The View From Maybelot

Maybenaut · #351

Power’s back, and one of our outdoor cats, Ivy, has returned. Still waiting to see if White Mike makes his way back here.

#352

Maybenaut · #353

White Mike is back! But we might have to call him Grey Mike for awhile yet.

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#354

So sorry to hear of your loss, but so happy for you that it wasn’t worse!

#355

On the critters

qbawl · #356

Frater I*I wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 12:02 pm
Maybenaut wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:59 am Talked to the insurance company yesterday. Everything will be covered. I’m supposed to hear from the adjuster today. We need to make a list of everything that was in the barn. There was quite a bit of stuff, but we’ll be able to do that.
Don't forget to include the Picasso...

And of course your one of a kind antique Lamborghini tractor!

Maybenaut · #357

Now that it’s dark we can see that there are still a few hot spots on the property - mostly glowing coals but a few small flames. The rain is supposed to start soon.

#358

Maybenaut wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:06 pm

It’s going to start raining here at 10:00 pm, and we’re expecting an inch in the next 24 hours. That ought to help.

Doan wanna be 'that guy' , but...

The rain will hopefully help knock down a lot of the embers and internally burning stumps, but now you gotta pay attention to erosion and landslips caused by the rain since your ground cover is gone. You are already complaining about slides of loose rock held in place by the now gone kudzu.

Maybenaut · #359

Don’t worry, I was already ‘that guy.’ We’re very concerned about landslides. Much as I hate the kudzu, it did its job. And it’ll be back.

It’s nice to hear the rain on the roof.

#360

Yeah, kudzu is pretty indestructible, and will be back. Keith is right, though, the rain will help with hotspots but might wash away a bit of uncovered soil.

Ol' Wifehorn and I are keeping our fingers crossed.

Slim Cognito · #361

Maybenaut · #362

We saw a snowplow drive by here a bit ago

#363

Kudzu control.

https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_miller006.pdf

Yikes, it's still spreading. Oregon was mentioned...

I wonder if there's a native ground cover that could be planted now that would keep the kudzu from coming back, or compete with it.

sugar magnolia · #364

pipistrelle wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:47 am Kudzu control.

https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_miller006.pdf

Yikes, it's still spreading. Oregon was mentioned...

I wonder if there's a native ground cover that could be planted now that would keep the kudzu from coming back, or compete with it.

Nothing can compete with kudzu, including ground covers and huge trees. It's illegal to plant in several states because it's so destructive. Almost half the vine is underground and even after being burned off or sprayed, one little tiny root or node left in the soil will result in a new takeover of the land. There's a reason it's known as "the vine that ate the South."
Thanks, Japan!

Maybenaut · #365

We had the septic guy here this morning. The septic system and the underground fresh water cistern were damaged. The septic tank is plastic and needs to be completely replaced. The cistern is concrete. The guy said it can probably be sanitized and repaired. The plastic riser coming up out of the tank and the plastic manhole cover burned off, but the tank is otherwise OK, just full of dirty water.

The barn needs to be torn down and rebuilt. We might relocate it to a different part of the property.

Now the whole place smells like yesterday’s campfire.

If I could just get the insurance company (USAA) to return my calls. I was assigned an adjuster, who has me on ignore. I have yet to speak to her. The intake person said she would return my call within 24 hours. That was Thursday. I left a message Monday and yesterday. Crickets. Her voicemail has the name and extension of her supervisor. That will be my next call.

#366

Maybenaut wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:27 pm White Mike is back! But we might have to call him Grey Mike for awhile yet.

IMG_8740.jpeg

Maybenaut · #367

We’re slowly bouncing back from the fire. Still waiting to get the septic repaired. Got the barn pulled down yesterday. Spent many thousands of dollars clearing out the dead trees.

Since the undergrowth was gone we could see the terrain a little better, so we cut some new roads that will mostly be walking trails. We chipped up a lot of the wood we cut down, and we’ll use those wood chips on the trails.

The charred logs that were too big for the wood chipper went to a local guy who has an outdoor wood-fired boiler he uses for hot water and radiators. He doesn’t mind getting covered in soot, apparently. We separated the non-charred wood and we’ll split that for ourselves.

Meanwhile, the deer are returning. A very pregnant doe passed by our security camera last night. And my husband found this little dude this morning.

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#368

Ah!

#369

We once had a doe give birth right at the bottom of our back deck steps. Cute.

Maybenaut · #370

Maybelot, as they like to say in the South, is all tore up.

The original structure, built in the 1930s or thereabouts, was a 60’x20’ road-side fruit stand with a dirt floor and a row of garage door openings. There were columns every 10 feet. The Berry family bought it in the 1960s. They added a wood floor, took out the garage doors, and put in storefront windows.

They also built a number of additions over the years, including living space in a finished attic. They ran one of those road-side souvenir shops. They called it The Berry Patch.

When we bought the place the original structure was still one big room with columns. We’re changing that. We hired a structural engineer to help us get what we want - three rooms with no columns that will hold up the finished space upstairs (the engineer told us that what we have already wasn’t intended to carry the load of a finished attic anyway, so it’s good that we’re doing this).

We pulled up the flooring and the floor joists (it was all bad - it was really spongy to walk on). Since there’s no plumbing or electrical running under that floor, we decided to fill it with gravel and install a concrete slab.

On the far end of the house will be a garage (we have a garage but it’s below ground so you have to come up the stairs - this one will be right off the kitchen). I’ll have a sewing room, and the rest of the space will be a family room. All load-bearing columns will be hidden in walls.

This is what we had just was we were starting the demo (all that engineered hardwood flooring will be reused - it’s only a few years old).

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Here’s what it looks like now. We put up temporary columns to carry the load and removed the old columns. We have engineered steel beams and columns on site - the first beam and set of columns are going in Wednesday. The columns will sit on these footers. then the first half of the concrete floor will get poured (we have to do this in two stages).

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#371

IOW, you're living in a motel for a month.

#372

Big job!

I am, as I write, in the middle of a smaller job, new flooring in the entrance and kitchen. That's bad enough.

Maybenaut · #373

bill_g wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 10:41 am IOW, you're living in a motel for a month.

Nope! This house is 5000 sq feet, and this project has no impact on most of the house. The only adjustment we’ve really had to make is I had to move all my sewing equipment and other stuff in this space to a pod out in the driveway, move a couple of refrigerators, and move the TV to a temporary location.

ETA: Even if we did have to move out, we own the cabin down the hill

#374

Maybenaut wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 10:59 am
bill_g wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 10:41 am IOW, you're living in a motel for a month.

ETA: Even if we did have to move out, we own the cabin down the hill

That's a great space!

Maybenaut · #375

The new beams and columns are in! This space gets filled with gravel today, and the slab gets poured next week!

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