Prepper stuff I've learned this year

[Inor]

As you all know, Mrs Inor and I have spent the last year building a house. (We actually broke ground on it a year ago last Sunday.) We did not do the whole thing ourselves like Pastor Dwight did with his. We paid a builder to take it through the sheetrock and taping. We have done almost everything else since. If you have been following our blog, you know it has been one crazy adventure after another.

The build is far enough along that we were finally able to get the plumber back today to hook up the propane and get the hot water heater installed. (Yes, I know how to install a hot water heater but I absolutely loathe plumbing work, so I am more than happy to fix that one with my checkbook.) We still have a BUNCH of work to do until it is complete, but as of today the house is functionally complete, with all of the modern conveniences through about 1970.

We started our part of the build about 8 months ago. At that time, the house had no electricity, no running water (although the well was working), no toilets, nothing. Since we took over the build, we have spent every free moment out there working on it. I have scheduled at least 1 week per month away from my work to work on the house. While we are working on it, we just stay at the house (I.E. We do not commute back to the rental house every day.) So until today, we have basically been living how we would live if SHTF while we are working on the house.

Here are a few things I have noticed:

1 - Washing clothes: It takes about 2 hours to wash 3 days of clothes for two people by hand. We used 2, #3 wash tubs. One was filled with water and soap, the other with rinse water. We used a new toilet plunger to scrub them which seemed to work fine. Then hang them to dry them. The problem we ran into at first was once they dried, the cloth was EXTREMELY stiff; to the point they were uncomfortable to wear. The solution was to add a second rinse with some liquid fabric softener. I need to stock more liquid fabric softener.

2 - Cooking is much less of a hassle than I thought it would be. Until today, we had to cook all of our meals over charcoal or using a propane camp stove. The charcoal was actually easier and also allowed us to do some baking. The propane was faster. But either way, it was pretty much a non-issue.

3 - Grooming: When we were just working on the house for 2-3 days, we did not worry too much about bathing. Yes we stunk, but beyond that it was not a big deal. But going more than 2-3 days without a proper shower in this climate, the salt from the sweat built up on our skin and started to cause a rash. It was like Monkey Butt, except all over our bodies. We have a solar shower that we used and it worked well, but I am definitely going to buy at least 4 spares so we can shower every day. That rash was more debilitating to our ability to work than even the injuries we encountered.

4 - Injuries: Fortunately, neither of us has had any injury serious enough to require medical attention. (Knock wood) But both of us have had a LOT of soft tissue injuries through this process. Pretty much, since the second week that we started our part of the build, one or both of us has been nursing some kind of injury. Yes, that part sucks. But once we took the mindset that a gnawing pain was part of the deal, it did not bother us as much. In SHTF, it seems to be a given that something is always going to hurt. Deal with it buttercup.

So these are the things I have noticed, living without modern conveniences for the last several months.

[Inor]

After work today, I came out to M. T. Acres to spend the next week working on the house. I have a few minor cleanup projects to get ready for the final inspection. (I am planning on having to do a few "final inspections" before I get it all right. But what the hell, it's a start.) Then I will be able to get started on making the drawers and doors for the cabinets which is the most fun part of building cabinets.

Tonight I took my first hot shower at M. T. Acres! It feels like doing a victory lap!!! WOO HOO!!!

[hawgrider]

After work today, I came out to M. T. Acres to spend the next week working on the house. I have a few minor cleanup projects to get ready for the final inspection. (I am planning on having to do a few "final inspections" before I get it all right. But what the hell, it's a start.) Then I will be able to get started on making the drawers and doors for the cabinets which is the most fun part of building cabinets.

Tonight I took my first hot shower at M. T. Acres! It feels like doing a victory lap!!! WOO HOO!!!

I bet Mrs Inor is glad you don't stink now.:)

[Inor]

I bet Mrs Inor is glad you don't stink now.:)

She has a bad cold right now so she could not smell my stench even if I did! :biglaugh:

[Coppertop]

Inor

I am very glad you and Mrs are getting things set up and done. Good Job! I know it's been a long time coming.

[OSFG]

Inor... Great observations.

Having had one (1) desert uniform for the 8 months I spent in WW Desert Storm...way back when and hand washed it weekly I can attest to the scratchiness of hand washed clothes. Didn't have any fabric softener....well I really didn't have any laundry soap either....just used hand soap and water.

I think its great that you guys got to taste the essential living conditions. It'll definitely help you to better plan future preps.

