Going Off Grid in East Tennessee; The Story and Chat Thread (Johnson City: builders, panel)

[SFLWR]

I think if they get a good snow, then have us all over for sledin' and hot chocolate

[lovegrows]

Wow! I love your story! I feel inspired and hopeful as we (my family) forge forward toward our own sustainable homestead... Great blessings on your way!

[ylisa7]

Good morning everyone. I can't believe we are already in November and the Holidays are just around the corner. Let's get back to our story.


8-31

It looks like a rainy day again but we did get a couple of things done.

Since we had a mouse get into our shipping container it's time to change out the grate where the mouse got in. We fixed that with a heavier piece of metal.


Since we also have an air vent going into the house we better change that also. We really don't want any mice inside the house so Mike is going to change the grate on the air vent.

First Mike cuts the screen for the vent.



Then he puts it over the vent cover.



He screws the cover back on the house.



And then he paints it. It still needs one more coat.



9-1
We went to the electric company to find out what we need to do to bring electric into our barn. After that we go and get the supplies.


9-2
Today we get to work on real electric so we head down to the barn to get started. We are going to make a shop area with an overhead light.

First I have to clean out some of the old hay(it's clean...LOL)



This is the stall where we will have the electric and shop light.



Mike installs the box and wiring in the barn.



Banging in the ground rod outside the barn.



And finally Mike hangs the shop light.



We are ready for a rough in inspection.


9-3
This morning we met with the electric inspector to schedule an inspection. He will be out later this afternoon.

We passed the rough in but he couldn't ok us on the final because we didn't put a meter can on the outside of the barn.

Thanks to Jimmy we didn't install one. Jimmy said since Mike and I are going to put the meter at the gate and we didn't run the underground wire we should wait. Well what none of us remembered is that the electric company reads the meters from the office now and we don't need the can at the road. We all should have known better considering Jimmy's brother works for the electric company. So now Mike and I have to buy a meter can and install that.


9-4
It looks like a good day so Mike and I start on the roof coating. We bought the Kool Seal which is like a rubber coating that rolls on the roof. It will completely seal any holes made from any screws or seams. It should also help deaden the noise when it rains hard.


Mike and I do this job together. He starts rolling the first row of 5 panels and I start the next row of 5 panels right after him.

Here I am painting on the Kool seal.



After a few hours we get the first coat on the roof. It took us longer than expected but it was an easy job. We will roll on the second coat tomorrow.


9-5
Back to the roof. We did the same routine today.

Here is Mike rolling on the second coat.



And he is at the edge and almost done.



This rubber coating should really make a difference for our roof.


That's all for this week. I hope you all enjoyed the story. Have a wonderful week and I will write again next Monday.

Lisa

[ylisa7]

Ha, ha I goofed on one of my pictures. Did you catch it? Mike did, lol.

[ylisa7]

Hi Mike from CT. Sorry about the delay. I will tried to answer your questions now.

Originally Posted by zr1sparky

Hey there Lisa,

I've been following your dream since you first started posting last year. Congrats!

i have a question about the paving. i'm planning to pave soon. Would you share the details about your job like:

how did you select your contractor? First we tried one who we used years ago, unfortunately he was very expensive. Then we asked around for recommendations. That's how we ended up with this contractor.

How thick and wide did they pave the driveway?
2 1/2" thick on the base
3 1/2"-4" on the outside edges
The steepest part of the driveway was 4-6 inches deep

How did y'all decide what was a good value? It looks like they did a good job prepping the base which we all know is key to a long-lasting job.
We usually pick the middle of the road contractor. One that is just a hard working every day guy. We never go with the most expensive or the cheapest.

Did you use the heavy aggregate or fine? Usually, on a steep drive they recommend a coarser crushed stone in the mix for improved traction.
They used coarse crush and run for the job.

Did they price it by square foot or tonnage?
They measured everything out but they gave us a final price for the job. We asked them to break it down in 3 parts for us. The first was for the side walkway and the back parking area, the next area was going down the steepest part of the driveway, and last was for the remainder of the driveway. We didn't do the "remainder" of the driveway this year.

I admire your openness with all the costs associated with your projects. Research takes time and getting good values can be hard work. So, i for one appreciate all of your helpful info!

Finally, God bless yous guys!

Mike from CT

I hope that helps.

[Sunnydee]

Thank you, Lisa, for another great update and gorgeous pictures. Today we're supposed to get up to 70 degrees and I'm hoping you're experiencing the nice weather as well.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by younglisa7

Ha, ha I goofed on one of my pictures. Did you catch it? Mike did, lol.

Yes, I did! I was trying to figure out how he was going to avoid tripping over it.

[phalynx]

Originally Posted by younglisa7

Ha, ha I goofed on one of my pictures. Did you catch it? Mike did, lol.

I thought maybe you were just thinking of the song "you light UP my life."

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Yes, I did! I was trying to figure out how he was going to avoid tripping over it.

Hate those tripping hazzards.......

[Furd]

Originally Posted by younglisa7

Ha, ha I goofed on one of my pictures. Did you catch it? Mike did, lol.

The picture of the circuit breaker panel and light fixture is upside down.

For future knowledge, it is easier to use individual type THHN/THWN wires in conduit that using cable.