DO NOT stack firewood against or even near your house. Even concrete will not stop termites and other pests from getting in. They nest in the ground under the wood stack, and build a highway in and out of the house.
Also fire hazard. One spark in wrong place and there is enough fuel and oxygen to burn whole house down. We have regulation where you can store wood more than two heating batches next to fire place and all fire wood needs to be stored least 5meters from any livable house. Not that many people follow such regulation..
Jess and Alyssa, I have been watching you guys on and off now for 3 year. I am 63 yr old and I have been working on my own home for over 10 yrs now (rehabbing and repairing it) and I am also starting my own businesses all while working a full time factory night shift job and I appreciate you courage, your honesty and your grit, and your willingness to be totally transparent in the hopes to give everyone who watches your channel knowledge and encouragement. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! When I am discourage, tired or feeling lost or down I watch your video and a get rejuvenated. Much love and respect to you both and thank you again for the one millionth time.
Instead of building a fire to keep your hot tub thawed, now that your on grid power go to a farm supply and buy a cattle tank heater and use it when your not heating it for pleasure. The tank heater will keep your hot tub just above freezing. Much easier than building a fire everyday.
I work for a home inspection company (US Inspect) . We recently did a training and you should never stack wood against your house unless you want to invite termites to your house for dinner. Wood stack should at least 10ft away from your house. Especially since there is no siding yet. Thought it would be helpful information for you.
Pro Tip: On an excavator like that with a thumb, if you scrounge up a piece of I-beam or even a (really) stout 6x6 you can us it like a giant trowel… We built a 12’ one that we use to level sub-grade inside buildings and save a days worth of raking by hand…. Moves snow like a banshee too.
Seriously tho termites in idaho are dampwood termites so they are less likely to damage structures....i understand there is the risk but not as much of a risk as else where
Nice job on the driveway ! An Electric stock water heater for horses or cattle are pretty cheap and reliable ,should keep your hottub from freezing. Your local feed store should carry them. Now that you have grid power , save your wood for hot tubbing :)
I used that same fabric all the way around our new house build with 5/8 rock on it to keep the framers and other subs out of the clay mud last winter. We are keeping the rock and fabric down as we don't want grass right up to the house. I didn't have the fabric when they put the driveway in but they laid 3" down so heavy equipment wouldn't sink. I've been topping that with 1 1/4 then 5/8 and know what you mean about trying to get it spread out and leveled properly. I understand wanting to get out of the camper into the house before winter. I was in our camper since last may till the day before Thanksgiving when we finally got sign off from the county. Now slowly moving in working on the rest of our place. Your place is looking good! The hard work is really paying off. I would look at getting the NG piped in and use it for your radiant boiler. We don't have NG available so I buried a 500 gallon propane tank to run our kitchen stove and gas fireplace. More expensive than NG but still less than all electric!
So proud of Alyssa in this video. You are getting more confident around the heavy equipment and really moving tasks along. Kind of jealous of all you are learning. Thank you guys for continuing to share this incredible journey.
Have you guys considered a simple cattle water trough heater, (available at most farm & garden stores) to keep your hot tub ice free? Don't have to start wood fires for it all the time to keep it thawed. Just keep the water level up.
I SURE ENJOY WATCHING YOU GUYS WORK, MAINLY BECAUSE I'VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING, THREE TIMES AND I AIN'T GONNA DO IT ANYMORE. PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SAY NEVER BECAUSE I MAY HAVE TO EAT MY WORDS. LOL
What time do you guys start work every day. A normal contractor os ready to work by 7am so you can finish before dark. That means getting up at 5 or 5:30, eating breakfast and tools in hand at 7am. If you do this, you will be done by dark every day.
Lighting a fire every day sounds like a pain in the butt! Put a stock water tank heater in it! It doesnt use much power and it keeps water from freezing. It works for us farmers!
Just a thought. Up here in Minnesota we use bubblers in water so it doesn’t freeze. When we have docks that are left in the lakes all year, we just put a bubbler next to it.
Thanks and well done once again. Very good video work. (and groundwork too) The front will look so amazing with a blanket of snow on it. Next spring break will be a good time to tidy up after you plow snow all winter.
That ground fabric is a great idea till you have to plow snow. One accidental gouge from a blade and that stuff will start coming up and the problems begin. Now, if you could burry it under 24 inches of gravel, you would probably be safe. 12 inches is more realistic but you really need to be careful. It’s a flipped mess when that stuff tears and comes up. Don’t ever try a snow blower after that . Ohhh the hell I have seen... and a blade will catch those torn flaps and make the problem worse and worse. Good luck!! -- should have finished watching the video before commenting but looks like your starting to see what I’m talking about sooner than expected.. best thing I could suggest is to just concentrate on dumping a lot of gravel on top and spread once it’s deep so you can avoid snags
The cement patties can be used as stepping stones for a walk way. Super stable upside down and just shave off the bottom so its flat and pleasant for the feet to walk on.
