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Entries made in March, 2014

March 2014, in Photos

Monday, March 31st, 2014

Solar Shed Work Bench

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

One of the last things we did today was build a corner work bench inside the solar shed. I am seriously beside myself with excitement about this. As soon as we were done, I put my soldering iron, multimeter, flux, "third hand" and other electroni...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Six: Interior & Site Grading

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

Today, we started sheathing the interior of the solar shed with utilitarian plywood. As usual, I took the measuring duties while Tyler did the sawing. First, I marked each sheet to fit its designated location, then outlined the spaces we'd need t...

Solar Panels & Charge Controller Arrive

Friday, March 28th, 2014

The first round of components for our off-grid power system arrived today! We now have six REC PE245 solar panels waiting to be mounted on the roof of our solar shed, an Outback FM80 charge controller to regulate their output, and a bunch of assor...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Five: Wiring & Insulation

Sunday, March 23rd, 2014

We made more progress on the solar shed today. First, we nailed the sill plate to our foundation using a ".22 nailer". It's basically a tiny rifle with bullet-like charges that you set off with a hammer. The resulting blast shoots a nail straigh...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Four: Shingles & Trim

Sunday, March 16th, 2014

This week, we've been working on adding trim and fascia boards to the solar shed. We also started shingling the roof! As per usual, each time we start a new building task that neither of us has done before, Charlie drops by to give us a brief lesso...

Nailing Solar Shed Siding

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

Today felt like spring, and though our land was still covered in snow and ice, birds were flitting about joyfully and the sun shone brightly. Trying to make the most of this fleetingly favorable weather (we're supposed to get another ten inches of ...

Thoughts on Building and Learning

Monday, March 10th, 2014

After a productive planning session with Charlie, Becky treated us to a fabulous supper of homemade pizza topped with spicy merguez sausage, arugula, parmesan cheese, and pickled red onions. As we settled in for the meal, our conversation turned to...

Planning with Charlie

Monday, March 10th, 2014

With Tyler working full-time at Bocoup, I've taken on the role of contractor for our house-construction project. We're still going to work together on the building process, but I'm doing the vast majority of the scheduling, calculating, ordering, a...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Three: Siding

Sunday, March 9th, 2014

We haven't done much of anything outside since our shed building blitz this January. For the last two months, we've been hunkered down in our camper, keeping warm as feet of snow accumulate on our land. This morning, a crack appeared in winter's ...

Cold Antler Farm Book

Friday, March 7th, 2014

Our dear friend Jenna is releasing a new book, all about her homestead and the rhythm of seasons and celebrations that accompany it. If you're at all interested in farming, or learning what it's like to quit your job and follow your heart, read Jen...

Designing Our House: The Windows

Thursday, March 6th, 2014

Over the past few months, I've been researching, planning, and gathering materials for the construction of our little cottage. My first area of focus has been the windows. Initially, I went through a phase where I was dead-set on having wavy glass ...