Spent Friday slaving over a full wheelbarrow full of mudbricks. Loved it, had got the roof up during the week, and it was gratifying to finally get the part I was looking forward to, the grubby part (how typical). Still have two walls and four doors to go. But managed to drop by the South Hobart tip shop on the way home from Hobart yesterday and scored a $1 wooden window to lighten things up for the chooks.
Really enjoying the process of doing it on my own. Trev gives me advice and helped me shove a couple of screws in that were high and just before a rainy squall hit, but apart from that, oh yes, and cutting the wood to the required length, still not up to using a drop saw, last two times, one chopping fire wood, and the other small wooden posts, I've managed to bust the thing, not strictly my fault but I'm not much interested in tools that spit plastic bits of cooling fan at your face and then go up in smoke.
I'd like to hear what amazing things you've done in the name of home handy person ... particularly if you are a woman. Spoke to one of the female persausion the other day who was renamed Chainsaws. After being told she needed to take out the top of a tree she tied a chainsaw around her waist, climbed the tree and chopped it out. Hats off to her. Way beyond me. What about you?
9 comments:
Hi Linda... Don't know if you would remember me but I wrote to you a couple of times when you lived in Qld as I live in Maryborough.... (Chezza)
On Easter Monday we had 265ml in 5 hours and had to call the SES out.. They couldn't get to us as they were also flooded... I had to remove debis from fences, then eventually cut fences and move anything with weight in it to higher ground just so that water wouldn't come through our front door!!! A big night!!
Then I had to replace a septic pump by myself... I used a drill, knife and a monkey wrench!!! That wasn't much fun... But I did it!!!
Today I had to temporarily fix a fence to keep the cows out of our house yard... Not very professional but I hope it does that trick until the weekend!!
I wouldn't of done any of these things in a fit but as there was no one else around I had to "suck it up"....
I hope the house is moving "right" along!!!
Cheryle...
I can't say that I have built anything or chopped anything down, but given that at age 19 I was living interstate from my family, I have spent a lot of time doing things for myself - installing curtains, moving furniture, replacing fridge seals. I am now married, but not to a man that is handy, so I still do all those things. I have noticed males over 40 are especially dumb to the notion that a woman is perfectly capable of fulfilling traditional male roles. I posted about tidying up the garage this week and got a reply from a male who was surprised that I was even in the garage! Even though he knows us both, he is having trouble getting it through his head that I am the one that uses the power tools...
Best I've done is demolish a massive chimney and build a window box with some of it.
viv in nz
Hi Linda, You are a complete inspiration to me. I avidly devour your "Living The Good Life" blog and your articles in Organic Gardening.
I would like to make mud bricks for my next chook house too. However I am not sure how the soil on my property would go. Can you suggest an easy to follow publication for mudbrick making please?
Look forward to seeing how your chook house develops. And speaking of women and those tough jobs; I have enjoyed concreting, chainsawing, fixing gutters, drilling, roofing, tiling, ditch digging, drop sawing in between my organic gardening tasks, making the tomato chutney, lemon butter etc etc!
Many Thanks Anna.
Well I must admit to being the one who stands back with the glass of chardonnay whilst the hubby attends to most things (outside as well as in the kitchen) but I am the one who gets to use the chainsaw and when we lived on a 3 acre block in QLD I was the chief lawnmover!
mmm grouted while 39 weeks pregnant... paved while 30+ weeks pregnant... built a natural wood stool while pregnant... all different pregnancies LOL I see a pattern here! Renovated with arthritis. Most things I can do if I need to and majority because I want to... and because my family where I grew up, that's how it was - no not learning how to just because you're a girl.
It's a good thing to know isn't it, that you can do 'stuff' and you feel much better for it. :)
Nice work!
Hi Linda,
Thought you'd be interested in this
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ontheblock/detail?&entry_id=40400
Later,
littlem
I'm watching your chicken coop project with great interest. I was originally going to build a mudbrick coop for my lot, but ended up improvising with what I had around instead.
I also like the idea of having separate runs you can rotate the chooks around in. We live on a slope so we generally have to work with long strips. Not so easy to have separate (but attached) runs. Nonetheless, I still think the idea is a very good one. Anyone who can do it - should.
I've always been a bit of a builder. Don't know a lot but I learn as I go. That's the best part. I know you're having a great time finding out what you can do.
I enjoy your site very much. Wish I could do what you are doing. Perhaps someday...
I was married to a non-handy man so I was the one that fixed the cars, renovated the kitchen (new cabinets and countertops), fixed the items around the house.
I had my toolbox and my husband and son had theirs. They weren't supposed to touch my tools but did anyway. I'd go in my toolbox and it was, "Where's my pliers? Where's my hammer? Where's my...ARRRGGG!" Sigh. So they had to have their own toolbox.
The only tools I am missing from my set is a scroll saw and a torque wrench.
Grin!
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