"What we learn from history is that people don't learn from history."
-Warren Buffet
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Really? Really? Broken Glass Update
My last post discussed the sliding glass door that suffered a shattered pane during transport. A local repair company quoted $207 to repair. I paid $296 for the whole door. Lowe's, where I bought the door, referred me to Pella.
Pella suggested that I could go back to Lowes and work through them and likely pay as much for a whole new slider as I did the entire door. Or, Mike at Pella offered to send me a whole new slider for free! I graciously accepted and then clarified that the damage was not their fault, but wholly mine. He graciously acknowledged and proceeded to process the order for a new door at no cost. He even declined my offer to pay for shipping.
I'm not sure if this is standard procedure for Pella or if Mike simply enjoyed my deep sexy voice and wanted to hear me squeal like a pig (which I almost did) in disbelief. Either way, Christmas came early today! Thank you Pella and may your business endeavors be fruitful.
Pella suggested that I could go back to Lowes and work through them and likely pay as much for a whole new slider as I did the entire door. Or, Mike at Pella offered to send me a whole new slider for free! I graciously accepted and then clarified that the damage was not their fault, but wholly mine. He graciously acknowledged and proceeded to process the order for a new door at no cost. He even declined my offer to pay for shipping.
I'm not sure if this is standard procedure for Pella or if Mike simply enjoyed my deep sexy voice and wanted to hear me squeal like a pig (which I almost did) in disbelief. Either way, Christmas came early today! Thank you Pella and may your business endeavors be fruitful.
Shipping Container Landing in Montello!
The shipping container has landed in Montello! The timetable for delivery was rushed in anticipation of deep snow and the inability to access the property in the coming weeks. The planned modifications are not complete, but the fireplace, two sleeping bunks, roof support beams, and sliding glass door will provide the needed basics for successful subsequent outings.
Paul transported the container on his amazing truck and gently placed it in the hole. The placement was slightly off one of the railroad ties, which Paul could have easily corrected by repositioning, but we had Curt and his backhoe on scene so it made more sense to chain it up and slide it over the needed foot or so. The railroad tie idea worked out wonderfully with the container resting level on all sides without any need for tweaking.
Mike (like minded fellow in too many ways from Logan) and I placed the foam board insulation as Curt backfilled the sides and roof. I used two inch thick foam board (R10) on the sides and four inches (R20) on the roof. Six mil plastic sheeting was placed between the dirt and the foam board on the roof as an additional moisture barrier. I'm hoping to keep the container from rusting through for at least 2/3's of a lifetime (the rest of mine)!
The only hiccup in the day came early on after opening the container doors to find one of the sliding glass door panes had shattered during transport. Two loud, quick, and slightly separated F-bombs later (and a few PBR's) and I was back into the blissful moment of the Montello dream! I have to thank Mike and Curt for jumping on this problem and keeping me from thinking about it. They lifted the door out, Mike cleaned up the glass, and then reinstalled the perfectly good single pane sliding glass door. Thanks again for all your hard work fellas!!!
As the sun set and the cold really started to bite, Mike fired up the wood burning stove to help all of us thaw out as we enjoyed great conversation, evening southern skies, and the amazing serenity of the desert.
As is now seemingly tradition, the day was capped off with a Cowboy Burger at the Cowboy Bar. Good day brethren, good day!
Paul transported the container on his amazing truck and gently placed it in the hole. The placement was slightly off one of the railroad ties, which Paul could have easily corrected by repositioning, but we had Curt and his backhoe on scene so it made more sense to chain it up and slide it over the needed foot or so. The railroad tie idea worked out wonderfully with the container resting level on all sides without any need for tweaking.
Mike (like minded fellow in too many ways from Logan) and I placed the foam board insulation as Curt backfilled the sides and roof. I used two inch thick foam board (R10) on the sides and four inches (R20) on the roof. Six mil plastic sheeting was placed between the dirt and the foam board on the roof as an additional moisture barrier. I'm hoping to keep the container from rusting through for at least 2/3's of a lifetime (the rest of mine)!
The only hiccup in the day came early on after opening the container doors to find one of the sliding glass door panes had shattered during transport. Two loud, quick, and slightly separated F-bombs later (and a few PBR's) and I was back into the blissful moment of the Montello dream! I have to thank Mike and Curt for jumping on this problem and keeping me from thinking about it. They lifted the door out, Mike cleaned up the glass, and then reinstalled the perfectly good single pane sliding glass door. Thanks again for all your hard work fellas!!!
