Culling Out the Roosters

Warning! This blog post is not for the faint of heart as it contains gore and some adult content! Part of learning to be self-sustaining is getting back to the basics of raising animals for food and "processing" them yourself. Eggs are good, but A) we're an omnivorous family and B) we ended up with too many roosters (that's male chickens for you city folk). You see, the roosters aren't all that productive...it's the hens that are doing all the egg-laying while the males just strut around, lend an air of security to the flock, and rudely pluck feathers from the back of the females who are haplessly gang-banged chicken-style. They also get aggressive toward each other, and sometimes toward their keepers. Well, we'll have none of that on Blue Harvest Farm! Before culling out the roosters (not all of them), we did some online research on this site and this one. We tried two different methods of processing, the first of which was to tie the rooster upside-down by his feet to a horizontal bar, cut his head off with a knife, then skin him feathers and all by making strategic incisions and literally peeling everything off from feet to neck. This method avoids feather-plucking and the boiling method described later. As we thought this might be interesting to document, we took photos and some video as well. Well, let's just say that you need to make sure your knife is sharp. Dionne, bless her heart, volunteered to do the dirty deed but cutting through the neck bones proved more difficult than we anticipated. Dionne's mom (a slightly more experienced chicken-killer) had to finish the job for us while I recorded the incident on video. The evidence was subsequently erased when it was decided that our educational video was really more like a snuff film. Egads, it was an emotional trauma. The next attempt (for which I was not a witness) was more successful (and merciful) with the aid of a chopping block and sharp machete. This time, the headless chickens were boiled in a large pot for a few seconds which opens their pores enough to make plucking feathers a breeze. The skin remains on the chicken, but that doesn't bother us. After all the killing was done, three roosters remained: one for a partner of Daisy (Dionne's mom's pet hen), one to keep structure in the flock (his name is Fluffy Chick), and one who escaped detection by impersonating a hen (still not sure about its gender really).

Presenting Our New Logo

Every good farm needs a good name and a good logo to stand proudly by the entrance of the property. At this time, we don't really have an official entrance nor the need to advertise ourselves to passers-by, but since we're selling eggs, we thought it would be nice to develop a logo to cover the original labels on our recycled egg cartons that we use for distribution. A while back, Dionne and I discussed property names and wanted something that sounded "farmy" as well as something that expressed a personal aspect of our lives. Being the rabid Star Wars fan that I am, I wanted something that would let other hardcore fans know that we were here, and yet something subtle enough that the general public wouldn't be confused by a "Star Wars"-sounding name. The answer was Blue Harvest Farm. To make a long story short, "Blue Harvest" was the code-name used during film production of 1983's Return of the Jedi to mislead paparazzi and media. The Lucasfilm staff even went so far as to produce fake Blue Harvest hats and t-shirts for all the crew. The name works really well for us since the term "harvest" has the "farmy" feel we wanted, plus we are located near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Okay, so now that we've established the Star Wars connection, here's where the inspiration for the actual logo design came from...Lucasfilm's own logo:

C-I-L-L...My Landlord

Some would say that one of the benefits of being a renter versus a homeowner is that the landlord is responsible for things that need fixing. Tub won't drain? Call the landlord. Light fixture broken? Call the landlord. Missing window glass, broken dishwasher, foul sewer odor? Don't call our landlord. Granted, we jumped on the opportunity to get this rental cottage in Columbus without a thorough inspection, and we are only paying a very reasonable $625 per month, but what started as a pleasant, almost fatherly relationship with Mr. Phillips (where he even invited us to dinner), has turned sour due to his reluctance to admit to and rectify some serious issues with his rental property...plus he's gotten downright ornery as of late. I like to think we're reasonable people, but perhaps you should decide based upon this list of grievances:

Well Pump: Shortly after move-in, mechanism which draws well water blew a circuit resulting in no water for almost 2 days
Dishwasher: Noticed dishwasher wasn't getting water. Plumber determined this was not related to the broken well, but rather a mechanical issue with the motor. A dishwasher specialist came to fix the water line and motor, then we learned the hard way that it wasn't draining properly (suds all over the kitchen floor during a test-run with no soap). At this point, repairman advised new dishwasher, which took two months (and multiple measuring attempts) to source. Old dishwasher has not been removed from property and still sits under our carport lending wonderful curb appeal to the cottage.
Washing Machine: Hot water supply had a leak. Luckily dishwasher repairman was able to fix while attending other issue.
Sewer Line: There is an overwhelming stench of human waste near the downstairs air return that permeates the entire premises from time to time. After a month and a half of disbelief, landlord finally agrees to investigate the problem. To his surprise, we are not imagining the odor when it is revealed that a main sewer pipe from the upstairs bathroom has a hole literally drilled through it (presumably from a botched telephone line installation).