Just wondering if you guys might be interested in something like stock tank heaters? Amazon carries them for around $30-$40 or so. One would be great for your hot tub to keep it from freezing up, and you wouldn't have to keep the fire going so much. It's a thought......🤔
Good to be seeing more of bugaboo too Have you tried a blade on your atv to plow the snow? It's faster, less fuel and less damage to the driveway. Should have put a hottub in the garage 😂 Those led lights on the backhoe sure work great
Alyssa, I love your choice of music , its always perfect for whats going on! and I enjoy watching you 2 build your house. my neighbor is building a sip house so its interesting watching the 2 houses being built
Jesse & Alyssa that was a pretty long days work! At least this winter you can work on the inside & be dry & relatively warm. Certainly that will be better than the roof work! Keep up the great content!
1. Congrats on moving into the house and winterizing the trailer. 2. Grizzley -Cover with tarp and use as wood shed. 3. Wood storage under deck directly under the hot tub or down hill. Just Ideas. Time for indoor projects. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
I spent six weeks here in Maine clearing acres of land late this year only to get hit by the early arrival of winter snow this year and loose progress in the back and forth between frozen ground and snow and thaw to mud. I lost easily 100 yards of delivered crushed stone because I wasn’t able to get the geotextile fabric down before the snow snuck up on me. It turned into an endless game of stripping snow and frozen ground to try to lay out proper material only to have it liquify. Be thankful you got done what you did. You just saved yourself from loosing a lot of material.
It's hard to believe, but wasn't it like a year ago already that you were installing those LED's on the Backhoe?!? It's been an awesome time watching you both work together and achieve your goals!
Two thoughts about some things that should make your new life in the house better: (1) Buy a couple of 4' X 8' sheets of rigid foam and cover the opening to the loft. This will help keep the heat at the living level from rising up to the loft. (2) Install floodlights high up on the front of the house to light the driveway area. It would make night plowing, or any outside work, easier, rather than using the backhoe's light bar.
A lot of people gave me a lot of Guff because I chose not to use fabric and it's a trade-off. I didn't use fabric because in the future grading it often pulls up the fabric kind of like what happened to you early. Looking forward to seeing finished project, thank you and good luck. You will finish strong!
did i ever tell you about the day i watched in horror as a 1970 impala took off over the side of the driveway, went down a fairly steep slope about 100 feet, hit a tree which bowled over without hesitation, narrowly missing a near new early 80's monte carlo that was driving by on the road below, before plowing into the shoulder of the road and rendering itself done? true story... good times.
So why don't you buy one of the small heating elements used in traditional hot tubs and a small pump to circulate the water, and just use it to keep water from freezing. It wouldn't require much wattage to just keep it above 32F. Just a thought.
Watched again and had a funny thought: If the very first camera ever was the first, what camera took it's picture? Sorry about the whacked Canon but I'm happy another cam got to record the event.
Are yard lights going to be a springtime project? As I said on your facebook, congratulations on being caught up on your videos. I like to check your dates on Instagram compared to your videos., and see just how close you are getting. You made it!
Hmm, that tune... at 0:35 when the bells or whatever starts playing, it reminds me of another tune that I may have heard on the radio some time ago. But what is it...
Love your channel. Cool slide effects with the drone shots. Are you concerned that stacking the wood that close to the back of the house, and all the way up to the osb, will encourage mice to infiltrate? I think they would have a hard time getting into the house (except the garage side obviously, but you can control that by closing the doors whenever you go through) but it looks like you've given them a ladder...
Hey guys, keep up the great work, the problem you having with the lighting at night is a easy fix, put lighting on the front section of house to add better lighting characteristics when doing your driveway consider using the Baja racing lights.
You should look into a recycled rolled concrete product. It usually pretty cheap and it interlocks differently than regular rock so it lasts a lot longer than stone.
DO NOT stack firewood against or even near your house. Even concrete will not stop termites and other pests from getting in. They nest in the ground under the wood stack, and build a highway in and out of the house.
No termites in the deep freezing north.😊
Also fire hazard. One spark in wrong place and there is enough fuel and oxygen to burn whole house down. We have regulation where you can store wood more than two heating batches next to fire place and all fire wood needs to be stored least 5meters from any livable house. Not that many people follow such regulation..
