Don't try this at home, y'all!

I originally wrote the post below in March of 2013, but I'm updating it so that it'll come up first when you visit this page. Spoiler Alert! BaHa Ranch is now defunct - it didn't work out. I think this is the post that comes closest to explaining why it didn't work...read on for the dirty details!




So I haven't posted anything in a while. I didn't want to get on here and complain, but then, you don't really have to read this, do you? So stop reading if you don't want to hear why living in a shipping container is a very, very bad idea.

I am cold. I have been cold all winter. Luckily for us, it has been a mild winter, with days in the 60's and even in the 80's. But that doesn't stop the temperature in this semi-arid environment from dropping below freezing even if the day has been mild. Many nights have been in the 20's and 30's. And we've had our share of cold fronts, too, when it's cold around the clock. Here's what we use for heat:

It's not the most efficient wood stove out there, but it's what we could afford. And it's priceless on cold nights. See the wall behind the stove? Yep, that's just bare, un-insulated metal. So basically, the temperature inside matches the temperature outside, until we get a fire built.

There are cracks all around the pipe, because it doesn't fit flush with the wall. The duct tape we put up to solve the problem has melted in several places. So wind comes right in through the cracks. 

Then there's the original hole the we made for the pipe, which ended up being too low. Now it's a duct-tape covered cat door for Soy Sauce. And it doesn't close all the way, so wind just comes right through here, too. But the cat is happy to have her own entrance.

Additionally, it was so cold everywhere but right beside the stove, that we had to move the bed into the living room:

So it looks nowhere near as cute as it did when we first put everything together, but cuteness gave way to practicality a long time ago. I figured if anyone was actually reading this blog with the intention of building their own container home, then I had better be brutally honest about the drawbacks. 

We also have a space heater, but with all of our electricity being provided by several hundred feet of extension cords, most space heaters trip the breaker. We've tried many, many types and ended up returning them all to the store. I traded a 1500 watt ceramic heater for a 600 watt oil heater, and it is the only one that we've found that won't trip the breaker. However, 600 watts won't heat a large area, so we keep it in the bathroom (getting out of the shower can be absolutely brutal without it). Hairdryers also trip the breaker.

And speaking of bathrooms (This may be TMI for many people, but for those who think they want to live the way we are living):

We gave up on the indoor chemical toilet long ago because it was just too icky. I won't go into detail, but I'm sure you can imagine. We are now using a porta-potty. It really sucks going outside to do your business on cold, windy nights. Or in the rain.

I still get lots of "Awesome! That's so cool!" when I say I live in  a shipping container. Maybe it is, maybe it was, maybe it could be for people who know what the heck they are doing as far as construction, plumbing, electricity, and all that goes. But all I know for certain right now is that I'm cold, I have to use an outhouse, and I have to time showers around the weather. And my yearly sinus infection has taken me almost 3 weeks to get over, when it should have taken one.

But hey, my ancestors, just a few generations back, would have thought that I have it made. They would have thought my fancy fiberglass outhouse was the height of technology, my drafty cold domicile was quite cozy, and my shower was the coolest thing on earth because it provided hot water (thank God for our water heater). So I must have it in my genes somewhere to just shut up and stop complaining, and to maybe even try to look on the bright side of things.

R.I.P. Xena

We will miss our little girl, Xena. 

We knew this was coming - she was 14 and had been losing weight, had stopped acting like herself, would collapse for no reason, wouldn't play with her toys, would just stop and stare into space. She had a clean bill of health from the vet - she was just getting old. Last week, when I gave her a bath, she just laid down in the bottom of the shower. She didn't attack the towel or do the doggie dance afterward, which are things she'd been doing all her life after every single bath. Her last meal was venison steak, and she got to snuggle with us in the bed one last time. Here are some pictures of her in better days: 

Chicks of BaHa Ranch

A Rhode Island Red pullet, eating out of my hand.
These were born the third week of October.

Our first four girls, three Rhode Island Reds and a Silkie
(The Silkie passed away at about 2 weeks old)

Sleeping in their box under the heat lamp

They aren't as cute when they grow up, but they are still pretty cute!
And full of personality...

The third one wouldn't pose with the other two.

We handle them a lot to keep them tame.
They're kinda like big feathery cats.

The newest babies: Two Silver-laced Wyandottes
These were born the last week of January

They're getting their feathers, and going through that "awkward" stage.
They have an alcove where they are separated from the Reds, for now. 

