Over the last year there are not too many times I have been thankful for rain. While I know it is inevitable here in Beautiful Dundee, Oregon it was a part of the landscape that I would rather not embrace. But now that I have my catchment system complete and I finished my plumbing today, all I need is RAIN. So bring on the sweet rain, it is too funny that I was fretting earlier in the day as I was missing a minor downpour, thinking "I gotta get this done". Well structurally it is done I still have some cosmetic items I plan on completing but in the mean time, BRING ON THE RAIN.
So here is the start of the Water Tower. I really did not have a plan when I started other then I knew I had this 205 gallon tank. Well after doing a little math I realized that is 1,640 lbs. Yikes. I had this vision in my mind of being able to use gavity to assist in this process of getting all this water into the Cottage. I had my nephew Jordan jump in and help in the build project. Jordan who built the battery box (that could also probably hold 1,640 lbs) does not built "lightly".
So after constructing the frame and then moving in it place, we put a little cedar siding on it, which will be fully wrapped when done. Add a little roofing and BAM you got yourself a Water Tower. I really can't wait till I have to move this....
Guess who has gutters! Since I am not a gutter guy and really wanted to do this right I worked with an outfit called
Portland Purple Water. These folks are Catchment specialists and have been great to work with. That big tank below, the gutters and the filter systems are all from Portland Purple Water. They did a great job with the gutters and the Leafguard system. I will get some better shots from above to show the quality work. Jason and the Purple Water team were sharp, informative and very responsive, they get it. Excellent customer service, they were a joy to work with.
Add a little plumbing and all that rain water is mine to use.
Okay before you all freak out, I am going to build a planter in cedar and run the pipe through the bottom of the planter and you will never see it. I am all about function over form but even I get this. I will build a planter I promise.
Other great events of the weekend include finishing the plumbing, once I have water I can test her out. The filter you see in the picture (stainless steel tube) is a
Doulton Ceramic Filter. If nothing else it looks cool, if you ever want to look under my sink.
I also have the Propane 95% ready to go. Should be done next weekend. But the really fun part of the weekend is all the electrical outlets on the east side of cottage work and are ready to go. I had to take a picture of the boom box happily humming way running off the solar system. Batteries got a full charge this weekend. Sweet. Okay so here is the milestone moment of the weekend. Lights. Yup, I have lights on a dimmer switch and that really pumps me up. This is definitely a step closer to moving in.
Congrats on getting the tank set up. Not sure if you're a dead fan, but you truly have a "box of rain" now :D
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for this post- Really helpful resources you've pointed me towards- I bookmarked PDX purple and the filter company. I love the interior walls of your house. Is that barnboard you've used on the siding? New or reclaimed?
-Ethan
Love the Dead, I will make that part of my music set in to nights work project (kitchen lights). The wood in the house is Beetle Kill Pine from Colorado. These beetles have killed a huge number of trees and they reclaim them in select harvests. Here is an web site to check out:
ReplyDeletehttp://cobeetlekilltradeassociation.com/
Oh. That is awesome! I love the idea of using reclaimed wood. How does the pricing on this compare to new stuff? I'm finding that it's hard to balance the desire to have a tight budget with wanting to use sustainable building materials.
ReplyDeleteIt is .56cents a lineal foot. If you have priced a lot of lumber lately you would know that is not a bad price at all. Here is the post on Craigslist: http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/mat/2654024530.html
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! Looks like you've found a good team of contractors to do the job. And thanks to that water tank, you can anticipate the rain better instead of worrying about your roof or your gutters.
ReplyDeleteAJC Roofing