Jess and Alyssa, I have been watching you guys on and off now for 3 year. I am 63 yr old and I have been working on my own home for over 10 yrs now (rehabbing and repairing it) and I am also starting my own businesses all while working a full time factory night shift job and I appreciate you courage, your honesty and your grit, and your willingness to be totally transparent in the hopes to give everyone who watches your channel knowledge and encouragement. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! When I am discourage, tired or feeling lost or down I watch your video and a get rejuvenated. Much love and respect to you both and thank you again for the one millionth time.
Instead of building a fire to keep your hot tub thawed, now that your on grid power go to a farm supply and buy a cattle tank heater and use it when your not heating it for pleasure. The tank heater will keep your hot tub just above freezing. Much easier than building a fire everyday.
I work for a home inspection company (US Inspect) . We recently did a training and you should never stack wood against your house unless you want to invite termites to your house for dinner. Wood stack should at least 10ft away from your house. Especially since there is no siding yet. Thought it would be helpful information for you.
Barbara Fleisch Termites are not a problem at 15°.
Pro Tip: On an excavator like that with a thumb, if you scrounge up a piece of I-beam or even a (really) stout 6x6 you can us it like a giant trowel… We built a 12’ one that we use to level sub-grade inside buildings and save a days worth of raking by hand…. Moves snow like a banshee too.
Seriously! You only stack wood up against your house if you want to live with termites! 💜🌞🌵
Seriously tho termites in idaho are dampwood termites so they are less likely to damage structures....i understand there is the risk but not as much of a risk as else where
My Grandpa told me never stack firewood next to the house. He said that termites love dry wood and It encourages them to eat your house.
Nice job on the driveway !
An Electric stock water heater for horses or cattle are pretty cheap and reliable ,should keep your hottub from freezing. Your local feed store should carry them. Now that you have grid power , save your wood for hot tubbing :)
I used that same fabric all the way around our new house build with 5/8 rock on it to keep the framers and other subs out of the clay mud last winter. We are keeping the rock and fabric down as we don't want grass right up to the house. I didn't have the fabric when they put the driveway in but they laid 3" down so heavy equipment wouldn't sink. I've been topping that with 1 1/4 then 5/8 and know what you mean about trying to get it spread out and leveled properly. I understand wanting to get out of the camper into the house before winter. I was in our camper since last may till the day before Thanksgiving when we finally got sign off from the county. Now slowly moving in working on the rest of our place. Your place is looking good! The hard work is really paying off. I would look at getting the NG piped in and use it for your radiant boiler. We don't have NG available so I buried a 500 gallon propane tank to run our kitchen stove and gas fireplace. More expensive than NG but still less than all electric!
So proud of Alyssa in this video. You are getting more confident around the heavy equipment and really moving tasks along. Kind of jealous of all you are learning. Thank you guys for continuing to share this incredible journey.
You guys are a great couple working together is awesome.
Have you guys considered a simple cattle water trough heater, (available at most farm & garden stores) to keep your hot tub ice free? Don't have to start wood fires for it all the time to keep it thawed. Just keep the water level up.
On the garage wall for the appliance put strips the wall and sheet rock you will have enough room for the regular boxes
I was going to suggest this as well they are super cheap and not expensive to run.
I SURE ENJOY WATCHING YOU GUYS WORK, MAINLY BECAUSE I'VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING, THREE TIMES AND I AIN'T GONNA DO IT ANYMORE. PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SAY NEVER BECAUSE I MAY HAVE TO EAT MY WORDS. LOL
What time do you guys start work every day. A normal contractor os ready to work by 7am so you can finish before dark. That means getting up at 5 or 5:30, eating breakfast and tools in hand at 7am. If you do this, you will be done by dark every day.
You two have done an amazing job on that driveway
All can say is this :Hard work, even in the dark, pays off and here we can see it - HUGE IMPROVEMENT on your driveway. xxx
You guys have to be one of the most hard working determined couples out there. Your knowledge and work ethic are amazing.
Lighting a fire every day sounds like a pain in the butt! Put a stock water tank heater in it! It doesnt use much power and it keeps water from freezing. It works for us farmers!
This is wisest advice I have seen on this subject
"Call in Camarata!" :-) That's a great job you're doing.
Outline the edge of the driveway with the big pretty boulders😍😂 u dont want anybody sliding over the edge on ice!
Just a thought. Up here in Minnesota we use bubblers in water so it doesn’t freeze. When we have docks that are left in the lakes all year, we just put a bubbler next to it.
