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AikiHomestead

Our Lifestyle Blog as We Create a Homestead in Northern Ontario

Month: June 2013

Improving and Extending our Driveway

April 16, 2020June 28, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

Crunching the numbers and economy of mixing my own concrete led me to the realization that there is a reason why so many people opt for ready-mix solutions. Not only do they save you a load of hard work schlepping gravel, sand, portland and water, which you then have to mix and pour. They can … Read more

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Insulating an Underground Water Line

April 16, 2020June 24, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

With the trench dug between my two structures, Grandpa was chomping at the bit to get the lines between both footings laid in and the trench filled in. We had a few rains which filled in the trench, requiring either bailing, or, in my lazy case, a siphon line with two garden hoses. At its … Read more

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Building a Log Sauna, the First Run

April 16, 2020June 23, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

With the block wall in place, it was time to start actually assembling beams for the sauna. Originally my plan had been for three inch thick walls at the sauna, and five inch thick walls for the cabin. When I found a source for much larger white pine, I upgraded the cabin walls to six … Read more

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Zodi On-Demand Hot Water Shower – First Impressions

April 16, 2020June 22, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

Continuing briefly on the theme of reviewing our latest purchases, here’s our thoughts on the Zodi Instant Hot Shower. Now that the warmer weather is here again, we find ourselves breaking a sweat much more often than in winter. Luckily, I found and broke out the good old “solar shower”. As I remembered, it was … Read more

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Our Panda Washing Machine – an Early Review

April 16, 2020June 19, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

As exciting as it was to move from buckets, to oddjob, to our own apartment sized washing machine, all good things must come to an end. As such, I was unimpressed the morning when we switched on the machine, it agitated briefly, and then died. Apparently agitation is contagious, as it spread to me immediately. … Read more

Categories bloggerPosts, experiments, reviews, solar power 4 Comments

Mosquito Bites – Sure is Fun to Scratch 'em!

April 16, 2020June 12, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

A few nights ago I tried to saw up a spindly tree that had fallen across the driveway. It was really warm, so I put on the bug shirt and no shirt underneath. By the time I finished, I ran back inside, itching like mad from the bites I received THROUGH THE SHIRT. Ack! Now … Read more

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New Tires for the Yanmar 155D!

April 16, 2020June 12, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

After the broken pin on the front axle of the Yanmar, I hadn’t been able to get the toe-in quite proper. This seemed to put lots of stress on the front end of the tractor, and the tires were beginning to show some evidence for this. As is my habit, I tried to ignore it. … Read more

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Concrete Block Observations

April 16, 2020June 12, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

Now I’ve had the chance to lay some more blocks, and I have noticed a few things. Please jump in (in the comments) to set me straight if you know more than I do (which is likely, trust me…). The directions on the mortar mix bags must be taken with a grain of salt (NOT … Read more

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Laying Concrete (Cinder) Blocks

April 16, 2020June 7, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

Well, after Grandpa and I poured all the concrete I had left, there was still some time in the day to tackle another task, so I decided to try my hand at the concrete blocks. I followed the directions on the package of Mortar Mix, but it sure seemed way too dry for me, so … Read more

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Framing the Footings for Our Cabin

April 16, 2020June 6, 2013 by Stephen Garstin

It’s funny how quickly you can forget important details when you are an adult, but little things from your childhood are lifetime memories. My vacation Bible school teachers will all be tickled to know that when Grandpa wasn’t talking to me, I spent much of the time working on the footings with “The Wise Man … Read more

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