Raw sewage has been leaking into the wall for who knows how long and this could have ultimately led to considerable structural damage or health-related problems. We found a friend who was contracted to fix the problem. Not even a "thank you" from the landlord, just grief about having to invest more money into the property.
Sliding Glass Window: Perhaps the least of our problems, the upstairs master bedroom sliding glass door window is discovered (unbeknownst to the landlord) to have one side of the double-paned glass completely broken out from a previous tenant. As a result, condensation forms on the glass and the cottage's already-poor energy efficiency suffers. At this point, the glass door opening has been measured four times, and an incorrectly-sized replacement window (versus sliding door) was purchased from salvage and sits in our garage.

Aside from the above, we recently discovered that our landlord misled our neighbor (also a tenant in a smaller adjacent cottage) into thinking the property was sold, thereby forcing her to move. His motive remains unknown, but this certainly feels unscrupulous.

Special thanks to Tyrone Green for the headline of this post.

Eggs For Sale

Our Black Stars, Araucanas, and Buff Orpingtons are now producing about 20-something (non-certified) organic eggs per day. Even when they accidentally break an egg or two, we've got plenty to go around and they're selling well to our friends, who appreciate eggs from chickens raised on non-soy organic feed. The Black Stars lay the light brown eggs, the Buff Orpingtons lay the dark brown, and the Araucanas lay those wonderful Easter Egg hues that Martha Stewart loves so much. Each morning and afternoon, the kids love to see what the hens have left for us. As long as the eggs are collected in this fashion, there isn't any concern for spoilage. One time, Maya and I witnessed a hen running around with an egg sticking out of her behind! Now, that's farm fresh! More about how we collect and package the eggs later...

Chicken Coop Progress (and Delays)

After getting off to a good start, I came down with a cold and I wasn't in any condition to be working outdoors on the chicken coop. When I got to feeling better, we had other errands and chores to do and our weekends quickly slipped by. Then I got a muscle cold in my neck this past weekend so no progress was made, although Dionne did order the "foil bubble foil" insulation and we have a giant roll ready to cut and apply to our wire frame. The arches are hand-bent rebar inserted into some spare PVC pipe for vertical support. The whole thing is held together with a few nails and lots of zip ties. The 2x4 wood frame makes it portable. Next we need to cut the end walls and door, then put some layers of tarp, old sheets and foil-bubble-foil insulation over it all to keep the chickens warm in the cold days ahead (ironically it's like 78 degrees Fahrenheit as I type this). It won't be anything like this one, but we're still novice coop-builders. More pics of our construction can be found here.

Moving the Chickens

Dionne and the kids have been doing daily chicken feeding duties at the Collinsville Road property to ease the burden from Danna and Harrison (mom and step-dad). They've got enough chores as it is. However, packing up the kids and driving those few minutes every day---twice a day---is a bit of a pain. The solution? Relocate those 30-something chickens to our rental property for at least 6 months. Fortunately, the landlord is cool with it...perhaps its the bribe of free fresh eggs! So this will be our weekend project, and it's not the first time we've built a chicken coop (never thought I'd be saying that). By the way, we've got some buyers for the eggs now too. Not a lot of money, but it's good to be able to make a few dollars back on these feathered freeloaders!

*sigh* Goodbye New Urbanist

Very, very disappointing but we have not yet heard back from New Urbanist regarding our updated home plans. A while back, we agreed to a partial payment for the plans when they started work (for which they have not yet billed us), but now we're considering sending them a cancellation notice since we've been left hanging without any sort of communication. We're so frustrated with not being able to move forward on our home! Tomorrow, we'll send them a certified letter to let them know we're canceling the order and hopefully this won't end up in court should they decide to bill us anyway.

New Home Rental in Columbus

Still no final plans from New Urbanist...very disappointing and frankly it's rattling our faith in them. After revisiting the idea of a yurt and looking at some other nearby rental property, we came across a great little 2 bedroom/1.5 bath that's about 5 minutes away from our Collinsville property. For $625/month we get a private road, wood-burning fireplace, lots of room, carport with workshop, and horses right outside our front door (not our horses, but who cares?!). It sounded great on the phone so we took the 1.5-hour drive just to see the property and hand over a check. We begin moving immediately, so Dionne and the kids will begin laying down more roots in the area. Google Maps doesn't like the address for some reason, so here's the closest map we can provide at this time.

A Cabin Costs How Much?!!

The rough estimate came back from August Construction (at least they were quick about it) and the 14' x 24' cabin would be approximately $125.00 per square foot. Unfortunately, we were thinking of allocating about $16-$18K for the cabin, not $42,000! There's still the yurt idea...

Anxious to Get Out There!

We are waiting for Thomas at New Urbanist to send us back revisions to the plan he provided a few weeks ago. In the meantime, we are wondering just how long we can afford to wait? What if the plan ends up blowing our budget anyway? How long should we continue to spend $1320/month for our apartment in Charlotte instead of putting that money towards a cabin or garage apartment actually ON our Landrum property?

We contacted August Construction to get a quote on a cabin. Even if it means cutting back on the main house structure (laundry room, garage, deck), we're starting to think it might be worth it to just GET LIVING on the property. Our chickens and horse are waiting! Click here to see a cabin plan we're considering, and click here for a link to the plans.