Thanks and well done once again. Very good video work. (and groundwork too) The front will look so amazing with a blanket of snow on it. Next spring break will be a good time to tidy up after you plow snow all winter.
That ground fabric is a great idea till you have to plow snow. One accidental gouge from a blade and that stuff will start coming up and the problems begin. Now, if you could burry it under 24 inches of gravel, you would probably be safe. 12 inches is more realistic but you really need to be careful. It’s a flipped mess when that stuff tears and comes up. Don’t ever try a snow blower after that . Ohhh the hell I have seen... and a blade will catch those torn flaps and make the problem worse and worse. Good luck!! -- should have finished watching the video before commenting but looks like your starting to see what I’m talking about sooner than expected.. best thing I could suggest is to just concentrate on dumping a lot of gravel on top and spread once it’s deep so you can avoid snags
Good progress under difficult conditions. Love the teamwork.
Why not just empty the hot tub for the winter? Especially now that you have a real tub with Endless hot water... ?
Drain the hot tub and worry about it next year...
draining it would allow the boards to shrink and would cause MAJOR leakage when refilled
"i miss working with you." that was nice.
The cement patties can be used as stepping stones for a walk way. Super stable upside down and just shave off the bottom so its flat and pleasant for the feet to walk on.
DIY Gabion Walls might be away to use up some of those rocks in a beautiful way. Just a thought. Hugs ya'll
Just a note on the production of this video. I loved the sound track for the "moon digging" part of the video. Such a good artistic choice.
I'd recommend storing your fire wood away from the house to avoid future termite infestations...Party on Dudes.
Merry Christmas!🎄🎄🎄🎄
Despite all the setbacks, mistakes, and challenges, it really is impressive to see how far you've come!
the music being played during the rock spread on the fabric sounds like a Vegas magic show LOL
One is never too old to learn. I had never heard of this fabric for a road.. Great idea!! Well done!
Really loved the intro music on this one.
Jep, great sound! Love to know the name of that song! And nice cutting and video skills!
Alyssa's hat & scarf game is on point!
You should not put firewood near the house, fire risk and bugs that will destroy your house will be a problem. Check out forest fires risk.
Nice pre-roll "What do you think, should we put a driveway in.". Great editing Alyssa. Good to see you work the backhoe.
Just wondering if you guys might be interested in something like stock tank heaters? Amazon carries them for around $30-$40 or so. One would be great for your hot tub to keep it from freezing up, and you wouldn't have to keep the fire going so much. It's a thought......🤔
Keep and stay warm guys. God bless you both.
Things happen when you play in the dark !! Looking good, Thanks for sharing.
Get a large fish tank heater or 3 for the hot tub. Should keep it above freezing so you can spend less time and wood dealing with it.
Good to be seeing more of bugaboo too
Have you tried a blade on your atv to plow the snow? It's faster, less fuel and less damage to the driveway.
Should have put a hottub in the garage 😂
Those led lights on the backhoe sure work great
Alyssa, I love your choice of music , its always perfect for whats going on!
and I enjoy watching you 2 build your house. my neighbor is building a sip house so its interesting watching the 2 houses being built
Jesse & Alyssa that was a pretty long days work! At least this winter you can work on the inside & be dry & relatively warm. Certainly that will be better than the roof work! Keep up the great content!
A horse troughs heater would be great for the hot tub
1. Congrats on moving into the house and winterizing the trailer.
2. Grizzley -Cover with tarp and use as wood shed.
3. Wood storage under deck directly under the hot tub or down hill.
Just Ideas.
Time for indoor projects.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
I spent six weeks here in Maine clearing acres of land late this year only to get hit by the early arrival of winter snow this year and loose progress in the back and forth between frozen ground and snow and thaw to mud. I lost easily 100 yards of delivered crushed stone because I wasn’t able to get the geotextile fabric down before the snow snuck up on me. It turned into an endless game of stripping snow and frozen ground to try to lay out proper material only to have it liquify. Be thankful you got done what you did. You just saved yourself from loosing a lot of material.
Do your bugs live in the wood pile? With the pile next to the house will they migrate into your SIP’s?
Must feel so good to visually see so much open space on your property.
Thank you I didn't know about road fabric. Now I can fix my driveway the right way.
Love how Bugaboo helped push the door open with his paw. Driveway is looking good, especially given the low light conditions.
don't stack wood against your house... bugs.
Good time of year to be an indoor kitty! Love your updates :-)
Really enjoying the work light videos! People further South usually don't have a clue about how short the days are in the PNW!
Probably a stupid question but why don’t they have siding on yet? Surly more important than a bathroom before winter hits, won’t the OSB swell?
