The $20,000 Throne

Getting the septic system installed was a huge hurdle (and cost). However, it is pretty useless without some facilities attached to it! For some reason, my initial thoughts were that I could actually do the work in installing a toilet. Seems like all you needed to do was cut a hole through the concrete and attach a drain pipe, right? I was an expert after watching a few YouTube videos after all. I was soon convinced to let the pros handle it, which was pretty much the only reasonable decision. I had already framed off a corner of the barn for a small restroom with sink.

By now I knew the drill. Lookup the procedure on the Warren County Health Department website, research the permit process, and start printing, filling out, and making calls. As per usual, I called 3 plumbers to get estimates. The first call I made was a mess, as the guy actually laughed at me and said I couldn’t do what I was doing. He said that I can’t put in the septic and build the house later (Warren County was fully aware of our long-term plan). Then he proceeded to give me an outrageous quote for about $6500 to do the whole thing. The next 2 calls went much better and I set up a couple of on-site appointments. The first guy looks it over and says he will send me a quote in a few days. By the time the quote actually showed up I had already committed to the third guy. The quote was also outrageous, I figured he just didn’t want the job. The quote from All American Plumbing was very reasonable and they could start in “2 weeks”. Of course they could.

 As it turns out, the permit/inspection process for plumbing connections is very complicated and makes absolutely no sense. The main goal of the stringent inspections is to ensure that the new connections do not disrupt the county sewer system nor the water supply. Our situation uses neither sewer or public water as they are not even available at our location. Yet we were grateful that we had the county looking out for our best interests. 

Looks simple enough

 AAP provided us with an isometric diagram, and said he would need to cut out a bit of concrete out of the floor. Instead of just a hole, it turned out to be a lot more concrete than I ever thought. The removal and re-pouring turned out to be a major factor in the whole cost. In addition to the toilet, we were also planning a sink and provisions for a hot water tank and a pressure pump.

The whole corner is gone!

I forget all the details, but the next few weeks were filled with lots of concrete moving/pouring, inspections, scheduling changes, and even some roofing work as a venting tube was required to go up through the roof and not out the side of the building as we were hoping for. 

Up and out!

Needs to handle all the pressure I can throw at it

We also got to go toilet shopping! We bought a model which claims to be able to flush 20 or so golf balls at a time. Probably won’t test that claim, as septic systems are very limited as to what you can flush. 

Provisions for the water pump visible on the left

 I bought a sink and faucet even though those items won’t be needed for a while. Due to all the costs and well-digging uncertainty, we are not going to get a water system at this time. We will still need to have a supply of water for flushing on hand, stored in gallon vinegar bottles. After the final Warren County blessing, I was able to install the flooring and toilet. By that time it was winter and frozen water rendered the toilet useless for a couple of months.

The nice folks at All American Plumbing even helped us out with our now beleaguered driveway. 

The Sep-Tek Adventures

 The Sep-Tek Adventures

One of the popular requirements for spending more time out at our vacation property was that we had an actual, functioning, non-primitive restroom facility. This is a perfectly reasonable action, as we wanted the property to be as relaxing and home-like as possible if we were going to spend some weekends there.  After considering a compacting or incinerating toilet, a proper septic system was the best choice as it was seen as an investment of sorts because it would raise the property value and make future construction as easy as possible. I also feared that future county regulation would only become more stringent as time went by. We then started our rocky journey of tests, permits, inspections, and dealing with a few different contractors.

This secluded spot isn't going to cut it anymore

The first step was to have the ground tested and evaluated to see what our options were.  We hired a nice gentleman from Lebanon who took measurements and soil samples back to evaluate.  We received the good news that a leach system was possible because of the soil type and amount of space we had available, as opposed to more elaborate and expensive systems. Clearcreek Environmental designed a septic plan, and I obtained Warren County’s blessing in permit form and got some installation quotes.  3 rows of colorful flags were placed to indicate precisely where the system would need to be installed.  These flags needed to remain for 3 or so years as we were otherwise preoccupied having a baby, finishing a doctorate, changing careers, and navigating the pandemic you may have heard of.

We have a plan

Finally we were ready to have the system installed. I dug out the quotes received and had them updated to reflect the new (higher) rates.  We chose a company who had good ratings, a reasonable price, and were ready to go in “2 weeks”.  As we would find out, “2 weeks” is contractor-speak for a timeline that sounded close and reasonable but was nowhere near accurate. After about 2 months and repeated assurances that we were “next in line”, some earth-moving equipment finally showed up. To their credit, SepTek did step up their game and got things ripped up in a hurry.