As the sun set and the cold really started to bite, Mike fired up the wood burning stove to help all of us thaw out as we enjoyed great conversation, evening southern skies, and the amazing serenity of the desert.
As is now seemingly tradition, the day was capped off with a Cowboy Burger at the Cowboy Bar. Good day brethren, good day!
Many, many, many thanks to Win!!!!
Thanks for driving out into the middle of nowhere Paul
Mike watching as Curt slides the container over
Mike removing glass fragments from the door
Curt and Mike
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Shipping Container
Yesterday, a shipping container made its way to my driveway. I'm not quite sure how it got there....at least that's the story the city code enforcement officers are going to get!!!
This is a 20 foot new (one trip across the ocean) shipping container. It measures eight feet wide by 8'6" tall and 20 feet long. It weighs just under 5,000 pounds and is incredibly solid! The floors are constructed of 1.25 inch thick marine grade plywood and are beautifully dark. There is evidence of forklift travel into and out of the container, but nothing compared to other used containers that have been in service for 8 to 10 years. The floors will remain as is, with perhaps a little buffing.
This morning the crane showed up early and plucked the container off the trailer and set it in place for the construction process to begin. I spent many hours inside of it today laying out the floor plan. Wood burning stove, toilet, shower, kitchen, built in tables, and sleeping bunks for four adults. That's the plan anyway. Enjoy the pics!
This is a 20 foot new (one trip across the ocean) shipping container. It measures eight feet wide by 8'6" tall and 20 feet long. It weighs just under 5,000 pounds and is incredibly solid! The floors are constructed of 1.25 inch thick marine grade plywood and are beautifully dark. There is evidence of forklift travel into and out of the container, but nothing compared to other used containers that have been in service for 8 to 10 years. The floors will remain as is, with perhaps a little buffing.
This morning the crane showed up early and plucked the container off the trailer and set it in place for the construction process to begin. I spent many hours inside of it today laying out the floor plan. Wood burning stove, toilet, shower, kitchen, built in tables, and sleeping bunks for four adults. That's the plan anyway. Enjoy the pics!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thanks for the Montello pics "A"
"A" introduced himself the other night via the blog as a fellow Montello land owner. He followed up one of his emails with an excellent selection of photos that I am excited to post. Thanks again "A", I look forward to exchanging more emails and bumping into you in Montello.
The clump of trees/development in the middle left third of the above pic is Montello. I'm out there somewhere in the middle.
Sometimes, when you tire of castles in the air, you're left with a clear dream of hills with sage and it becomes a place you don't mind living, even till you die - Perhaps they'll understand if you tell it to them plain - Either way, out here the music doesn't play for the cocktail generation who is forced to waltz, devoid of all romance - this is my second chance. And thanks again to "A" for the visual reminder!
The clump of trees/development in the middle left third of the above pic is Montello. I'm out there somewhere in the middle.
Sometimes, when you tire of castles in the air, you're left with a clear dream of hills with sage and it becomes a place you don't mind living, even till you die - Perhaps they'll understand if you tell it to them plain - Either way, out here the music doesn't play for the cocktail generation who is forced to waltz, devoid of all romance - this is my second chance. And thanks again to "A" for the visual reminder!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Backhoe Excavation with C
I ran out to Montello early this morning on a day trip to prep the ground for the shipping container. I hired C to move the dirt around with his backhoe. Between his skills on the machine and the sheer power of the machine itself, he totally prepped the site in about an hour. I am still amazed at how quickly the work moved along.
With plenty of time left in the day, C jumped on the task of back dragging a huge circular drive on the property. I genuinely needed to build a road (driveway) from the jeep trail to the home site. But, after seeing how efficiently C worked on the first part of the driveway, I figured why not do a huge circle so my kids can have a loop to ride their bikes around! All said, both projects were complete in two hours!!!
I am very impressed with C's skill and equipment and I highly recommend him for your project. He'll certainly be returning to help place the container and do the backfill work! With the excavation complete, C and I headed over to the Cowboy Bar for lunch and ordered their world famous Cowboy Burger....yes, AGAIN!!! Once again, they came through with an excellent sandwich and a few ice cold beers.
