Going Off Grid in East Tennessee (Adamsville, Adams: driveways, ceramic, monthly)

[burr]

Be aware of the 'river' that will be flowing down your drive after paving and curbs. Where it ends is where the wash-out starts. A proper crown on your drive, whether paved or not, will utilize those ditches you've been cleaning and working (so hard on). Curbing requires proper drainage planning too, also kinda restricts the working width of your drive.

oops, forgot you were holding back on us and we're almost two months behind, probably too late for further consideration ...

[kygman]

That monster week Mike is cutting is a thistle. It may be the national flower in Scotland but it's a pain in the butt here! lol I was noticing the ditches along your drive. A way to keep it all from washing out is to put some rip rap every so often down the hill, like a small dam. Maybe a little less than half the distance between the bottom and top of the ditch. The water will go over it but it will leave any dirt that was washing out with it.

[younglisa7]

burr- Thank you for the info. At our old farm we did the same thing with the pavement and the curbs. The drive was graded on a slant and openings were cut at certain points along the drive so the water would go into the ditch. This prevented washouts. We will also do that here. Yes the driveway is more narrow but I like the paving so much better. Shh!!!



Kygman-That is a huge weed, lol. Mike and I haven't gotten as far as we planned with the ditch line but we do have some dams closer to the culvert. They work really well. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Granny Sue]

Thanks for another great update! You know....I could send the puppy of mass destruction up to you.
He would help.....some....ok not at all.
But he might chase those cows away.

[Gatti]

I'm getting quite fond of those nosy cows...they would make a great subject for a childran's book. You can write that in your spare time :-D

[cassy1]

Oh your view is so beautiful Lisa, I could just sit and look at it, must be beautiful at sunset.

[Jaxson]

Love the updates and glad Niki got into one of the pics too. Oh I agree with Nomad's post also.

[CA Sweet Pea]

Originally Posted by Gatti

I'm getting quite fond of those nosy cows...they would make a great subject for a childran's book. You can write that in your spare time :-D

I had to laugh out loud at this one. All the time thinking this must be Lisa's face .....

All kidding aside - Lisa has a way of telling the story and I'm sure that she could write great stories for kids - and yes the nosy cows would make great lead characters!

Lisa - once again - thanks for a great post!

[Maverick7687]

House looks awesome! I love seeing things like this, it's inspiration since my dream is to one day find some land like this and build my own house the way I want it.
I do have a question though, and you might have answered it a hundred times but I couldn't find it.

How did you calculate how much power you needed from the solar panels and windmills?
How much power does each one generate at optimal performance?
What are you using to store the power to use when the wind is still or at night?

The idea of living off-grid is awesome, and something I really would like to do. Living in the city I have been told that if you produce your own power and leave the meter hooked up, KUB will essentially 'purchase' power from you if you produce more than you can use. I like this idea in a 'sticking it to the Man' kind of way.

One more thing, living in an area like that, you should invest in a tractor. That way if people get stuck you don't have to call someone to get them out, and if it's a sales person or someone you don't know, you can charge.. haha

[ttazzman]

Originally Posted by Maverick7687

One more thing, living in an area like that, you should invest in a tractor.

Im curious....your advocating they invest in ANOTHER tractor?? or am i missing something?