House Plans....Almost!

This just in from our designer at NU:

I have been working away on the plans I have made some substantial progress. I should have something to show you by tomorrow afternoon. I will keep you updated. The only challenge that I have run into so far is the location of the office/ bedroom at the lower level. My challenge is getting an egress window into the space so that it can be labeled guest bedroom/ office. The challenge will be more identifiable when I send the drawings to you tomorrow.

No garage cottage, but possible cabin instead

A few days ago we discussed with our builder, Jessica, two options to get us out on the property quicker. The first would be constructing the garage with a loft, the second would be constructing a small 14x24 cabin that could later be used as guest house. The construction of the garage, which would have to be done on a separate schedule, would actually slow down the construction of our house since it would be breaking the job down into two phases. Due to this factor we've decided to look closer into a small cabin.

This is the small cabin we are looking to build http://www.countryplans.com/nash.html

Maya actually loves the idea and thinks of it as being able to live like Laura in the book "Little House on the Prairie" (but with modern conveniences). As soon as we hear back from our builder regarding pricing, we'll know if it's a go... I'm sure we'll have some very interesting post of our experience if all works out!

Garage vs Cottage: Which Gets Us There Sooner?

We obviously want to get on the property to start living as soon as possible. Two options are building the garage first as a "garage apartment" or building a separate cottage to live in while the house is constructed. Building the garage will take longer or cost more if constructed prior to the main house since a lot of the labor and materials are shared between the two. Despite the need for independent plumbing and electric for a detached cottage/cabin, this will probably be the better way to go as they can be constructed within a few weeks vs months and we'll have a "guest house" on property for future visitors too. At this point, we are at least 8 months out from the home being move-in ready.

Paid for Plans

We've paid New Urbanist for the revisions to their existing floor plan. They should begin work on it within a few weeks. Meanwhile we sent some photos of the topography to help them figure out sun orientation, location of walk-out basement, etc.

What's Nearby: Tryon

One of the local mountain towns near our property is Tryon, NC. To see how far away it is, how long it takes to get there, and exactly where it is in North Carolina, Click here. Tryon is where Maya will be taking weekly homeschool classes through the Foothills Educational Co-op.

Defining the Property

Click here for a full gallery of more photos of the property taken over this Summer. Click here for a link to the interactive Google Maps satellite overview of the property. Note: The address is not final, but only an approximation. The arrow on the map shows where the mailbox on Collinsville Road might be. We're also including a Google Maps aerial view with the property lines highlighted:

Update from N.U.

Just heard back from New Urbanist:

I had a chance to review the changes that you made to the plans. I can tell that you guys have put a lot of thought into the plans. I think that they look great. There is very little that I would change. The price for the plans would be as follows. $1,895 for the base plans, $25 for shipping and handling, and $350 dollars for the changes and the addition of the attached garage. So the total would be $2270.00. We would require half of the total prior to starting then the other half would be due upon shipment of the final construction drawings. We can be paid with a credit card (preferred) or check. The plans would include two sets of construction drawings including a basic electrical plan, foundation and floor plans, and elevations. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time and interest, and I hope that we have the opportunity to work together. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks again Thomas

Sounds good! We just need to verify the size of the garage, ceiling height and a few other minor things.

New Urbanist Homes

We made contact with an architectural firm called New Urbanist Homes and have submitted our request for modifications to one of their 2662 sq ft home plans. Chances are that they can make the changes faster and cheaper than another architect or builder. Local covenants prohibit us from building anything smaller than 2500 heated square feet (this is primarily to prevent people from living in trailers and such).

First Look

Here's some photos of the property where we now plan to build. It's fenced rolling pasture up front (toward Collinsville Road), bordered by trees on 3 sides. There's a spring-fed creek and bottomland, but also a lot of open meadow.

Custom Floorplan Too Expensive

While ideal, the concept of having a custom floorplan/design drafted up for us is just going to cost too much. The idea was that we could take an existing plan and have an architect modify it for us. Apparently there are some legal issues and the architect we wanted to use would have to redraw the plans from scratch at the cost of about $8,000-$11,000. We'd rather put that money towards actual construction, even if the plan is an "off the shelf" layout.

13 Acres Deeded

Harrison has completed the paperwork for the land deed and now 13 acres (13.83 to be exact) of property in Columbus, NC, are in Dionne's name. Every time we visit with Mema and Harrison, we walk or drive the land a little bit to envision our home. We frequently see deer, groundhogs (aka "whistlepigs", aka "woodchucks"), and snakes! Ahh...nature!

Blacksburg Land For Sale!

After some consideration, we are selling our undeveloped property in Blacksburg, SC, in order to move onto 13 acres of land kindly deeded to us from "Papa Harry" and "Mema". The idea is to be closer to Danna and Harrison and take advantage of developed farm land (fencing, stables, etc.). Hopefully, our history of flipping property will provide some profit from the sale of our land in Blacksburg and allow us a slightly larger home in Columbus.