After lunch and a great conversation with C, I headed back to the property to level railroad ties for the container to rest on. In the middle of digging I realized that there is nothing like being alone...really, truly alone. I was miles from anyone, I was talking out loud to self, and I was having a great time. Occasionally I would look up in remembrance of where I was and take in the surrounding beauty of the landscape....all the while enjoying the serenity of solid quiet and hard work. Thanks again C, the Cowboy, and Montello!
All of the pics are of the completed project.
The above pic is looking North at the hole where the shipping container will sit.
This pic is looking South and shows the piles of dirt that will be backfilled around the container.
Here's an Eastward looking shot of me peering into the hole as the last scoop or two is being excavated. Part of the circular race track (driveway) can be seen in the background. Also, notice C's transit in the background which is used to ensure the project stays within tolerances.
This Northwest view is of the Jeep and trailer resting where the container will eventually sit. If I weren't so distracted with a "broken zipper" at the time, I might have appreciated the view! Thanks for the IN-ACTION photo C!!!...hahahaha
This Westward looking pic gives more of an overall perspective of the project. I'm giving C a thumbs up for a job well done while thanking God for my closest neighbor (that white spec in the background above the right most dirt pile). I've heard tall fences make for good neighbors....I think same or more applies to miles of separation.
Thanks for the photos C!
Also, please note...in an earlier blog entry I referenced making contact with an excavator. C is not the same guy. I decided to go with C because his equipment is larger and is the exact size of the backhoes I used to work around doing road construction. The price per hour is more with C's larger equipment, but I'm certain it was worth it for this project and my needs. Thus, there are at least two guys in Montello with backhoes for hire. Send me an email for C's contact information at m*ntell**ffgrid@gmail.c*m replace all the asterisks with the letter "o".
With plenty of time left in the day, C jumped on the task of back dragging a huge circular drive on the property. I genuinely needed to build a road (driveway) from the jeep trail to the home site. But, after seeing how efficiently C worked on the first part of the driveway, I figured why not do a huge circle so my kids can have a loop to ride their bikes around! All said, both projects were complete in two hours!!!
I am very impressed with C's skill and equipment and I highly recommend him for your project. He'll certainly be returning to help place the container and do the backfill work! With the excavation complete, C and I headed over to the Cowboy Bar for lunch and ordered their world famous Cowboy Burger....yes, AGAIN!!! Once again, they came through with an excellent sandwich and a few ice cold beers.
After lunch and a great conversation with C, I headed back to the property to level railroad ties for the container to rest on. In the middle of digging I realized that there is nothing like being alone...really, truly alone. I was miles from anyone, I was talking out loud to self, and I was having a great time. Occasionally I would look up in remembrance of where I was and take in the surrounding beauty of the landscape....all the while enjoying the serenity of solid quiet and hard work. Thanks again C, the Cowboy, and Montello!
All of the pics are of the completed project.
The above pic is looking North at the hole where the shipping container will sit.
This pic is looking South and shows the piles of dirt that will be backfilled around the container.
Here's an Eastward looking shot of me peering into the hole as the last scoop or two is being excavated. Part of the circular race track (driveway) can be seen in the background. Also, notice C's transit in the background which is used to ensure the project stays within tolerances.
This Northwest view is of the Jeep and trailer resting where the container will eventually sit. If I weren't so distracted with a "broken zipper" at the time, I might have appreciated the view! Thanks for the IN-ACTION photo C!!!...hahahaha
This Westward looking pic gives more of an overall perspective of the project. I'm giving C a thumbs up for a job well done while thanking God for my closest neighbor (that white spec in the background above the right most dirt pile). I've heard tall fences make for good neighbors....I think same or more applies to miles of separation.
Thanks for the photos C!
Also, please note...in an earlier blog entry I referenced making contact with an excavator. C is not the same guy. I decided to go with C because his equipment is larger and is the exact size of the backhoes I used to work around doing road construction. The price per hour is more with C's larger equipment, but I'm certain it was worth it for this project and my needs. Thus, there are at least two guys in Montello with backhoes for hire. Send me an email for C's contact information at m*ntell**ffgrid@gmail.c*m replace all the asterisks with the letter "o".
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