Our Country Cottage a Narrative
by John
Our Country Cottage, a Narrative, podcast is intended to be for those that want to, are in the process of, or have already realized their dream of building a retreat or retirement place in the woods. I will be sharing what I have learned from all phases of our project, from planning to enjoying and coming to terms with our cottage in the country.
Episodes
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Episode #29 An OCC Update
In this episode I will get you more up to date with the goings on at OCC and there are changes at the web site. On with the OCC update. When last we talked I had basically shut OCC down by draining the water, putting RV antifreeze in sink and tub traps. The toilets were drained of water but then...
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Episode #28 An OCC Update + Year In Review
In this episode I will get you more up to date with the goings on at OCC and an OCC Year In Review, remembering some of what happened last year. So on with Episode 28 OCC update. As usual I left the last episode with some unanswered questions. Once again our trusty generator was not so trusty,...
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Episode #27 An OCC Update & ITB Wrap Up
In this episode I will bring you up to date with the goings on at OCC and, as promised, the ITB wrap up. Finally I can close the book on ITB, In The Beginning. No more confusion with episode numbers and ITB progress month numbers. Hey, it was getting confusing for me. *******On With In The...
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Episode #26 An OCC Update & ITB Month 27
In this episode I will get you caught up to date with the goings on at OCC and ITB, In The Beginning, well, this might be the last one. Lets start with probably the most action packed ITB yet. ***In The Beginning, Month 27, October *** ITB is the part the podcast where I use pics, my log book,...
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Episode #25 Summer is Back & ITB Month 26
In this episode Our Country Cottage finally breaks free of winters grip, entering the summer months while In The Beginning, ITB, reveals some progress. ***In The Beginning, Month 26, September.*** ITB is the section of the podcast where I do my best to remember, through pictures, my log book…
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Episode #24 Day Trips & ITB, 1st Month of Year THREE
In this episode Our Country Cottage has not finished sending me power failure alerts and In The Beginning, ITB, covers the first month of year three of construction. In The Beginning, month 25, August. This is the part of the episode where I go through pix, emails, logs etc to give you the best...
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Episode #23 A New Year and ITB Finishes Year TWO
This episodes OCC update will get into why power was lost on the last day of last year and what has been going on with me and my relationship with Our Country Cottage. In The Beginning, ITB month 24, will close out the second year of OCC construction. I am beginning to think that doing ITB is not...
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Episode #22 Power Failure & ITB Month 23, an Inspection and More Mud
In this episode Our Country Cottage reaches out to say it has lost power, the solar control unit stops logging and snow. In The Beginning, ITB, Month 23, June, standing water and a walk through inspection. In The Beginning, month 23. ITB is the part of the podcast where I collect all my emails,...
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Episode #21 An Over Due Project and ITB Month 22, Mud&Stuff.
In this episode I will tell you about getting to a project that was some five years past due and In The Beginning, Month 22, almost 2 years in, and still going at it. And an OCC update, well, brings you up to date. ITB, month 22, May. In The Beginning, is the part of the podcast where I recount…
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Episode #20 An OCC Update, Longer Stays & ITB Month 21
This episode, An OCC update, I will cover the first extended stay of the season, almost back to normal, and ITB carries on with month 21 of construction. Not much happened while the power was down, in some areas. In The Beginning, ITB, Month 21, April This is the part of the episode where I sift...
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Episode #19 ITB, Month 20, OCC Update & Some Generator Talk
This episode I will tell you about my recent encounters with Our Country Cottage and as promised In The Beginning, month 20 I will tell you about one of the more trying months of the build. I found out that the month wasn't all bad though, it just seemed like it. Also, I will talk a bit about…
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Episode #18 ITB Month 19 and an OCC Sleepover
This episode In The Beginning ,ITB, month 19 reveals progress in some areas and failures in others. An Our Country Cottage update has me staying over a couple of nights at our country cottage for the first time in over six months. And now on with ITB, In The Beginning, month 19, February. More...
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Episode #17 Water Returns to OCC and ITB Month 18
In this episode I will tell you about getting water, including toilets up and running, after the freeze up, at Our Country Cottage. Also, In The Beginning, ITB, looks at month 18, the beginning of a new year with new and improved problems. But first a correction. Last episode ITB month 17 I...
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Episode #16 In The Beginning Month 17
In this episode I go into details about one of the more trying months of construction and the Our Country Cottage update lets you in on the two trips I took there this week. ITB, In The Beginning, Month 17, December Another attempt at remembering what we had to go through to get Our Country...