150 feet of this stuff

We had learned from previous experiences that the Warren County inspections department were there to help us get proper work done and not put up red-tape hurdles and slow things down.  The contractors did not set up the proper pre-installation meeting with Warren County, but we got that straightened out. The WC inspector was a great guy and kept us in the loop, and assured us he would make sure the company did it’s installation properly.

This thing cost a lot $$

After 2 weeks of steady progress, a few tense moments, and a couple of awkward phone conversations with the installers we had a septic system. The WC inspector gave his blessing but said that maybe the chosen installer was not the greatest choice for the operation. The company had a lot of good reviews, but all were for emptying septic tanks and not installing them. Basically it was a bit like hiring the reliable oil change place to rebuild your engine, they might have been in a bit over their heads. The final insults were the rather shabby backfill job (leaving us with a bumpy mess of a leach field) and the company threatening us with a property lien for not paying in full within a few days even though A) the bill was not due for 30 days according to the invoice and B) the final inspection paperwork was not in my hands yet.

Nice backfill job, thanks!

The glow of a newly-minted septic system soon turned into more work and cash, as the system was useless without something attached to it. Thus started the story of the next installment, the $20,000 throne.

Pre-Pandemic Pondering ... but God

My last day in the office on a regular basis was March 11th, 2020. It is difficult to fathom that it has been over a year since I have been regularly working from home. I remember that last week well for a few reasons.

The first reason has a lot to do with coffee. It may sound strange. I walked over to a coffee shop with a coworker to get a cup refill.  If you brought your own cup, it cost significantly less.  Jennifer and I headed out on a still cold day in March to get in a few steps and get some liquid joy at a good price. Upon arrival, we were told we could not, in fact, use our own cups. We weren't even allowed to pump our own coffee.  Good thing I had a moment of bagel weakness and had brought my credit card else we would have left coffee-less. That was honestly the moment when I knew things were serious.  I had no idea exactly how serious.  I assumed, as most probably did, a couple of weeks at best.

I can also tell you that the week before everything changed, I was incredibly stressed. JC had been attending daycare 3 times a week, and my mom had been taking care of him the other 2 days. My mom had just told me the week before that she was no longer able to do so. At 70+ years old, a 2 year old was just too much for her to handle for 8+ hours straight. The thought of putting my child into daycare 5 days a week all day long made me feel ill. I had no idea what to do. 

By the end of the week, I was working from home. Early the next week, I took JC out of daycare. I went from being stressed about JC spending too much time being raised by people I did not know to having him with me all week. 

Of course, since that week, I've had plenty of things to stress about. COVID, working virtually while caring for a child, lack of social outlets, vaccines, etc. It's not been the easiest of years, and I've had it a lot easier than some. I can say the week pre-pandemic was beyond stressful for me; all that changed in less than a week in a way I could never have imagined. I have heard it said many times that what the enemy means for evil, God uses for good (Genesis 50:20). Never have I seen that so clearly in my life as the week of March 9th, 2020. 

This post is simply a reminder to me, and perhaps you, that God is faithful. Even when life is stressful and difficult, God can bring good from all things. Sometimes the good he brings is immediate and clear. Sometimes it takes years to see.  Perhaps there are even times when we won't be able to see it until after our time on Earth is done. I will do my best to keep rejoicing. 

Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Barn - Flight Deck

I am not sure when we made the decision that I would get an upstairs and Jim would have the majority of the downstairs in the barn. I can't say that I even remember an initial discussion about a second story, but I do know my husband seems to love lofts. Somewhere in there, he volunteered to build a loft for me. 

"We'll just put it right above my head here..."

Since the downstairs' theme consisted of cars, gas station signs, and a step back in time to the glory days of the automobile, I determined that the upstairs area would be an airplane theme, more specifically the Wright Brothers. You see, I am a huge fan of Wright Brother's history. I've been to the majority of the Wright Brothers museums and historical places in Dayton. It isn't so much the airplane itself that intrigues me. I am much more interested in their process and persistence as well as the human story element. The story of the Wright Brothers is a huge part of Dayton history. Innovation, engineering, and dogged persistence. You can't beat it!

