SPRING!!! and a new project

[Modthyrth]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Because of its unfinished state, a friend insists the firebeast looks like something off the Planet of the Apes set... I always did root for the monkeys, so maybe sub-conciously it affected my design.

Too funny. The image that came to my mind was the world's most appealing giant termite mound--which, of course, apes love. Too many primate studies anthro classes in college, clearly.

How's the mad construction before the party progressing? The pergola looks fabulous, and I can't wait to see the finished chiminea.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Well, back to thinking the monster won't be finished while its still officially Spring. Four days of slogging and never even turned my attention to it this weekend.

First I hd to cut that 3-foot tall grass, which burned more time than I figured (rule of thumb ....always double the amount of time...add beer and quadruple it!)... so now the hole can't be hidden anymore.
Then when I constructed the pergola, I had cut a ramp from it up to the pool level...One of the minor details was that the ramp needed a handrail with pickets, and of course once that was done, then it needed a gate... so much for Friday.
Saturday, I decided that the pergola needed some furniture...so all day saturday and sunday was spent building a porch swing and matching bench... oh, & 4 bar stools to go up against the grill island. I'll have to shoot a few pics, cause its' shaping up nicely.
Today, I realized that I've got a partially finished outdoor kitchen and a partially finished outdoor den ( the pergola with monster chimena) so might as well go for a partially finished outdoor dining area. I needed a large enough level spot to stick the glass top patio table with umbrella that been moved around the yard 10 times now. So that meant moving more dirt...hey, I already got a hole, so why not just make it bigger?
On top of all that, turkey poop man finally showed up with the truckload of composted litter that I've been trying to get all spring...every year I forget just how big that truck is... oh well, it'll just have to sit in the garden a few more weeks til I move it.

[dmun]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Much in life is governed by the rule of "2": Everything costs twice as much and takes twice as long as originally anticipated.

[egalecki]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

You could put the turkey poop in the hole.... How does turkey poop stack up to composted horse manure for fertilizing? I have an unlimited supply of horse poop, so that's what I use, but I think I can get poultry manure too if I wanted.

I am waiting for the pictures of your projects. They sound fantastic.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

You could put the turkey poop in the hole.... How does turkey poop stack up to composted horse manure for fertilizing? I have an unlimited supply of horse poop, so that's what I use, but I think I can get poultry manure too if I wanted.

I am waiting for the pictures of your projects. They sound fantastic.

Ah, Elizabeth.... I guess we have progressed to the finer distinctions of poopology...of which I do hold a few opinions .
I used to haul in horse manure ... drive about ten miles to the stables and muck out stalls that hadn't been cleaned in something like 30 years. Each stall would produce 2 of my pickup truck loads (old long bed toyota)...and there were 84 stalls in that barn. After about 50 stalls, the owners got greedy and started wanting to charge ME!
So I progressed to other sources...had a lady for a while about a mile away that would load my truck for me (a woman that can handle a front loader...if I wasn't already married....) and also dug out a few cow barns. What I started noticing was that I was getting really bad weeds with both. Stuff that passes thru those animals! I hadn't had that problem with the really old horse manaure because anything had died by the time I came around but fresher stuff was a a weed waiting to grow.
Then I got turned on to turkey poop. First guy was hauling straight from the poultry houses. Learned to only get it in the middle of winter, cause there is a smell. Made the mistake one summer and got a load... you could hear the flies from 300 feet away. Luckily, also got my nearest neighbors to use the stuff too so they couldn't complain about my smell ..er, the poop's smell. Poultry tends to be hotter (more nitrogen) than the others so it can burn your plants if used fresh so you have to compost it before use.
Eventually got hooked up with Big Tony (sounds like a Mafia Don).... at first he was bringing fresh stuff too, but then one time he was complaining about all these old piles he's got in his fields...so told him to bring me that from now on.
I guess we're in our 5th or 6th year with Big Tony As gas prices have climbed, so has the price but still the best deal going for me. His truck carries somewhere between 18 and 20 cubic yards and the quality is comparable to the best mushroom compost that sells here for ~$250 per yard. Price this week? $100! for the truckload I can't haul in a quarter of that for the price of gas in my litle truck.
Using the turkey poop is probably my last resort for filling back in the hole. There's about 700 feet distance between the poop dumping area (sounds like the toilet) and the hole... Thats a long way back and forth with a wheelbarrow...I can load the pickup and go back and forth, but the last 200 are still by hand. With the various brush piles I've accumulated, my plans for the hole are fill it with ground brush. One of the neighbors has a big chipper he blew the engine on... its mine if I want to put effort in it or I might just rent one for a weekend...but either way, that feels like a fall project.

I'll shoot a few pics a little later this week.
Craig

[gjbingham]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

CV - Geeze! What a poopy dissertation! I'm lost as to what your point was, but I had a good laugh, despite my churning tummy. Thanks for the graphic descriptions of poop transport. I think I can live without the pics though.

