Thursday, April 16, 2015

(Apr 14) Cistern Has arrived

Well, they warned me it big but I didn't put it together until I saw the fork lift come around the corner with a monster tank, mine. We had just purchased our 1550 gallon above ground cistern. I was really excited about picking it up and am looking forward to our first drink of rainwater.


The 100+ mile drive back from the manufacturer (Norwesco) in Fairfield was not a pleasant one! I had taken 16' straps to secure the beast but even they weren't long enough. I had to splice multiples together to get them to reach from one side to the other. Once it was synched down tightly, I hit the highway. About 60 mph was the best I could make without the wind turbulence throwing the truck around and as traffic was moving 75-80 mph, I got more than my share of stares and dirty looks.

The relief of the trip was just outside of Athens in Malikoff where I took a break from the road and toured some park model homes at Premium Cottages. I was very impressed with most of the models. Cement-Fiberboard cladding, vinyl plank flooring, full sized appliances, split mini AC systems and lots of windows. Numerous models priced in the $40Ks which I though was fair for the features. They were also very nice and spent some time talking to me about the company and the features available. The rep that was helping me said that they didn't have a lot of experience in building Tiny houses as most of theirs were between 300-400 sf but that they had built several smaller than that.

Back on the road I was comforted with the bag of brownies and cookies I had picked up at Collin Street Bakery. Delicious as always! :)

Upon arriving at our property, seeing as it had rained heavily the night before, the driveway was flooded again and I took a few moments to gather my nerve to run it with my load. After having to get our vehicle un-stuck a few weeks ago, I've been a little more cautious. I got out and walk (waded) down the path to plot my trajectory. Just get a good head of momentum and don't slide off and hit a tree! It's worked so far and got me to the cabin again today. :)  I promised myself, when (if) it dries out good, I'll get some road base delivered and cure this problem. I just need to get through the Spring.

When I reached safe ground, I got out and examined the spot that I would unload the tank. It is heavy duty plastic but it is still subject to puncture if offered something sharp. I walked the area several minutes and found a smooth and clear area. I decided that I would lay some metal wire racks that I had recently purchased at an auction down to act as steps for the beast to roll off onto rather than just letting it fall off the end of the truck. I put them in position and started to adjust the cistern. To my surprise it just started rolling and just as I had plotted, it landed on a nice flat, open area although on it's side. It didn't take much and I was able to right it. That's where it will have to stay until we get some gravel/sand laid as a pad closer to the cabin. We'll tackle the challenge of moving it when we get that far. Until then, it can just sit there and look pretty!


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