[Slippy]

Excellent observations Inor!

Proud of you and Mrs I!

[Inor]

Well, I called for the first "final" inspection today. He is supposedly coming out tomorrow. I do not hold much hope for passing on the first go around. But I do not know what they want and what they do not care about until we have had the first.

I still have to make the doors and drawers for the cabinets. So I am a little concerned about that. But in reading the code, it does not say anything about requiring them, so we'll see. I am confident all of the mechanical/electrical/plumbing is going to pass.

Other than painting, I have not done anything with my office or the guest bedroom. But I cannot imagine that will be a problem. Also, I do not have all the trim up, but I cannot imagine that will be an issue either.

The only other thing that could be an issue, that I just noticed today... The permit states that we cannot "live in or use" anything in the house until we pass the final inspection. Obviously, we have been using everything as we get it installed, for "testing" of course. So we spent this evening packing up all of the cooking stuff, our spare clothes, all of the soaps and cleaning supplies, etc. and hiding them in our cargo trailer.

My garage looks like a beat-to-shit cabinet shop (which is basically what it is) with about 1/4 inch of sawdust on the floor and piles of crap everywhere. But if he complains about that I am going to point out that it is pretty hard to build a house without a few tools... :biglaugh:

As I said, I do not expect to get the final sign off tomorrow, but rather to get some info on what it is they are actually looking for.

[A Watchman]

Well, I called for the first "final" inspection today. He is supposedly coming out tomorrow. I do not hold much hope for passing on the first go around. But I do not know what they want and what they do not care about until we have had the first.

I still have to make the doors and drawers for the cabinets. So I am a little concerned about that. But in reading the code, it does not say anything about requiring them, so we'll see. I am confident all of the mechanical/electrical/plumbing is going to pass.

Other than painting, I have not done anything with my office or the guest bedroom. But I cannot imagine that will be a problem. Also, I do not have all the trim up, but I cannot imagine that will be an issue either.

The only other thing that could be an issue, that I just noticed today... The permit states that we cannot "live in or use" anything in the house until we pass the final inspection. Obviously, we have been using everything as we get it installed, for "testing" of course. So we spent this evening packing up all of the cooking stuff, our spare clothes, all of the soaps and cleaning supplies, etc. and hiding them in our cargo trailer.

My garage looks like a beat-to-shit cabinet shop (which is basically what it is) with about 1/4 inch of sawdust on the floor and piles of crap everywhere. But if he complains about that I am going to point out that it is pretty hard to build a house without a few tools... :biglaugh:

As I said, I do not expect to get the final sign off tomorrow, but rather to get some info on what it is they are actually looking for.

Inor, I have enjoyed your journey through your weekly blog. Good luck with the inspection!

[Inor]

So we had our inspection today and failed as I expected. But what surprised me was what we failed on. He failed us because we did not have sediment traps on the propane lines, which after he explained to me what sediment traps were, makes perfect sense. The plumber is coming in the morning to install them.

The second problem was we do not have arc fault breakers on the electrical circuits for the bedrooms. That was one that I wondered about, but it was not a requirement when we pulled the permits, but has since become a requirement. I called the builder, since the breaker panel was done during his part of the build. He mentioned that he told the electricians to install arc fault breakers and they even had a box of them at the house during their work, but must not have installed them. He figures they did not install them, trying to "get one past" the inspector and used them on another job. They are going to install them next Monday or Tuesday. Too bad boys, I am not going to pay you extra for them as they are about $120 each as opposed to about $8 each for normal breakers.

But what really shocked me was what he said about the work Mrs Inor and I have done. He said that we FAR exceeded code on our part and that our craftsmanship was as good or better than the pros!

So, hopefully next Wednesday or Thursday, our man Zach, the inspector, will be coming back to do the final again and give us the sign-off!

Today was a VERY good day, even though we failed the inspection. But more about that on my next blog entry, Sunday or Monday.

[Sparkyprep]

So we had our inspection today and failed as I expected. But what surprised me was what we failed on. He failed us because we did not have sediment traps on the propane lines, which after he explained to me what sediment traps were, makes perfect sense. The plumber is coming in the morning to install them.

The second problem was we do not have arc fault breakers on the electrical circuits for the bedrooms. That was one that I wondered about, but it was not a requirement when we pulled the permits, but has since become a requirement. I called the builder, since the breaker panel was done during his part of the build. He mentioned that he told the electricians to install arc fault breakers and they even had a box of them at the house during their work, but must not have installed them. He figures they did not install them, trying to "get one past" the inspector and used them on another job. They are going to install them next Monday or Tuesday. Too bad boys, I am not going to pay you extra for them as they are about $120 each as opposed to about $8 each for normal breakers.