[egalecki]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Ah. I was wondering about how hot the turkey manure might be. I don't have a lot of weeds with my horse manure, but I pull it from the back of the pile at the barn, so it's been there a while by the time I use it. Since the whole pile (a very large one, I assure you) steams all winter, it kills almost all the weed seeds. The only fee I pay, other than the feed going in the other end of my manure generators, is for the man to come down from the feed store at the end of the lane with his loader to put it in my truck for me. $12.00.

I look forward to seeing your other project pics-

George, don't you wanna investigate using buffalo chips in the oven like the pioneers used? (You'd never believe how long I tried to figure out what a buffalo chip was while I was reading "Little House on the Prairie.....)

[carioca]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Much in life is governed by the rule of "2": Everything costs twice as much and takes twice as long as originally anticipated.

I'm tempted by personal experience to add the words "at least" on two appropriate places... (my forno cost at least @$A4500 so far if I count everyhting, and with the landscaping I'm into year TWO!)

Cheers,

LMH

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

First, a couple of pictures of last weekend's swing and bench. The sun pattern coming through the pergola top realy play havoc with trying to get meaningful photos of the bench. Its identical to the swing, just with legs.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Now, the update on the monster chimena firebeast:
I decided I could make the framework for the front veneer out of PT lumber as long as I covered all wood surfaces with concrete and/or backer board. Looking at my design, I figure the front will get warm but not hot enough to combust the protected wood... plus there wont be any oxyegen to support burning as long as I fully encase the wood.
Friday, I slipped out of work early and picked up some lumber and as many bags of concrete mix that my truck can safely handle (found out years ago, its a good thing to keep one's front wheels on the ground). By evening, had poured a hearth and set the posts that would form the side pillars around the firebox.
Saturday, ran back out for more concrete and got countertops formed on either side of the beast. The countertops are at different heights ...sort of a theme I've got going where no counter is the same height . Visually it actually works quite well. All the counters will be tile covered so didn't have work too hard for a super smooth finish.
By mid-afternoon today, had finished roughing in the front frame with hardi-backer board. Had a good pile of concrete bags and a few old pallets... so one thing led to another, and the next thing I know....

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

So, looking at the previous pictures, my giant termite mound is starting to look like a fireplace with a proper mantel.
I still have a lot of work to do on it, but at least it seems to have lost that Planet of the Apes look. I'll have to come up with some dentate type ornamentation and a few other visual fru-fru that I can make in backer board and concrete, but its coming along.
I'll have to coat everything inside and outside with fiberglass reinforced concrete... since my fire today got a little bigger than I probably should have built, I'll probably need to power wash the inside before coating it.
Also, since we picked up so many tiles at Lowes after Christamas for 11 cents a foot, there will be tile on the pillars and the front face of the mantle.

My costs to date are $167 not counting screws and Pl Premium. I figure it'll still take about two bags of fiberglass concrete ($32), plus whatever tile thinset...

Today's temp was 94 when I had that fire going...I could feel the heat radiating on me from about 12 feet away...be interesting to see if it feels that hot in the winter.

It was rather breezy, but most of the smoke went up the chimney... note the last picture below...the firebeast is puffing up the white smoke in the middle of the picture (white smoke... doesn't that mean that I've elected a pope?)

[Modthyrth]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Now that is a thing of great beauty. I'm blown away. Impressed. Inspired.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

Been awol from reporting on this project for a while. So quick update.

Looking back at my first posts, I indicated that this Springtime project was going to stretch into the Fall, because of when I could more Kaolin clay to mix in with the fireclay and mortar.
Been busy tiling the firebeast and all the outdoor counters... took the best part of the summer. Now mortaring round river rock over the light poles, and support poles on my pavillion roof. Another long job becasue I can only go a few inches each day. Tried slip forming it...could go up faster but didn't like how it looked. Even with the hand laying, its still a messy job. I'll have to blast off all the extra mortar with power washer once its all done.

Got the kaolin a couple of weeks ago and made my refractory lining mix... climbed up inside the fire beast and coated the inside with the mix.

Had our first real fire in it last night. Draw is not as good as I would like...it was super breezy, so that partially accounts for the problem. After about 5 hours, one of my friends noted smoke coming out from some of the firewood stacked UNDER the counter beside the firebeast. Turned out the wood was touching on the concrete wall of the firebeast...and had gotten hot enough to ignite! So today, started construction of a firebreak wall under the counters... just concrete backer board about 8" away from the firebeast wall...the space between will be filled with vermiculite, so that should solve that.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

While I'm posting, a few other shots of how the outdoor area is shaping up.

The last picture here is the "beer trough"... Normally it'll hold 72 longnecks, but last night, I was trying to empty out some my 5 liter wine jugs 'cause I got wine coming out of the carboys now...That's 30 liters of wine in there (the yellow things are plastic containers we re-freeze for ice.

[cvdukes]

Re: SPRING!!! and a new project

a few more...