The loft idea also became a game changer when we found out JC was on the way. We needed a safe place for a little fella to crawl around while Jim was organizing and doing manly things downstairs. And so the building began...

So... much ... stuff....

Jim is the type of person who sees a truck carrying a big load of wood down the road and immediately thinks it should be his. Luckily, this drive of his caused him to purchase a large chunk of old barn wood on Ebay that sat around for 10 years. He just knew it would come in handy someday, and now was its time to shine in what I began calling the Flight Deck. We bought a little planer which was probably harder to use than a nice big planer. My expanding belly and baby on board did make the process interesting, but we got it done and up on the walls. 

Since going up and down a ladder to get to the flight deck was a really bad idea for a pregnant lady, Jim built some stairs. It was actually his first time ever building stairs. Here is the unfinished product. 

We went to one of the hardware stores and picked out some flooring that would match well with the barn wood walls, and Jim did the install. Jim also picked up a Dayton flag for my birthday.  As weird as it may sound, I've wanted one for years. Every time I'd go to the airport, I wanted that flag. I heard a few years ago that they were considering redesigning the flag, and I have to say I was not a fan of the redesign options.  I knew I needed to get one before that happened because the new flag options did not bring me joy.

We wanted a window upstairs, so Jim put a big ol' hole in the wall.

I am not an interior designer nor do I play one on TV, but I've heard accent walls are pretty important. With the wood on the side walls, we decided to use the copper sheet metal for the back wall because that stuff is just buuu-tee-ful, and it's a barn so I can do what I want, right?

We also decided to use copper pipe to conceal the electrical wires and painted the outlet covers copper to match.  At this point, things were really starting to look fancy to this Texas gal. 

Jim also installed the railing and a baby gate on top of the stairs to keep both adults and littles safe and sound. We actually just took down the baby gate today! Seems we have a preschooler now.

Sometime after all the heavy lifting was completed and JC was born, I went about the business of choosing colors and decor. The finished product is below. Not bad for a couple of weekend warriors! This actually took us years to complete. Anything we could get on closeout (wicker chairs) and restore or repurpose (bookshelf, table, chairs and desks), we did. 

Below is my video tour of the completed Flight Deck.  It seems my Texas accent is still going strong despite my best efforts...

5 Years?!

Oh my! Has it really been 5 years since my last blog post? Where has the time gone?! Truth be told, it is really difficult to justify writing blog posts when you are supposed to be writing on a dissertation. In fact, it made me feel down right guilty. A lot can happen in 5 years. I did manage to finish up my PhD after 11 years. It was a lot more like a trail ultra than a fast half. There was plenty of walking rather than running. There were some big hills in the way, and at times I wondered if I should just throw in the towel. I kept going, though, and I am so glad I did! I learned a lot, and it was a complete experience rather than an exercise in checking the block. I even managed to get a journal article published which you can read if you would like.  The title is Immersive Rehearsal in a Simulated Environment (IRISE), and the focus is on designing virtual environments to help those with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Wright State also wrote up a nice article on my work as well. If you find yourself up at 3am (like I am while writing this blog post), you can checkout the entire dissertation at OhioLink. 

In even bigger news, Jim and I were blessed with a little one. To say JC has kept me busy is an understatement. Raising a child can definitely be an almost all consuming task, and before I became a mom I had no idea. He is incredible, and I am certainly biased without apologies. There are such huge changes along the path from baby to toddler, and I am constantly on my toes trying to keep up. One minute you are supporting his head because his neck cannot keep it upright and the next he is telling you he wants to do things "all by his own self". Time goes into warp speed after you have a child, and these last three years have just flown by. Without further ado, here is a picture of the 3 of us after my doctorate graduation ceremony.

Of course, there has also been been a bit of a pandemic going on over the last year. You've heard of it, right?  I may have changed jobs 3 times since the last post. Jim has also changed jobs and is now working his dream job. He also happens to be really good at it. But I know what you really want to know.  Did we make any progress on the barn? Or perhaps the cabin? Well, the cabin is a big fat no, but the barn ... oh the barn!  It has come a long way. Did I mention that it is 3 in the morning? I need to get back to sleep. Coming up in the next post, I will post some great pictures of the loft area that Jim built. I played interior designer and had a lot of fun doing it. Stay tuned!  I promise the next post will happen much sooner.  

We have a barn!