But what really shocked me was what he said about the work Mrs Inor and I have done. He said that we FAR exceeded code on our part and that our craftsmanship was as good or better than the pros!

So, hopefully next Wednesday or Thursday, our man Zach, the inspector, will be coming back to do the final again and give us the sign-off!

Today was a VERY good day, even though we failed the inspection. But more about that on my next blog entry, Sunday or Monday.
Inor, I could write ten paragraphs on arc fault breakers, but I will shorten it down to this-

Keep the “regular” breakers that your electrician removes. You are going to want them. After you pass final inspection, change them back, and throw out the arc fault breakers. They are such useless, annoying, and unreliable pieces of junk that the National Electric Code eliminated their required use after only three years of having the requirement in the Code. I can only assume that you have a local building code that maintains their requirement in new construction.

The only reason this new, untested, and crappy technology made it into the National Electric Code to begin with was the fact that the inventor/ patent holder was on a Code-making committee. Even then, it was eliminated a short three years later.

[Inor]

Inor, I could write ten paragraphs on arc fault breakers, but I will shorten it down to this-

Keep the “regular” breakers that your electrician removes. You are going to want them. After you pass final inspection, change them back, and throw out the arc fault breakers. They are such useless, annoying, and unreliable pieces of junk that the National Electric Code eliminated their required use after only three years of having the requirement in the Code. I can only assume that you have a local building code that maintains their requirement in new construction.

The only reason this new, untested, and crappy technology made it into the National Electric Code to begin with was the fact that the inventor/ patent holder was on a Code-making committee. Even then, it was eliminated a short three years later.

Thanks for the info! I will keep them and put them back in after we pass the final!

When I asked inspector what they were, he told me they are basically a GFI for the whole circuit. So I stupidly asked, why can't we just put a GFI as the first outlet on the circuit and get the rest of the power for the room from that?

He just looked at me. :biglaugh:

[MountainGirl]

So we had our inspection today and failed as I expected. But what surprised me was what we failed on. He failed us because we did not have sediment traps on the propane lines, which after he explained to me what sediment traps were, makes perfect sense. The plumber is coming in the morning to install them.

The second problem was we do not have arc fault breakers on the electrical circuits for the bedrooms. That was one that I wondered about, but it was not a requirement when we pulled the permits, but has since become a requirement. I called the builder, since the breaker panel was done during his part of the build. He mentioned that he told the electricians to install arc fault breakers and they even had a box of them at the house during their work, but must not have installed them. He figures they did not install them, trying to "get one past" the inspector and used them on another job. They are going to install them next Monday or Tuesday. Too bad boys, I am not going to pay you extra for them as they are about $120 each as opposed to about $8 each for normal breakers.

But what really shocked me was what he said about the work Mrs Inor and I have done. He said that we FAR exceeded code on our part and that our craftsmanship was as good or better than the pros!

So, hopefully next Wednesday or Thursday, our man Zach, the inspector, will be coming back to do the final again and give us the sign-off!

Today was a VERY good day, even though we failed the inspection. But more about that on my next blog entry, Sunday or Monday.

Yay!!! Great to hear, Inor. You two have worked sooooo hard on this.
So very awesome!! :dancingguy::girldancer:

[Inor]

We passed our final inspection today!

The house is far from done. But it is good enough that the county will let us move in!!! WOO HOO!!!

[hawgrider]

We passed our final inspection today!

The house is far from done. But it is good enough that the county will let us move in!!! WOO HOO!!!

Congrats! The pressure is off!

[juskom95]

We passed our final inspection today!

The house is far from done. But it is good enough that the county will let us move in!!! WOO HOO!!!

Great news!

https://i.imgur.com/FZhq0mY.gif

[A Watchman]

Congrats! Now get back to work and finish the darn thing!

[Sparkyprep]

Deep breath....

[MountainGirl]

We passed our final inspection today!

The house is far from done. But it is good enough that the county will let us move in!!! WOO HOO!!!

That is great!!! Now yer legal. :hippie: :yourock:

[Coppertop]

Great news friends!
Congrats and good job.

[BlackDog]

We passed our final inspection today!

The house is far from done. But it is good enough that the county will let us move in!!! WOO HOO!!!Congratulations! That's a huge accomplishment!

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