24/7 Chat About Anything

[maki2]

Sigh, no 70 degree weather in the Quartzsite upcoming eeek’s forecast and the low temperature is dropping down into the 30s. Plus it is windy enough that the wind chill factor makes it feel even colder.

Guess I had better quit procrastinating and fix my diesel heater. No new parts required other than a little tube of thread locker needed to prevent the screws that secure wiring from backing out when I am towing my trailer over some rough roads. There was a rough stretch on interstate 40 just East of Kingman Arizona. Electrical Gremlins come in many forms, but as my computer repair teacher advised years ago “always check the physical connections first when troubleshooting ”. Indeed this gremlin really is a physical connection issue.

 

[Happy Camper]

To my cat, I am a:

Chef
Butler
Massage specialist
Heating pad
Pillow
Companion (when desired)
Entertainment director (when desired)
Dealer (of catnip)
Back scratcher
Whatever else I forgot (and will be reminded about later)

But she does let me know I'm one of her people.

 

[maki2]

I think I will self medicate with an ice cream cone when I go into town this afternoon. Much more cost effective than venting frustrations to a mental therapist.

 

[NctryBen]

I think I will self medicate with an ice cream cone when I go into town this afternoon. Much more cost effective than venting frustrations to a mental therapist.

Careful about brain freeze...

 

[maki2]

Careful about brain freeze...

Actually I needed the ice cream to treat being bullied by a customer who seems to have incurred considerable brain freeze damage and magically expects the items to be the size they imagined in their head without bothering to look at photos that show rulers with the finished items or read the dimensions in the product descriptions.

 

[NctryBen]

Actually I needed the ice cream to treat being bullied by a customer who seems to have incurred considerable brain freeze damage. The kind where there are unable to read dimensions in product descriptions and look at rulers in photos that show the exact size of what they are buying. That brain freeze buying by customers happens several times every year.

Were they expecting to live in there?

 

[maki2]

Were they expecting to live in there?

No but I did get an inquiry today if they had detailed interiors because the person wanted to use them for ”fun, functional structures to make my Isopod Tank more interesting”.

I had to look up what an Isopod Tank is. It is a terrarium for insects, a desktop bug zoo. Of course I told him they do not have interior pieces and they were not going to be suitable structures to put into his tank. Yet another brain freeze person who did not bother to read the product description which clearly states they are made of lightweight cardstock paper. The bugs might enjoy them for a snack though, but I did not mention that use

Oh well I get brain freezes myself when shopping, most often though it is forgetting some things I went into the store to buy. But today I did remember to stop at the hardware store get a fresh tube of thread locker. I will hopefully get around to fixing my Diesel heater/stove this weekend. I am going to want and need it!

 

[Happy Camper]

Send the first customer a link to a ruler they can print out. It'll be a good Christmas gift you know they need.

The second customer bought a dual use edible bug building. You should upcharge for the extra functionality.

I hope they have whatever your favorite flavor ice cream is. Excellent medication.

 

[Gr8ful]

I still think I may have sold & delivered the 1st modern "Tiny House" in 1977. We built, sold & delivered Gambrel aka Barn style or Gable aka House style shingled roof Yard Barns in 8'x8', 8'x12' or 8'x16' with 4"x4" treated runners 2'oc, 3/4" T&G plywood floors, T-111 5/8" plywood siding & double doors on the end. When I delivered an 8'x12' Gable the gentleman was ecstatic, showing me where the fold down bed,kitchen,etc was going. He was going to add a small porch on the front, etc. Made sense to me as I'd stayed in my '66 Chev shortbox van many weekends while racing motocross or just camping or hunting. Later while pre-fabbing 16'x24' cabins here in downstate MI & hauling them 600 miles to the western U.P. of MI I checked & found you could build as many 150sf buildings as you wanted with no taxes, codes or permits, not that we got them anyway. I thought you could build 2 12'x12's Very close so you could step from one to the other, one to cook, eat & play cards in & the other as a bunk house. Add an outhouse & outside shower or sauna & you're all set.

 

[vanbrat]

I still think I may have sold & delivered the 1st modern "Tiny House" in 1977. We built, sold & delivered Gambrel aka Barn style or Gable aka House style shingled roof Yard Barns in 8'x8', 8'x12' or 8'x16' with 4"x4" treated runners 2'oc, 3/4" T&G plywood floors, T-111 5/8" plywood siding & double doors on the end. When I delivered an 8'x12' Gable the gentleman was ecstatic, showing me where the fold down bed,kitchen,etc was going. He was going to add a small porch on the front, etc. Made sense to me as I'd stayed in my '66 Chev shortbox van many weekends while racing motocross or just camping or hunting. Later while pre-fabbing 16'x24' cabins here in downstate MI & hauling them 600 miles to the western U.P. of MI I checked & found you could build as many 150sf buildings as you wanted with no taxes, codes or permits, not that we got them anyway. I thought you could build 2 12'x12's Very close so you could step from one to the other, one to cook, eat & play cards in & the other as a bunk house. Add an outhouse & outside shower or sauna & you're all set.

Fun to find ways around some of the grrrrrr codes we all are supposed to live by. One of the kids my sons grew up with had a building code that said 'NO out buildings' she wanted an art studio, so instead of a regular building set on a real foundation she got an old silver trailer and made it really soundly stable something for it to sit on but since it was technically a trailer it was ok. And as long as nobody gets to nosey and looked under it they would not see the plumbing pipes or power lines or that it was on a permeant foundation type set (no I don't know what all was used) but she got her studio... and it was actually bigger then she started out planning. No tax increase either.

