My kingdom for a heated workspace! (Or: why I've been scarce around here lately)

[MetroMPG]

Carlos: I want a goat!

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

MetroMPG -- sounds like you've read too many "white-washing fences" stories by riverboat Captain, Samuel Clemens.

I'm not sure who's getting the better end of the deal: The neighbour I traded a parking spot for snow clearing "for the winter" has apparently decided it's winter! His car was there today. Have to talk to the man...

Originally Posted by 320touring

Not to mention the unit is 180 mile round trip from my new flat..

Ouch. I'm in a better spot: 15 minute bike ride round trip.

We lost almost 2 months cleaning and painting the unit before we moved stuff in- nice to have a pleasant workplace-

I did some basic cleaning (dead critter count: 3), but it's still got a long way to go before I'd call it a pleasant workspace.

I'm tempted to get a cheap caravan and stay there over the weekends..

I've had several people joke that that's what I need to do too!

However, I do now have limited electricity. Next post...

[MetroMPG]

The shack has powah!

This photo taken about 45 minutes ago:



On the nearest corner of the roof, 130 watts of photovoltaic panels: one rated 80w, the other 50w.

Connected to four (maybe six, later) surplus 225 Ah 6v used batteries from project ForkenSwift... they're probably about 50% worn out, so more like 112 Ah...



Which are in turn connected to a 1500 watt (not 1000, as shown) inverter I got on sale last week:



Still need to sort everything out (battery location, proper interconnects, fuses, wiring - like how the p.v. wires dangle off the roof and through the window?) But at least now I have juice for lights and small power tools. Meaning I can spend some productive time there in the evenings, since it's now dark after supper.

[MetroMPG]

New storage system at the shack!



Just last night I was thinking it would be good to have some old kitchen cupboards to put on the walls in the garage to store tools/junk & keep them out of sight.

And this morning, what do I see? Kitchen reno guys at the neighbour's place, with freshly removed old cupboards piled on the driveway.

I'm getting closer to actually doing an ecomodding-related vehicle project inside...

[Daox]

Wooohoo, now you can store canned goods in the shack.

[MetroMPG]

Yup. Could it be more awesome?

I'm going to be bold, and predict one of my fleet will be inside this insulated/heated side of the garage within a week or 2.

[Angelus359]

bigger slower better, more ECOMODDED

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by cfg83

MetroMPG -



Leave that to the Google-Goats :

Google hires goats to cut grass - Telegraph

CarloSW2

I remember hearing the white house used sheep to keep the lawn mowed back in the day before mowers.

I tried the same approach, which lasted until the fussy neighbor objected to the racket of a homesick goat.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

New storage system at the shack!



Just last night I was thinking it would be good to have some old kitchen cupboards to put on the walls in the garage to store tools/junk & keep them out of sight.

And this morning, what do I see? Kitchen reno guys at the neighbour's place, with freshly removed old cupboards piled on the driveway.

I'm getting closer to actually doing an ecomodding-related vehicle project inside...

.....and enviromentally friendly to boot! Isn't recycling one of the premises of the Forken Swift?

[MetroMPG]

Oh yeah, the list of recycled parts in the ForkenSwift is long. See it here, if you really want to.

Things are moving along slowly but surely at EcoModder World Headquarters (Canadian branch) ...

• I'm predicting that the heated/insulated side will be open for business this weekend. Meaning: a car will be inside that part of the building for the first time in a couple of (maybe 3) decades.
  
  The previous owner covered over the car-sized doors a long time ago. He used it as a workshop for his gun repair / restoration business.

• The solar panels are just keeping the old batteries up with the limited amount of power I'm using: mostly lights (CFL of course), radio, laptop, and some light power tool use.

• And I've got wifi access from the house next door! I offered to pay half the Internet amount for the neighbours and they were happy to oblige.

• And I believe the pair of squirrels that had taken up temporary residence in the non-insulated side of the garage finally got sick of me scaring the crap out of them every time I opened the door and started moving stuff around, and have vacated the premises! Now I just have to fix up the rotten fascia/soffit where they were getting in & out.

[MetroMPG]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Photo shows the ForkenSwift nestled inside its cocoon... I mean inside the heated & insulated side of the shack, accomplished on the weekend:



I've already done a couple of little repairs to it that have been on my list for a few weeks. In warm... dry ... comfort.

It's fantastic to have wrested control of my projects from the whims of the weather gods. Weather gods, my emoticon sticks out its tongue at you! Ecomodding is no longer a seasonal activity!

Of course, there remains much, much more work to be done to the building itself. But at least now I can sprinkle some vehicular tinkering among the shack-related chores.

[ShadeTreeMech]

I hope your wife and new baby don't mind you being gone so much. Spending time with my family is alway a pleasant foul weather activity.

Congrats on the workshop though, I envy you!