Bodgemiester at the very least, I would’ve put up house wrap.
Jesse,
you should install some outdoor lighting for this evening working.
You guys rock!!
Drain the hot tub til spring, so you don't waste anymore of your time.
Another excellent foray into your adventures.
Hard days word is so rewarding, but it always helps if it goes your way!
It was nice to see your house at night with the lights on inside.
Just a heads up, It's not a good idea to have firewood stacked against the house, it's a termite hotel.
Well done a brilliant job
A very Happy Christmas to you both and Buggaboo !
It's hard to believe, but wasn't it like a year ago already that you were installing those LED's on the Backhoe?!? It's been an awesome time watching you both work together and achieve your goals!
Two thoughts about some things that should make your new life in the house better: (1) Buy a couple of 4' X 8' sheets of rigid foam and cover the opening to the loft. This will help keep the heat at the living level from rising up to the loft. (2) Install floodlights high up on the front of the house to light the driveway area. It would make night plowing, or any outside work, easier, rather than using the backhoe's light bar.
I'd drain the hot tub till spring and put your woodburner in the house to use all that wood and cut electric bill?
Nice project day! Love seeing the machines in action.
Bugaboo has the whole coat thing covered.
I think it looks great!
Love watching you both keep up the good work Dale
why not drain it ?yes the seams will open but a few days in the spring running the water it will tighten up.
you two are doing it...your doing the " IT Thing!" much love and god,s peace be with you two
A lot of people gave me a lot of Guff because I chose not to use fabric and it's a trade-off. I didn't use fabric because in the future grading it often pulls up the fabric kind of like what happened to you early. Looking forward to seeing finished project, thank you and good luck. You will finish strong!
did i ever tell you about the day i watched in horror as a 1970 impala took off over the side of the driveway, went down a fairly steep slope about 100 feet, hit a tree which bowled over without hesitation, narrowly missing a near new early 80's monte carlo that was driving by on the road below, before plowing into the shoulder of the road and rendering itself done?
true story... good times.
Keep up the great work
3 word: Exterior Work Lights
Put that grid power to work for you on these evening projects!
So why don't you buy one of the small heating elements used in traditional hot tubs and a small pump to circulate the water, and just use it to keep water from freezing. It wouldn't require much wattage to just keep it above 32F. Just a thought.
Fastest way to cut landscape fabric or filter fabric is with a hand held butane torch no more dull utility blades
You two make a good team.
Nice music choice.
why not drain the hot tub??? Why waste your time and wood heating the hot tub in the winter? It's called winterizing.
my favorite RUclips channel!
Heat the hot tub with an electric element. its fast and easy, and not much to do everyday.
Watched again and had a funny thought: If the very first camera ever was the first, what camera took it's picture? Sorry about the whacked Canon but I'm happy another cam got to record the event.
Are yard lights going to be a springtime project? As I said on your facebook, congratulations on being caught up on your videos. I like to check your dates on Instagram compared to your videos., and see just how close you are getting. You made it!
throw up couple of temp outside lights on the house. Just a thought
There is already place for them to light up balcony so would be good idea to wire them at this point to utilize on winter darkness.
Use the wood to heat your house and put a stock tank heater in the hot tub to keep it from freezing in the Winter.
nice job, until it freezes ,plowing snow will move many rocks. try to leave a inch or 2 over the top
Hi from Tasmania Summer down here ,Have a great 2019
"I miss working with you." So sweet!
So what happens when you plow the snow? Aren't the rocks gonna get moved and mixed in with the snow?
themanonthestreet very little gravel will be moved if you know how to properly plow snow.
Hmm, that tune... at 0:35 when the bells or whatever starts playing, it reminds me of another tune that I may have heard on the radio some time ago. But what is it...
Love your channel. Cool slide effects with the drone shots. Are you concerned that stacking the wood that close to the back of the house, and all the way up to the osb, will encourage mice to infiltrate? I think they would have a hard time getting into the house (except the garage side obviously, but you can control that by closing the doors whenever you go through) but it looks like you've given them a ladder...
Hey guys, keep up the great work, the problem you having with the lighting at night is a easy fix, put lighting on the front section of house to add better lighting characteristics when doing your driveway consider using the Baja racing lights.
I watch many Homesteading Channels...there's not one woman who even comes close to what Alyssa has accomplished let alone many of the Husbands...
Winter in Phoenix, today 69 degrees.
That song at13:10 is beautiful. Does anyone know the artist or song name?
You should look into a recycled rolled concrete product. It usually pretty cheap and it interlocks differently than regular rock so it lasts a lot longer than stone.
Dense graded aggregate