Wow! It's been a bumpy journey, but we learned a lot and wound up with an awesome barn! From a contractor who did not get around to working for us to a big box home improvement store (referred to hereafter as Store M) that failed us on multiple levels, there were some big obstacles... but success! After we picked another contractor, Grand Garages and Pole Buildings, the project went full warp speed.

Jim and I both took a day off to attend the barn building kickoff party, and it kicked off with a bang. It went from us working out there by ourselves to 15 or so people descending upon property at once. When the builders arrived, I was surprised and very pleased to see a group of Amish men exit the van. It was then that I felt as if we had received the blessing jackpot. Anyone who tries to follow the teachings of Jesus is my brother or sister in Christ.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24

There were plenty of things that did not go smoothly with Store M:
1. You need 24 special order poles for our pole barn kit you purchased? Okay, we will ship all but 3 of them, and you will need to wait a another week. (Our awesome builders solved that problem for us, and we were not delayed a week.) This was not the only item they miscounted.

2. You need that delivered? Sorry, our delivery truck broke down, and we can't figure out how to get it out there where you need it. Jim and I spent 3 evenings after work picking up our items on his trailer which was a bit scary for the heavy stuff.  That said, we did it. Wonder if they ever got that truck fixed after a week of missing deliveries.

3. You need the trusses earlier? Sorry, the manufacturer said they cannot do that.  Jim had called the manufacturer after Store M said they would check, and the manufacturer confirmed that COULD do it. Store M basically did not contact the manufacturer. Good thing Jim did.

4. You want 2 of your 3 garage doors cancelled? Sorry, special order, we cannot do that. Oh wait, we did it.  In fact, we cancelled all 3 of them.  Too bad you actually wanted one of them.

5. You want to leave with those items you purchased and have a receipt to prove it? Sorry, our system is showing they aren't even out back. We cannot let you leave.  This is where I told them they either needed to let us out of the gate or get a manager. They let us out.

Despite the hassle, or perhaps because of it, it was extra sweet when that barn was complete. Store M could not dampen the joy we both felt when we saw that barn. It is a work of art! Did I mention how awesome the the builders were?  God is good, ALL the time.

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope..." Romans 5:3-4

Of course, this post is much better with pictures....

The beginning...

Building up...

Stick soldiers (aka the poles)...

Concrete slab!

Wow!

Double Wow!

Work of art :-)

The inside.

It was an amazing week!

Happy Spring! Here comes June...

Jim and I celebrated our one year anniversary in May. I was really looking forward to the one year anniversary for many reasons. Initially it was a huge change when we combined households, and if I told you it was easy, I would be lying. I spent my entire adult life as a single person, and a change as large as getting married and becoming a stepmom isn't something to be taken lightly. I knew it would take some time for the household of 4 to adjust to all the changes, and I assumed at the 1 year mark we would all be well on our way. To me the one year mark symbolized that we had successfully negotiated a lot of those changes. Success!

As a side note to any new stepfamily, I highly recommend the book Smart Stepfamily by Ron Deal. People who have children but are not in a blended family are in a very different boat than those blending families, and those people will give you advice based on a completely different knowledge set. Having friends that are in similar situations to yours (thanks, Mary!) can be a real lifesaver as well. 

For our 1 year anniversary, we once again returned to the Tye Die 50K. Gina, the race director, had given us free entry into the race this year as a wedding present last year. How could we turn that down? Thanks, Gina!

Tie Dye 50K 2016

Luckily there were no sprained ankles this year. We also had plans to spend a weekend in Hocking Hills, and we had a great weekend. It is by far one of the most beautiful places in Ohio.

Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills

Jim looking at some water falls

One of the many benefits of being married is having a bug killer on call. Of course, those who know me know I am not really scared of bugs. Those who know Jim well know he can be a bit of a goofball. Since spring has sprung, the bugs have taken to flying around the home security cameras which sends a lot of bug spam emails. I was traveling for work last week, and asked Jim to take care of a few of those bugs so the emails would stop. This was his response...

Yep folks, married life. Not quite like the movies... which is a good thing. While being married has a lot of good times and some difficult ones, getting a driveway installed apparently can be very difficult. Jim has been hard at work trying to get the plans into place for barn materials delivery, but the driveway, or lack thereof, has been causing him much stress. This is how Jim looks when he gets a driveway...

That's one very happy man! 

I am not completely sure what the next year will hold, but I am hoping the next blog post include the building of a barn.