Andy has been going up every day and cutting down some of the trees blocking the view. He hasn’t taken any new pictures and says I’ll notice the change when I go up. (I’m waiting for the trash container company to take away the last four containers so we can make our final decision about where to place the house.)
Thursday morning we talked to the fellow who will probably install our solar cells, if we can afford him. He was very knowledgeable so we’re keeping our fingers crossed. But talking about the grounding system brought up the subject of lightning protection. We only had two instances of damage in the past. In both cases the lightning struck a tree and in one case it fried some of our electrical wires and our generator. In the other case it split a tree and bounced over to the support for one of our beams and knocked off a piece of concrete. We were glad in both cases we weren’t there when it happened.
Now, of course, there are no trees to be struck. The house will be the tallest thing around. Do you think we’re tempting fate? When we decided to rebuild we joked that maybe the gods were trying to tell us something by wiping everything out. If that was true what would be the next message? A big bolt of lightning? It might not be such a joke. 😀
Sounds like some kind of lightning arrester, lightning rods or super grounding system would be in order.
One friend of ours had lightning strike a tree, go into the ground and followed a water line into the house, throwing dirt up out of the ground along the water line. Of course, that bolt was quite an aberration — never heard anything like it before or since.
what are the scientific incidents and time frame of serious problems like that
…do you really want to rebuild in your heart of hearts
…could you spend some time at your place without a solid home, i.e RV or portable removable place
…giving you time to reaccess whether this is truly the way forward for you both
even though this might seem harsh, your comments on lightning strike is what I see has “what now, thoughts”
Mike: falling down is never great…always something gets nicked and bruised. Take care…
am i getting so cautious in my old age?
i’m like cathy…
suddenly i feel like a leaf in the wind.
not sure i’d build again… i’d find a way to enjoy the site otherwise and keep it so simple.
but then i’m not thinking that clearly right now probably!
or as michael would say with a grin… “right now?”
tammy j
Mike,
We spent a lot of time reading about lightning protection before we built the first house. We will definitely have lightning rods. The problem is finding a good ground. Lightning will sometimes travel miles in the rocky terrain looking for a ground. Four-legged animals can be killed even though they aren’t directly struck. Their bodies have less impedance than the ground between their front and hind legs so they make an easy path.
When we built the first house we tried burying some large copper plates that were connected to the lightning protection system. We even brought in a bit of soil to help give them a bit more grounding, but we never had much faith in that part. The metal roof and the various wires going down to the rebar gave us a bit more confidence. The hope was it would be like being in a Faraday cage.
The only decent ground is the bottom of our well. We lost three pumps before we got an arrestor big enough. So we’re hoping all the buried electrical wires connected to it will help.
Cathy,
Some of us proposed a trailer for Andy, but he really wants a little house in addition to a workroom in the shed we’ll have built. He seems to be really happy now, and that’s the main thing. In the past I’ve been very happy down here in my study so I’m relaxed about the whole thing. I’m treating it as an adventure and am learning a lot…at the moment a lot more about the pros and cons of various roofing systems than I really wanted to know. 🙂 Asphalt is a lot easier and less expensive to install than metal, but it’s less resistant to hail, etc. And I would feel safer with a metal roof in a thunderstorm.
tammy,
The house will be small, but the whole project is not exactly simple given the need to rebuild the infrastructure. I think that’s a good part of the appeal for Andy.
I’m much more involved than I thought I would be, but that’s okay too. If I wanted to I could say I figured out the basic design of the house, now he can figure out what roof to put on. Instead I’m gathering a lot of information so we can make an informed decision. I do get curious once I start doing research.
I might have said in the past-don’t build. But Andy really wants a house. All the road work, clearing, water well building, architect. You don’t stop now, lightening or no lightening.
actually monk… it sounds like fun! hard work for sure. but fun.
if i could design my own little house i’d have a bed high up, right under a skylight that could open (with a screen to thwart hungry mosquitos) but one where i could see the stars and close and listen to the rain…
heaven!
cheers,
tammy j
it’s a great project for you both – from different angles. Continued education is extremely good for anyone and even if it’s just new fangled building materials you never know when a friend/colleague will want some “thoughts” on the matters for something new of their own 🙂
bikehikebabe,
I agree!
tammy,
That’s what it was like sleeping out on our second-story deck. The stars are spectacular up at 8800 feet.
Cathy,
Yes, I’ve always learned best by independent study. I’ve been reading articles and watching videos of how to, and not to, shingle a roof. Not that I want to do it, but I did have Andy watch some of them to so he can watch to be sure ours is done right. I remember my mother having trouble with a leaky roof. It caused her no end of worry until she finally found someone who could fix it.
“…second-story deck.” It was a BALCONY.
We have a balcony that we called a deck for 40 years. Now I try to call it a balcony. Hard to do.
A deck is on the ground. A balcony is up in the air. 🙂
bikehikebabe,
Sorry, I disagree.
It was made of steel and 8 feet wide. It was adjoining our main floor and was like being on the top deck of a ship.
OK, yours was a deck if it sat upon your 1st floor. It was an extension of your ground floor; on top of your ground floor.
Our balcony is suspended from the house with no pillars. But with a roof which is the beams & wood ceiling that extends from the living room inside.
Glad we got that cleared up. 😀
you guys crack me up! and i needed a laugh today!
hugs,
tammy j
daddy, why am I walking around in circles? shut up or i’ll nail your other foot to the floor. won’t give u a laugh but was all i could think of.
hugs,
cynthia j
after groaning. she laughed.
and she thanked cynthia j and then she asked
“now what did you do with the bikehikebabe!!!”