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Episode #15 Doors, Dividers & ITB Month 16
In this episode I will cover some of the unique doors and divider applications used in Our Country Cottage and In The Beginning, ITB month 16 sees power, paint, panels and plowing. The spec for the Our Country Cottage package called for interior doors to be your standard hollow core doors. My...
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Episode #14 A Floor, A Ceiling & ITB Month 15
In this episode I will cover a couple of issues we had with the floor in the garage loft and the ceiling in the utility room. ITB, In The Beginning, will take a look at month 15 of construction, which is starting to get close to seeing snow again, and I will also have an update to the goings on…
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Episode #13 Our Package Deal & ITB Month 14
Our Country Cottage started life as Our Package Deal. We were like babes in the woods, having never built a house from scratch before. I found it quite amusing that, while we were in discussions with the kit home supplier, appliances popped into the conversation. Yup, we were having a hard time...
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Episode #12 Our Masonry Heater & ITB More Construction
A masonry heater is quite different from your standard fireplace or wood burning stove. A Fireplace or wood burning stove has a fire box with the chimney directly above it. The heat generated by the burning wood heats the immediate area around it and the smoke and some heat go up the chimney. In...
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Episode #11 Water Water Everywhere & ITB Construction Continues
Water Water Everywhere describes what can happen if the natural flow of water is not taken into account during the design stage and ITB, In The Beginning, carries on to the end of the first year of construction. In previous episodes I have mentioned how we controlled outside water and how we...
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Episode#10 Back Up Generator & ITB Construction
Back Up Generators, Why am I giving up on this one so fast, and In the Beginning (ITB), looks at the first days of construction. So generators are much like cars. Well at least the engine part is. You can get a high end jobbie that will cost a fortune or a low end unit that costs a lot less. I…
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Episode#9 Alert System & Design Path
Last time I said I would tell you about our power alert system. Don't get worried, this isn't going to get too technical. I realized early on that not being at Our Country Cottage all the time would leave us open to some major problems if something was to fail to work properly, especially if…
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Episode#8 It's Hard To Smell The Roses When They Are Frozen
At the end of the last podcast I said I would tell you about day 2, after the power failure and where we stand at this moment. It has been about a month since I found Our Country Cottage frozen and low on power and some things are the same, and some things have changed. The generator is dead and...
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Episode #7 Power Lost At Our Country Cottage
Nice day to visit Our Country Cottage and perhaps clear the driveway. I was looking forward to riding the tractor in the sun esp after new fallen snow. Everything just looks so good. I noticed as I passed the solar panels that they were three quarters covered with snow, but I figured the sun…
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Episode #6 Twas A Night
TWAS A NIGHT We are going to be doing something a bit different. A bit of a departure from the normally scheduled podcast and given the events of this last week I am glad I wrote this poem in advance. And now on with TWAS A NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY Twas a night at the country, and all through our...
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Episode #5 On Second Thought & In The Beginning
On Second Thought 1-Roof design There is a valley over battery room hatch where snow collects and turns to ice. The valley is also on the north side so parts of it never see the sun. It is also over the battery room entrance, so every time you access the battery room it is literally hanging over...
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Episode #4 Water and Some Chores
There are several types of water we had to contend with at Our Country Cottage. 1- Water we want to get in 2- Water we want to get out 3- Water we just want to control 1- Water we want to get in - Drinking water - Cooking water - Washing water - Cleaning water - Water for the toilet At this time,...
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Episode #3 Heat and a Bit of Cool
Firstly, I would like to point out that we are in a northern clime where heating a place takes way more energy and thought than it does to cool a place. As I mentioned in my last podcast, #2 Power, the best way to keep costs down is not to use it, not to use it as much, that is. The same is true...
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Episode #2 Power and A Cautionary Tale
Power 1-What we started with As far as power goes we started with nothing and about a kilometre away from any power lines very expensive to tap into local power length of line because of trees, underground would be preferable local power not 100% guaranteed monthly bill 2-What we wanted AC power...
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Episode #1 An Overview
An overview of our country cottage. We are on a quarter section which is a half mile by a half mile square. Ruffly 160 acres. Property was bought 15 to 20 years ago and construction started 4 years ago and completed 2 years ago. The cottage is about 1500 square feet. Three bedrooms, one large...
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Introduction to the podcast
In this first, short, episode I give a short description of the podcast itself. In the next episode I shall describe "Our Country Cottage" and give you an overall general view. In future episodes I will get into more specifics and the reasoning behind them and if it turned out the way we thought…
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About this show
Our Country Cottage, a Narrative, podcast is intended to be for those that want to, are in the process of, or have already realized their dream of building a retreat or retirement place in the woods. I will be sharing what I have learned from all phases of our project, from planning to enjoying and coming to terms with our cottage in the country.
Hosted by
John
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