Officially introducing SoySauce

SoySauce McSmooshins is the kitten for whom we installed a cat area to the pet shed. Here she is, in all her cuteness:

SoySauce sitting on her patio (or would it be a catio?)

SoySauce's interests include purring, pouncing on anything that moves, playing with her buddy Katniss, and sleeping on shoulders:

SoySauce on BA's shoulder

SoySauce's current location (HA's shoulder)

Meanwhile, in more BaHa Ranch news, Katniss (AKA Katnips) hasn't got a clue that she's bigger than Xena. Which is probably a good thing.

Xena exerting her alpha-dogness

And Xena has stopped trying to eat the cat. Which is definitely a good thing.

Xena not attempting to feast on SoySauce, allowing
for a brief moment of inter-species snuggling.

Little Things Make A Big Difference

Below is rain catcher 1 located on the pet shed. After the last rain we had, it and all others are full. My neighbor caught 5000 gallons in one day.

Below is the grey water 300 gallon water catcher. The barrel beside it is also full from the last rain. 

As you can also see, we had satellite internet installed. It is really expensive out here compared to the city.

Instead of doors, we used curtains we already had for the bathroom and bedroom doors. Once the connecting box is in place, we will install wood doors.








The first shed I built is now converted into an indoor/outdoor living area. It is screened in to keep the Texas Mosquitoes out.

Left side of shed.
















Right side of shed. We tiled the floor to keep out bugs, and to keep it cool.

Here is a new shelf that I built from looking at an IKEA one. This is in the kitchen area.














- BA

New Little Things To Make It A Home-For Pets

This is a converted shed that we made into a dog and cat house. We used old drawers and left over wood to make a cat bed, food box and a ramp to a kitty door. The dog has her own door on the bottom floor. The kitten's name is Soy Sauce. We found Khalisee a good home and kept Katniss. It is too much to train two big dogs.

The outside we built steps leading up to the ledge for the cat with her own tree to climb from dead Madrone trees.

- BA

Why we love it.

It's rare, but sometimes people ask us, "Why Hill Country? What's so special about it?" Of course, we only get asked this by people who are not familiar with Hill Country...

There are about a million reasons why we love it. It's not far from Austin or San Antonio, where you can find just about anything that you're looking for, but Hill Country is a destination in itself. There are a ton of tourist destinations in the area. There are bed-and-breakfasts with homemade soaps in the bathrooms and candy on the pillows. There are little cafes with live music and foo-foo desserts. There are hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants with the best food this side of the border. There are olive orchards, vineyards, farmer's markets, historical sites, museums, rivers, lakes, quirky artists, cowboys, musicians, hippies, bikers, wildflowers, rodeos, carnivals, concerts, festivals, trade days, old courthouses, friendly people, big skies, beautiful sunsets, and...the list goes on and on.

Then there's the fact that the first time we got out of our car and stepped onto the land that would become BaHa Ranch, we both knew instantly that we had come home.

But pictures speak louder than words, so here are a few pictures of one of our favorite places in Hill Country- the Pedernales river:

Helpful Websites for Green Living from BA

Below are a couple of helpful websites that we used on our project so far.

I have also tiled the kitchen and living room floor, and re-tiled the shower floor.
I will add those pics next week. I added a door sweep to the front door that installs over the bottom of the door to keep water out, as well as one on the front of the door at the bottom. We have been getting sideways rain coming in. The 500 BTU window a/c unit is not very useful, go for the bigger one. We will be using it in the shed for the dogs.
I also installed gutters and a barrel on each of the two sheds to catch rain water.



Septic System
http://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Small-Septic-System
This is a great idea, as long as it is acceptable to the county and you can install your own.



Wind Turbine
http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/


- BA

Lost and Found in Cow Town

Labels

This is a new resident that I found on the way from Fort Worth to the Land. Some Jack*** left them in the median on highway 35. I had to rescue them, then we got attached. This one's name is Khaleesi from Game of Thrones.

This one we named Katniss from The Hunger Games. My wife loves both of the sets of novels.

These dogs are going to be huge. We were worried they would not get along with Xena, she is good with them.  - BA

New Photos of the inside living area

This is a current view of the living area facing the double doors. We put up 3/4 plywood on the doors to insulate the room, and hung thermal curtains. Instead of purchasing a shelf I liked from IKEA, I make one out of left over wood. 

This is the view of the front door which is solid wood. I recommend  having at least two people to move this. I purchased this at Habitat Restore for about $40.

This is our fridge and appliance set up until we add the other boxes. They are sitting on an IKEA Varde stand I purchased in their close-out area. The fridge I bought online from an auction site. - BA