Jonathan's Mountain Cabin - Recently Updated Pages

My Mountain Home page

DCPOA — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:03:51 CST

-Click for conditions in Deer Crossing right NOW!-

New Pics 10/24/09

"A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true" ~Gregory Scott Reid

Local Area Web-cams LIVE-Cabin Weather Radar-David Martini's A-frame Kits Page

Hey! This site started all about my little Cabin in the Mountains of Western North Carolina. (and now building my new A-Frame) It's off the Blue Ridge Parkway, between Buffalo Cove and Boone, northwest of Charlotte.Deep in the heart or the Blue Ridge Mountains (Jr. Johnson used to "run shine" on a road VERY nearby) After I saw the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) flying into Charlotte over 15 years ago, I liked it! I LOVED it! I wanted more of it! I bought a newspaper in the airport, circled a few ads, settled on one, met the guy who showed me a few properties, picked this one, at his suggestion, and bought it. I started with a lawn chair from Wal mart, then bought a trailer, sold that, then slowly built my 20'x25' cabin with very little knowledge of Building or Construction, and ALOT of help from friends. added big Deck for it too! The entire structure is probably out of square, but it was a labor of love. I dragged an HEAVY old iron claw-foot Tub 800 miles up from Ft. Lauderdale in the back of my pickup, Florida and plumbed it in, (ps. if you have a gooseneck for an old iron clawfoot, I need one!)added a Propane water heater, kitchen sink, stove, and pots and pans. I share a 300 foot deep well with my neighbor Jimmy, and and a dug a Septic system. I used to light up my cabin with candles, kerosene lamps, a wind generator, a 2000 watt gas generator that failed often, a solar panel, and 4 marine batteries. many candles and flashlights were used in the process.I recently got underground power run to my property for the new A-frame, now I feel spoiled, in the cabin now I have a small fridge, a microwave, a TV, and a couple of lamps hooked up to the Temp Pole at the new build site.When I arrive at the cabin now, if nobody shows up and talks till dark, I run an extention cord to the temp pole and WA-LA, just like downtown baby!

Um, now for this short commercial..

(My sister MJ's cart in Culebra, PR, click on picture to see her home-made Hot Sauce!)

I'm in the process of building the LEGAL A-Frame Mountain Cabin. My small Cabin was great, but hardly could pass a code inspection, so now I have installed 1000 gallon a legal Septic Tank , my hand drawn blueprints (see southeast domes below) have been approved by Wilkes county for my building, I brought in underground power, and had the footer dug, inspected and poured,and my basement has passed inspection, and now the walls are poured solid to the sill Bolts! Next,pouring my floor, installing plumbing, raising the A-Frame Trusses, and putting the steel roof on, etc. Its all a multi-year plan, with the price of everything going up its harder to buy groceries and gas here, and pay for building materials there, plus the 800 mile, 12-hour drive there from Ft. Lauderdale is a hell of a commute, but, I am moving forward, always moving forward. My new addition is Mike who has vaulted my construction forward by leaps and bounds, and many THANKS to David Martini from South East Domes for the great Blueprints he hand drew to get it all going! And, of course my Neighbor LC, with without whom I would still be wondering how to "legalize" my old out of square Cabin (I took LC's advice about the A-Frame and things got better immediately)! As the current global economic crisis deepens I have begun to feel even more so that this little piece of earth was the best purchase I ever made in my entire life. To all who ever read this, buy your self a little piece of land, even if it's in the middle of nowhere early in life, and keep building on it! It will surprise you what happens as the years unfold! The cheaper the better. The old adage is still true, even in these VERY lean times, "Land is a good investment, they dont make it anymore" Some old smart, (and probably RICH) guy...

Places to get good Cabin Stuff

DCPOA — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:33:32 CST

Northern Tool Co.I get stuff from a myriad of places to build my little oasis in the woods

Harbor Freight tools, and everything

Sportsmansguide (Great prices, camping gear, cooking goods, furniture, feild dressing tools etc

Lehmans (Amish hand powered tools

Northerntool

Improvments to the Cabin (on hold, building A-Frame)

DCPOA — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:26:21 CDT

6/21/2007	added porthole to view driveway
6/21/2007	Helped construct stone pillars to Deer Crossing Entrance
9/15/2007	Begin Paperwork to install Septic Tank and install second window in bathroom
10/19/2007	Got Septic Permit From Brad Willover from Wilkes County

10/21/2007 paid Fred 1/2 of septic tank Bill
12/15/2007 final Payment and install of Septic Complete!
12/31/2007 Recommit resolution to complete walk-out Basement for A-frame this year!
9/05/2009 Well it took more than a year but the Walk-out Basement walls are finished and passed inspection, the septic pipe also passed inspection, next is fillling the 12" walls and backfilling the fill dirt, before winter! Next phase is plumb and pour the slab.