 

[travelaround]

Hello, good morning - I think my shed (10x12) would be a good size for a tiny home but I had shelving installed on two walls and a workbench on the third, so there's really no room for a stairway to the loft. There's no electricity except my Jackery, and no insulation. Here in California no permit is needed unless a shed is larger than 120 square feet unless electricity is installed. I wanted it for an art studio but the shed needs climate control... that's the main thing that hinders me from working there - it is either too hot or too cold much of the time. I had it built on site last summer. At my age I think sleeping in a loft accessed by a ladder is not a good choice. I've actually never been up in the loft which is only 10x4. Right now the shed is crowded with storage things but much of that will be moved out when the house is done. Maybe someday the property will be sold to someone who will convert it into a living space. It won't be me.

Oh great - my water just started running again. The hoses froze last night.

I have thought of having three sheds installed on land.. one for sleeping, one for cooking, and one for an art studio. But I am happy that I'll be getting an actual house instead.

 

[NctryBen]

Hmmm an art studio…

I’d name mine: Stick Figure Studios

 

[maki2]

Hello, good morning - I think my shed (10x12) would be a good size for a tiny home but I had shelving installed on two walls and a workbench on the third, so there's really no room for a stairway to the loft. There's no electricity except my Jackery, and no insulation. Here in California no permit is needed unless a shed is larger than 120 square feet unless electricity is installed. I wanted it for an art studio but the shed needs climate control... that's the main thing that hinders me from working there - it is either too hot or too cold much of the time. I had it built on site last summer. At my age I think sleeping in a loft accessed by a ladder is not a good choice. I've actually never been up in the loft which is only 10x4. Right now the shed is crowded with storage things but much of that will be moved out when the house is done. Maybe someday the property will be sold to someone who will convert it into a living space. It won't be me.
…….

I am in my mid 70s now and I can still climb ladders but I certainly would not want to be doing that in the middle of the night if I needed to pee. Nothing wrong with preferring to have basic conveniences such as bathrooms with flush toilets and heat in the winter that are actually convenient to access.

 

[maki2]

Hmmm an art studio…

I’d name mine: Stick Figure Studios

Fortunately art comes in many forms. Not all of them require drawing.

 

[vanbrat]

Yep lots of forms and mine is mess's, I am the world's greatest mess maker.

 

[maki2]

i have never called my creative areas a “studio”. I typically just called them my “workshops”. I do not call my travel trailer a workshop but I do have workbenches in it and another workbench I use outdoors. I do miss having my popup screen room. It made a great workshop space but the sun damage got too extensive. If I get another one for Christmas, which is likely, I will make a “rain fly” to go over the roof to prevent that kind of UV damage on the shelter. It is easy enough to make a rain fly for the roof, it is pretty basic sewing, but replacing the roof fabric on a popup hub screen tent is not easy.

 

[Gr8ful]

I am in my mid 70s now and I can still climb ladders but I certainly would not want to be doing that in the middle of the night if I needed to pee. Nothing wrong with preferring to have basic conveniences such as bathrooms with flush toilets and heat in the winter that are actually convenient to access.

Every hanger I've had without a bathroom had a good size funnel with a hose down the wall, outside into the ground where about a gallon of stone was buried. A urinal cake & a bit of water in the funnel now & then. Works great!

 

[maki2]

Every hanger I've had without a bathroom had a good size funnel with a hose down the wall, outside into the ground where about a gallon of stone was buried. A urinal cake & a bit of water in the funnel now & then. Works great!

You have forgotten that there are females in this forum. Travelaround is a senior woman who has stated she does not feel safe climbing a ladder into a loft in a small storage shed. I am also a female, we are setters, not pointers.

 

[Gr8ful]

They do make & female devices to use while flying. My Bonanza had a 6 hour range.

 

[travelaround]

@Gr8ful - So now if I ever walk into a hanger and see a funnel contraption attached to the wall, I'll know what that's for. I learn so much from this forum!

@NctryBen - Stick figure art is trendy and can be awesome and meaningful.

@vanbrat - Abstract art is also trendy. I've tried making some and I liked it but I usually challenge myself to paint something recognizable, like a human being. I'm not especially good at it but I like doing it. I call what I do "folk art."

@maki2 - It is the middle of the night call of nature that would concern me most about sleeping in a loft. I could climb into the loft if I took my large ladder into the shed - but I haven't done that yet. I really just want to store things up there... probably the things I make that I want to offer for sale.

Well, another day has dawned and not surprisingly, I again have no running water. Today I'll do what is needed to install that heated water hose I used last winter. It worked great but leaked, so I removed it last summer and stored it in a box. I think that will take care of my water flow problem into the trailer - it turns on when the temperature hits 40 degrees outside.

There are heated sewer hoses too but I don't have them. They are super-expensive. I do have a snow-melting de-icing cable ordinarily used on roofs but I'm thinking of putting it next to the sewer line to keep that running. I just hope it doesn't melt the plastic. Last winter I remember throwing all my dishwater out the front door because the sewer line was frozen solid. I also probably disconnected the sewer line from the trailer and let my shower water just fall to the ground. Desperate measures.