and a half, actually. Dh got really sick, the lawnmower needed repair, ect. We may have it bush hogged as fall moves in and the grass stops growing, then maintain it from here on out next year. That's the plan, anyway.
I want to retouch the front porch with white in the next few weeks. The past year or so was very wet here, and there are mildew patches all over. Yuck. I also want, still, to stain the floor. Prob a deep walnut to hide the existing stains. Ds's 11th birthday is in a month, so I need to get busy!
Sunday, December 2, 2018
An end of year update
Not much to tell, honestly.
We have torn the side steps off, and replaced the hole behind them with a panel of lattice, to match the rest of the porch skirting. The rest of the porch needs painting badly. It's not peeling, but rather turning green b/c of the tremendously wet summer we had. Ugh, I dread having to paint each spindle. lol
The porch floor will likely be painted, or stained, come spring. We need to finalize the color choice.
We want to replace the band of 'stone' under the main window, but I'm not sure if we can buy just one panel of that. Have to see, I guess. Another spring project.
We did have the yard cut the week before the boy's birthday, back in Sept, and it's looking fine. We've wrapped the pumphouse in a tarp, and have the brooder light turned on during freezing nights, which have only been once. Not overly attractive, but until or if there is money to build a nicer cover, this has to suffice. It's currently in the 60's and wont drop any further tonight. It is rainy, however.
The pond area will need bush hogging in the spring, before we can get back there with a standard mower. The blades on our mower will need changed before we use it, too. So much to do! We have 2 piles of debris to burn. Plan is to get to those one cold night or two. That way, by spring, the grass will come back and cover the burnt scar.
We want to landscape around the house some way. Rock is my choice, but money is an issue. Might have to go with pine straw to start. We need to replace several panels of skirting that have holes from weedeaters, or were never the right length when the former owners put them up. Again, so much to do!
Right now, we are cozy and dry, with full tummies (taco spaghetti!), and watching Jim Carrey in The Grinch. Ds has never seen this one. Not my fave, but as he and I are both sick, it's a comfort and keeps him calm and quiet. And, I can visit here!
So, aside from the side steps, no real projects have been done. No money, and Dh's health is such that he just can't do much at this time. Please, God, send a kidney!
But, we have the winter to plan and dream of small things we can do next year. Paint is inexpensive, or can be. I can do the painting, we can burn the debris together, we'll see how landscaping works out. It's a plan, and it's usually fun to have one of those, even if you go off on a tangent!
Merry Christmas!
We have torn the side steps off, and replaced the hole behind them with a panel of lattice, to match the rest of the porch skirting. The rest of the porch needs painting badly. It's not peeling, but rather turning green b/c of the tremendously wet summer we had. Ugh, I dread having to paint each spindle. lol
The porch floor will likely be painted, or stained, come spring. We need to finalize the color choice.
We want to replace the band of 'stone' under the main window, but I'm not sure if we can buy just one panel of that. Have to see, I guess. Another spring project.
We did have the yard cut the week before the boy's birthday, back in Sept, and it's looking fine. We've wrapped the pumphouse in a tarp, and have the brooder light turned on during freezing nights, which have only been once. Not overly attractive, but until or if there is money to build a nicer cover, this has to suffice. It's currently in the 60's and wont drop any further tonight. It is rainy, however.
The pond area will need bush hogging in the spring, before we can get back there with a standard mower. The blades on our mower will need changed before we use it, too. So much to do! We have 2 piles of debris to burn. Plan is to get to those one cold night or two. That way, by spring, the grass will come back and cover the burnt scar.
We want to landscape around the house some way. Rock is my choice, but money is an issue. Might have to go with pine straw to start. We need to replace several panels of skirting that have holes from weedeaters, or were never the right length when the former owners put them up. Again, so much to do!
Right now, we are cozy and dry, with full tummies (taco spaghetti!), and watching Jim Carrey in The Grinch. Ds has never seen this one. Not my fave, but as he and I are both sick, it's a comfort and keeps him calm and quiet. And, I can visit here!
So, aside from the side steps, no real projects have been done. No money, and Dh's health is such that he just can't do much at this time. Please, God, send a kidney!
But, we have the winter to plan and dream of small things we can do next year. Paint is inexpensive, or can be. I can do the painting, we can burn the debris together, we'll see how landscaping works out. It's a plan, and it's usually fun to have one of those, even if you go off on a tangent!
Merry Christmas!
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