A-frame prints, plans and pics

DCPOA — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:57:33 CDT

This is a template page

Coming SOON!

DCPOA — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:12:20 CDT

I am gonna need some help here! I have something I hope you are really going to think is GREAT, and I hope you will want one, or two, or a BUNCH for your Family and friends, watch this space, its coming soon!

Something GREAT!

DCPOA — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:30:17 CDT

Something GREAT is coming soon! watch this space, I am currently in the process of making something you will WANT! Its gonna be so neat you'll want a few, maybe more, its something Everyone will LOVE, and its going to cost under $10 bucks, and its going to help me build my A-Frame! I hope you are EXCITED as I am!

A BETTER Mousetrap

DCPOA — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:43:46 CDT

I saw this picture in an article about a guy who was in Togo and notice this was what they opened his beer with, THATS ingenuity, a stick, and a screw!The best bottle opener ever!

Homegrown ideas anyone can make!

DCPOA — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:22:13 CDT

I liked the idea of this outdoor sink below, the greywater is great to pipe to a garden, and here is a chair to rest in afterward made from any old pallet. Do you have any good ideas that you want you list here, please do..

Build Site

DCPOA — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:47:43 CDT

NC Mountain Bamboo Types and Sources

DCPOA — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 08:30:29 CDT

I love all things Bamboo....

Click this picture for a local grower... I love Bamboo, its a strong, versital and beautiful plant.I am trying to get a bunch of different types of timber Bamboo started on my mountain Property. I am aware of the many different types, (SO MANY!) and the runners and Clumpers, (Running Bamboo is known as DAMN-BOO due to its invasive nature, but it makes an extremely good enviroment, a very versatile building material, and a great source of firewood after drying, I am constantly looking for all types of thick walled clumping and timber bamboos to plant.

I am amazed at the variety of bamboo uses, I gave a small piece to my neighbor LC and he handed me back a turkey call he made out of it by scratching it on a peice of slate, amazing! Its better than any call you could buy at Cabela's!

Pics of people i like

DCPOA — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:00:09 CDT

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My Sister's Blog

DCPOA — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:28:53 CDT

If you want to know what living on a tiny tropical island paradise day after day after day will do to you to you......(Oh, buy some GREAT Sauces too! PLEASE!)

MJ's Blog from Culebra

Here is Islandwomans Hot-sauce Page, BUY SOME NOW! PLEASE!

Fred and the Monster Trout

DCPOA — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:12:17 CDT

Solar and Wind Power

DCPOA — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:06:09 CDT

This is my "AirX400" 12 volt wind Generator. I plan on tying it into my A-Frame's Power Array with Solar Panels to eventually "Spin my Meter Backwards" to pay for my monthly power bill. Here is the Calculation for JUST this item to power...400 watts / 12v = 34amps/ 34 amps @ 30' = 2awg or better..Check out this diagram below...

Diagram

was "Borrowed" from "Otherpower.com"...its just perfect for what I wanted!

I borrowed this too ...

