ArizonaRanch

  LittleHouse – Pouring the Piers by admin on Mar.17, 2005, under Foundation Laser Level 13 March 2005. Next, we set up the Craftsman rotary laser level that Randy got for Christmas. It is supposed to be accurate within a quarter inch at 100 feet. The level has a laser on a rotating head, a couple of bubble levels and a mount for a tripod. After setting it up on the tripod, we adjusted it to as near to level as we could get it. Then we used the fine adjustments on the level itself to finish setting it. The laser can rotate on its own, or you can manually rotate it. We found that manually rotating it worked best in the daylight, as the spot was much brighter than the line produced when the motor spins the head.   Laser Level Setting the Height 03/13/2005 We used a piece of duct tape on the rebars sticking up from the footings to better see the laser. We marked each rebar 3.5 inches below the final level of the piers. That way they will not interfere...

  LittleHouse – Re-digging the Piers by admin on Mar.17, 2005, under Foundation Arrival 12 March 2005. This is how the site looked when we arrived and set up camp. The site survived the torrential rains that have continuously doused the area since last October. There were no signs of significant washout on our property. It appears that the washes did their job just fine, releasing it over a broad area. This area of Northern Arizona has received about 16 to 18 inches of rain since last fall. That's about 3 or 4 times the normal rainfall. Many of the roads had washed out or been mudded in. It is good to finally get back.   Build Site Filled Footings 03/12/2005 The footings that we poured last fall had been filled in with a couple of inches of dirt runoff from all of the rainfall. They needed to be dug back out, down to the cement footings before we could continue pouring the piers.   Piers Filled In Re-digging 03/12/2005 Randy dug out what he co...

  LittleHouse Footings by admin on Nov.11, 2004, under Foundation Footings Done 05 November 2004. We finished up the twelve footings for the porch this weekend. After cleaning up the holes that had washed in from the recent rains (5 inches in a couple of weeks), Randy chopped, cut and drilled out the roots that had been in the way on three of the holes. We then dug the holes a little deeper, as the rock would allow, and widened the bottom 6 inches out to a 16 inch diameter with a trenching shovel.   Footings Done Finished Footings 11/06/2004 Here is a picture of a completed footing. It is basically a 16 inch diameter by 6 inch deep concrete pad located about 18 inches below the ground level. The piers will be poured on top of these footings, centered on the vertical rebars. Each pier will be 8 inches in diameter, and at least 12 inches off the ground. As the ground slopes, the piers will reach higher out of the ground.   Footing Complete Next ...

  November 2004 at the Ranch by admin on Nov.06, 2004, under Seasons November Fall in Arizona With low temperatures in the 30s and 40s, November is still a very comfortable time to visit the Ranch. The highs still reach up into the 60s most of the time, with 70 degrees not uncommon… Seasons Change November 6th, 2004. Morning But seasons do change in the high country. This morning it started raining at about 4:30. As soon as it got light out, we packed up our stuff and ran back to Mesa, before Markham Pass got too muddy to travel in our little Nissan pickup. Here, looking East at Black Mountain on the way out, you can see how low the clouds were hanging. This has been a great Fall season for rain this year. We have received over 5 inches in the last three weeks.   Black Mountain in fog Wet and Chilly… November 6th, 2004. Morning. Here is another look at Black Mountain, from the South, this time.   Black Mountain - Winter Storm moving in

  LittleHouse – Breaking Ground by admin on Oct.12, 2004, under Foundation Breaking Ground 10/05/2004 Well, it’s getting pretty close to our six-month progress inspection. So we decided to take a break from building the wash house and make a start on the Little House. Here, I am digging the pier holes with a one-man auger we rented from United Rental in Prescott. We picked up the auger on Thursday on the way up from Mesa, and returned it on Friday morning. That really cut into the time we had to work.   Digging Piers Digging Pier Holes 10/05/2004 We figure that if we have the piers in by the inspection date in December, that we will have shown “significant progress” that the county is looking for. We need to dig a total of 24 piers. We need 12 for the 14′ x 24′ cabin structure. In addition we decided to use 12 for the 8′ x 24′ attached porch. We could have gotten by with only 6 for the porch, and supported it by the ledger, but we felt it would b...

  Washhouse Shower Installation by admin on Sep.05, 2004, under WashHouse Shower Base September 2nd, 2004. This trip, our goal was to install the shower base, and plumb it to the sewer line. We built the wall on the right to support that end of the shower. Next, we mixed a mortar and layed it on the subfloor under the shower area to provide a solid level base for it. To complete this bathroom we will be doing a sink and toilet installation right away to get all the plumbing set up.   Shower Base September 2nd, 2004. Here is a view of the motor mix applied to the subfloor under the shower base.   Morter Subbase September 2nd, 2004 Here, you can see the 3″ main drain line extending from one end of the wash house to the other. As the toilet and sink are installed, they will be connected to it, too. The “P” trap is for the shower drain. It traps water to prevent sewer gasses from entering the shower stall.   Shower Trap September 2nd, 2004. Here...

  Labor Day Celebration 2004 by admin on Sep.05, 2004, under Seasons The Goal… September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Wayne (HW) and Tara talk about the right way to do things… This is Bruce & Lydia’s home about a mile from us. Totally off-grid solar, with all the trimmings.   Bruce & Lydia's place Labor Day BBQ September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Bruce and Wayne K. grill some outstanding Alaskan King Salmon while Tara observes. The other Wayne caught the fish on his fishing trip to Alaska. It was the best salmon I had ever eaten.   Grilling Labor Day BBQ, too. September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Here is the Wayne that caught the fish.   Murphy at the Cookout Solar Setup September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Here is Bruce & Lydia’s Solar System. An array of 16 55 watt panels is supplemented by a couple of 120 watt panels to supply all of their electrical needs. They use washer/dryer, microwave, etc.   Solar Setup Water Storage September 3r...