WildflowersOn our place we have wildflowers blooming (July), and two of our favorites are the blue Artic Lupine and the pink Sitka Rose. Later in the summer the artic fireweed will bloom in rings of flowers that fall off as winter approaches. A few more hardy of the pink Sitka roses will also bloom in very late summer or fall for a few more weeks.
Water WellIt was over 250' from our well to our cabin, in the summer we managed to carry water to our home with garden hoses but as winter fell it was a blessing to bury a 1" line from the the well to the house. In Alaska you hope to bury a water line at 10' because the frost can be as deep as 6'. Our water table was high however at some places only got buried to 7', but they have foam insulation on top and are right on the water table that does not freeze, so it should be okay.
Adding a DoorwayOur house was never really thoughtfully laid out. Things ended up where they might fit, which is quirky and fun! One challenge though, is our bedroom had no easy way to reach the bathroom, which in distress at night could be an issue. So, Tim cut a new doorway in (which wasn't so simple as he had to cut through four layers of walls, including two layers of exterior siding), but it is in now and handy.
Office/music roomWe brightened a small, dark bedroom into a study/office/music room with a splash of new paint and adhesive floor tiles! People moving out of Alaska and the ReStore provided much of the office furniture.
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Redemption Station, Big Lake AlaskaFollow our progress as we rebuild a five-acre property from a fixer-upper into a comfortable place to live and love others in the name of Christ. Here's the twist.... it's in rural Alaska.... we have limited funds so we salvage, thrift, and look for free materials. Join us for plumbing, gardening, framing, electrical, mechanical projects and more!
FloorplanStove PipeFrom time to time a wood stove pipe has to be opened and scrubbed. A pile several inches high of soot came out, and in while I was up on the roof I installed a new cap, to stop rain from coming in, to allow the stove to breath, and to protect the house from stray sparks!
Well SwitchEvery well has to know when to cut the pump on and off. Well, our pump would either turn on and not back off, or not turn on at all. The solution is this little box that turns the pump on at low pressure (40 psi) and then back off at 60 psi. In our case, the diaphragm broke, but in most cases, the points of the switch fail; either way, about five years is all you should reasonably expect out of a switch. It is easy to change, but when a repair involves electricity and water, you have to be careful, and if you're not sure get help!
HeatHere at the cabin we don't have any grid utilities besides electricity. We pump our own water, deal with our own ... water, and have to hual our own fuel to heat with, like most people in rural Alaska we do this with both wood heat from a stove and with oil heaters using a tank and line set up outside.
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Junk RV Becomes Useful AgainI see you have a junk RV... I need a flatbed trailer... while not the best (yes I will make fenders), this RV cut down will live on in the Alaska bush as a flatbed trailer. Overall it cost about 1/10 of what it would to buy a trailer to convert one (disclaimer: I bought it cut down).
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Storage to bedroomThe back third of our house was a dark storage room, and after cutting in the door and window, a lot more light comes in. Now the walls are painted and new flooring laid so we can set it up as a bedroom. More photos to come!
Getting Set Up To WeldA German word that is hard to pronounce is Hzx-vogen, but they do make an amazing welder! We bought this machine used, and so far it has been great. With welders charging about 50 cents a minute here in Alaska, doing it ourselves is the best option!
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Shark! Sharkbite...Commonly, 1/2" water lines are joined with metal couplers. These are called SharkBites fittings because you push in the pipe and little 'teeth' bite into the pipe and hold it fast, making a watertight seal. They are wonderfully helpful, although I would never use one in a wall or anywhere I could not keep an eye on it, as they are good, but not foolproof.
New Bedroom FloorThe floor in the bedroom was very uneven with a few holes in it. By sheeting it in fresh plywood, we were able to install vinyl self-stick flooring, which is much cheaper than other options and has the flexibly to contour to an uneven subfloor.
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