NC Mountain Homes Utilize Solar Power? The two most popular forms of solar power used in North Carolina mountain homes are solar hot water heaters and solar electrical systems. Solar hot water heaters are a popular and effective way to utilize the sun's power, even on cloudy days. Most solar hot water heaters have two basic parts: a solar collector, and a storage tank. A flat plate collector is mounted to the roof of the home. This small, rectangular box with a transparent cover soaks up the sun light and has small tubes inside it that carry a liquid of either water or glycol solution. These tubes are attached to an absorber plate. As the heat builds, it is stored in the storage tank. These systems can be either passive or active. Active systems use pumps; passive systems rely on gravity. As far as solar electrical systems go, EcoBuilders, the builder of the Southern Living "green" Idea House, explains that 10 solar panels provide 1.8 kilowatts of power that feeds directly to the local power company, not to the home. This is called a "grid tied," or "sell all" system. It's metered separately and eliminates the need for battery storage. All of the electricity produced is sold to the utility company at a higher rate than the homeowner pays. This type of system saves the homeowner the cost of the battery bank which makes the addition of a solar system more palatable. The initial cost of the solar system is also offset by state and federal tax credits to of up to 50 percent. North Carolina also has a program that allows citizens, businesses, and institutions the option to purchase renewable energy (or "green power"), which reduces air pollution. For a $4.00 monthly premium, electric customers will be able to purchase a 100-kWh block of electricity generated from biomass (plant and animal waste, and energy crops), landfill gas (methane), and small hydropower facilities -- renewable resources that are readily available and plentiful in North Carolina. Eventually, wind energy will be added to the mix. Customers may buy as many blocks of green power as they desire. Use the Clean Power Estimator To help potential NC home buyers to learn about solar energy options, the North Carolina State University has designed a "Clean Power Estimator." It's posted on the NC Solar section of their web site at: http://www.clean-power.com/nc/. This handy tool outlines the costs and benefits of using clean-energy options in your new North Carolina mountain home. It also explains the federal and state tax benefits and links you to other sites that can answer additional energy questions. So, when purchasing a North Carolina mountain home, think clean energy; you'll be glad you did! Bryan W. Sullivan, Vice President, Write Away, Inc., specializes in financial, travel, medical, agricultural, and food and beverage writing. He lives in Weaverville, NC. Visit http://www.whispermountainnc.com or Email:info@whispermountainnc.com for more information. NC Mountain Homes Utilize Solar Power? The two most popular forms of solar power used in North Carolina mountain homes are solar hot water heaters and solar electrical systems. Solar hot water heaters are a popular and effective way to utilize the sun's power, even on cloudy days. Most solar hot water heaters have two basic parts: a solar collector, and a storage tank. A flat plate collector is mounted to the roof of the home. This small, rectangular box with a transparent cover soaks up the sun light and has small tubes inside it that carry a liquid of either water or glycol solution. These tubes are attached to an absorber plate. As the heat builds, it is stored in the storage tank. These systems can be either passive or active. Active systems use pumps; passive systems rely on gravity. As far as solar electrical systems go, EcoBuilders, the builder of the Southern Living "green" Idea House, explains that 10 solar panels provide 1.8 kilowatts of power that feeds directly to the local power company, not to the home. This is called a "grid tied," or "sell all" system. It's metered separately and eliminates the need for battery storage. All of the electricity produced is sold to the utility company at a higher rate than the homeowner pays. This type of system saves the homeowner the cost of the battery bank which makes the addition of a solar system more palatable. The initial cost of the solar system is also offset by state and federal tax credits to of up to 50 percent. North Carolina also has a program that allows citizens, businesses, and institutions the option to purchase renewable energy (or "green power"), which reduces air pollution. For a $4.00 monthly premium, electric customers will be able to purchase a 100-kWh block of electricity generated from biomass (plant and animal waste, and energy crops), landfill gas (methane), and small hydropower facilities -- renewable resources that are readily available and plentiful in North Carolina. Eventually, wind energy will be added to the mix. Customers may buy as many blocks of green power as they desire. Use the Clean Power Estimator To help potential NC home buyers to learn about solar energy options, the North Carolina State University has designed a "Clean Power Estimator." It's posted on the NC Solar section of their web site at: http://www.clean-power.com/nc/. This handy tool outlines the costs and benefits of using clean-energy options in your new North Carolina mountain home. It also explains the federal and state tax benefits and links you to other sites that can answer additional energy questions. So, when purchasing a North Carolina mountain home, think clean energy; you'll be glad you did! Bryan W. Sullivan, Vice President, Write Away, Inc., specializes in financial, travel, medical, agricultural, and food and beverage writing. He lives in Weaverville, NC. Visit http://www.whispermountainnc.com or Email:info@whispermountainnc.com for more information.

Forest Farming

DCPOA — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:24:16 CDT

>Forest Farming Techniques

>Agroforestry, Ginseng, Wild Turkey

>Guinea foul (Tick Eaters, egg producers)

>Goat, Pigs, and other critters I might raise

The NEW A-Frame

DCPOA — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:04:40 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Good things to plant in the mountains

DCPOA — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:11:37 CST

I found this blog and had to add it, this stuff looks like a good thing to have growing around the cabin!

