Monday, April 25, 2011
More gable and landscape work
Here's the new gable end that matches the dormer swallow-cotes. This one doesn't have bird houses in it because its purpose is to cover the peak vent. The bottom is actually louvered.
This is my bog garden "rain gutter" planter. If you click on the picture above, you can see two planters on the patio. Both sit under an area where the roof drains to the ground. The planters have an overflow (in the center back on this one) that allows the planter to fill up to the surface with water before the overflow drains into a pipe that runs under the patio. This planter has some local swamp plants, including common rush, maiden fern, etc. Some will flower and some not. No skunk cabbage.
Here's the other planter. Cattail, white water-buttercup and some stuff that will have to flower before I'll be able to tell what it is. There was a little frog in the planter, but I didn't think it would get enough to eat. Hope the raccoons stay out of this.
This is how the system drains. 
This is beach paintbrush. It's not supposed to be north of Oregon, but I brought some up from our beach.
The brain mushrooms are up. They are similar to a false morel. Usually listed as "edible with caution." Yeah, right.
Some little jelly cups.
This is Heart-leaved Twayblade. The flowers aren't in very good focus, but it's an orchid. The distinctive "tongue, lip, or beard" of the orchid is forked. It's one of the orchids that smell is intended to smell of death to attrack flies and knats. Good thing the flowers are so tiny (about the size of a sesame seed). Elves and fairies reportedly harvest twayblade because eating it gives them their incredible night vision. Too bad it's toxic to humans.
This is Heart-leaved Twayblade. The flowers aren't in very good focus, but it's an orchid. The distinctive "tongue, lip, or beard" of the orchid is forked. It's one of the orchids that smell is intended to smell of death to attrack flies and knats. Good thing the flowers are so tiny (about the size of a sesame seed). Elves and fairies reportedly harvest twayblade because eating it gives them their incredible night vision. Too bad it's toxic to humans.
# posted by gnome-honey @ 10:00 AM 
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Thanks for the detailed account of your project!
I am building a house from RASTRA and will be putting in the floor system next week. I am curious why you did not use the Genie Lift to get the ICFs to the second floor. I am trying to figure out how we will be doing it, and was thinking of renting a Genie Lift, but maybe it will not work so well? Interested in your opinion.
Thanks, Dennis
I am building a house from RASTRA and will be putting in the floor system next week. I am curious why you did not use the Genie Lift to get the ICFs to the second floor. I am trying to figure out how we will be doing it, and was thinking of renting a Genie Lift, but maybe it will not work so well? Interested in your opinion.
Thanks, Dennis
Dennis: The Genie Lift was slow for just placing the material on the second floor platform. It was okay to use for placement of the block, but that was because each piece had to be guided into place and secured. Use of the "gallows", a dolly on the second floor, the winch on my Polaris Ranger, and the trailer hooked up to John Deere AMT 622 (AMT = All Materials Transfer) made it possible to stage 100 blocks on the second floor in two days, including building the gallows. See the September 2008 blog.
The GL12 simply doesn't work on anything other than a smooth surface, it couldn't be used on the outside of the building. That would have meant getting each block inside the structure before cranking it up to the next floor. Also note that because of the length of time I used the lift, I bought the GL ($1200). Renting would have actually been more expensive.
Good luck with your project.
Mark
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The GL12 simply doesn't work on anything other than a smooth surface, it couldn't be used on the outside of the building. That would have meant getting each block inside the structure before cranking it up to the next floor. Also note that because of the length of time I used the lift, I bought the GL ($1200). Renting would have actually been more expensive.
Good luck with your project.
Mark
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