It's funny how some American plants have to leave home to become famous. We have a wealth of native treasures, but such beauties as goldenrod and black-eyed Susan didn't make their mark until they were improved or merely approved by growers in Europe. Even some of our native foods have been more widely embraced abroad. Take claytonia, a salad green you might not recognize, even by the more descriptive name of miner's lettuce. It's not a lettuce but a small plant found throughout the West Coast in areas that are damp in winter. Miners foraged for it during the Gold Rush in order to avoid scurvy, because it provided a rare winter source of vitamin C. Meanwhile, Europeans were growing it on a commercial scale, calling it winter purslane. It's not a purslane, either, even though both are members of the portulaca family, a group of plants known for their juicy, succulent leaves.

Winter hardy claytonia or miner's lettuce. (Corbis)

When you finally meet claytonia (or if you already know it) you'll agree that it's a plant with everything going for it. In the ever-widening field of intriguing salads, this one looks like no other. From a hard, little base at soil level sprout dozens of thin stems, topped with tiny, heart-shaped leaves. As these mature, each encircles its stem, clasping it, so that the leaf appears as a flat-topped parasol, or one blown into a slightly cupped shape by a gust of wind. In botany this is called a perfoliate leaf, the trait that gives the plant its Latin name Montia perfoliata (or Claytonia perfoliata, depending on which taxonomist you consult). From the center of the parasol, a tiny white or pink flower appears, then a cluster, then a little sprig. Finally, the sprig elongates as a continuation of the stem. The flowers turn into brown capsules that scatter multitudes of tiny black seeds, as the rest of the plant turns pale and dies. Harvested before then, the leaves are nutritious and wonderfully fresh-tasting, a great background for more assertive flavors in a mixed salad, such as arugula, beet leaf, tat soi and mustard. Though not quite as pillowy as purslane, claytonia leaves contain so much air that they float on the water in your sink, like a raft of baby lily pads. I rarely wash them, though. Unless spattered by mud, they are held so erect by the stems that you can grasp them like a bouquet of violets. I cut them with just an inch or two of stem. The leaves are also beautiful, even before the flowers appear -- brilliant green, sometimes tinged with red, or with pale green streaks. They're the perfect edible garnish. Sometimes I make a nest of them on which to set a fish filet, a pork medallion, an egg. But I'll also toss a whole salad with claytonia alone. Cooking it seems beside the point, although a few handfuls dropped into a soup at the last minute will lend just a bit of thickness, the way sorrel would. This is one way to use the leaves if they have grown larger and firmer, as they may in mild-climate gardens. At my place they stay very tender, rarely more than an inch across. Claytonia is a low-growing winter annual, happy to grow even when the temperature falls below freezing. Its seeds drop in spring, but they don't germinate and grow until the days begin to shorten at the end of summer. In the wild, this strategy ensures that taller plants will shade them and keep them moist during their early growth, then die down just as the small plants need more sun. For a gardener, this means that a spring-planted crop of claytonia can be successful, but a fall and winter one, planted in September, will be better still, because it won't quickly bolt to seed. If you have some in your garden now, you might protect it with straw, or transplant it into a cold frame or cool greenhouse. You should be able to cut it and re-cut it until spring, being careful to leave that little nubbin at the base intact. Growing claytonia is ridiculously easy. It is not fussy about soil, asking only consistent moisture. You might even plant it in the shade of a deciduous tree where other garden crops might languish. It will receive the sun it needs after the tree's leaves fall. Though the seeds are tiny, try to sow them sparsely so you don't have to thin them later. Rip out the plants promptly when they start to set seed (they're easy to pull up). Otherwise, you will have a galaxy of claytonia plants the following year, and not necessarily where you want them. On the other hand, letting a few plants self-sow in the bed may prove a handy way to ensure a yearly supply of this elfin crop for your winter table.

Backwoods power page

DCPOA — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:35:06 CDT

Greenpower, Solar set-ups, water heating and More!!! Click here!

Culebra, PR

DCPOA — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:59:43 CDT

Here my Sisters Corner of the World, She live in the Carribbean, she sells Homemade Hot Sauce and doo-dads off her cart pay the bills, its a spot worth seeing!

http://gotoculebra.com/

Deer Crossing Website

DCPOA — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:51:10 CDT

Click Here>>>http://deercrossingpoa.wetpaint.com/

10/21/2007	paid Fred 1/2 of septic tank Bill
12/15/2007	final Payment and install of Septic Complete!
12/31/2007	Recommit resolution to complete walk-out Basement for A-frame this year!
9/05/2009	Well it took more than a year but the Walk-out Basement walls are finished and passed inspection, the septic pipe also passed inspection, next is fillling the 12" walls and backfilling the fill dirt, before winter! Next phase is plumb and pour the slab.