In the gutter

We are coming up on the anniversary of the record storms we have had the past two years.  Even though we are having a drought, I figured it would be a good time to finish the gutter project.  The intent is to divert as much water out of the yard and to capture some of it in the new rain barrel I installed in the garden.  I am only putting gutters on two sides as the other two sides already drain to the alley.  

One of my first obstacles for the project was that when I constructed the pergola, I did not anticipate the gutters so the pergola comes right up to the fascia.  I had to cut back the pergola to make room for the gutter. 

Little did I know that when I removed the hops near the end of the pergola, I disturbed several yellow-jacket nests.  I was forced to stop the project and wait a day until the "excitement" subsided.

Installing the gutters was very easy.  There are literally hundreds of videos online that show what to do.  I like this one by Ron Hazelton.  I should have taken more photos of the various steps but I figure the videos are more useful.  A couple hints: I would over-buy the number of hangers you think you need and make sure that you have the correct drill attachment for the anchors for these hangers.  I learned the hard way, getting all set up and ready to go and then realized I didn't have the attachment for my drill.

The process is simple: strike slope lines, hold up and attach the various pieces with the anchors and then seal the seams.  All of the seams are filled with a silver silicone that comes with the straps that are wrapped around each seam.  It all went up relatively quickly except for a couple of glitches that I am not sure if I know how to fix or want to fix.   

My first problem is that my fascia is not perfectly square.  In order for the corner piece to hang at a perfect right angle, I'd have to provide blocking behind it to square it up.   This isn't really a problem you can see from the yard so I am not sure I am too concerned right now.  I will spray some water on the roof today and see how it works.  If there is any leaking or an area that doesn't drain, then I might do something.   

I am glad to get this project done and am looking forward  to having a rain barrel that functions in the garden.  The garden is going crazy this year.  My daughter took some pics.  She is particularly proud of the "tiny" sunflower she brought home the last day of school.  It is now seven feet tall and I am guessing it will break the record of tall sun flowers we've had in the garden.

Lessons Learned

Every year, since getting the rain barrels, I have dutifully drained them, disconnected them, and placed them upside down under our eaves.  This year, time got away from me and it grew cold so I never bothered to take on the yearly winterizing.  I heard that other folks with barrels left them out so why not see what happens.

Well, this is what happens:

It looks like the rear barrel, filled with water, froze into a solid block of ice.  The bottom of the barrel expanded, so it fell off of it's platform.  It actually looks more like it committed "rain barrel suicide" and jumped off.  From what I can tell, the barrel is still in one piece, though the spigot is broken.  Now I have to wait until the sucker melts so I can move it back.  Given the size of the ice, I am guessing this could take until March.

The front barrel is still out and has had no problems.  I wonder if I should take advantage of this weekend's heat wave and bring it in.

Just Thinking

Either the League of Women Voters needs to rethink their decorated rain barrel fundraiser / publicity piece or the OP needs to invest in a few more trash receptacles for Lake Street. FYI, this is right in front of one of the finest buildings in the world and one of the most visited landmarks in the OP. Nice touch. The up-sides: At least people were trying not to litter or perhaps we have yet another re-use option for plastic food containers (or old rain barrels)?

Getting The Most From Your Rain Barrels

Having a rain barrel seems to be a craze these days. Everyone seems to have caught on to the idea that adding more water to our already strained storm water system isn’t such a good thing and has started disconnecting their downspouts from the storm water system. Add the benefit of free, un-chlorinated water for the garden and it seems that these large round plastic objects seem to be sprouting up around houses all over town. Some of them brightly decorated and others still donning their original blue or black color.

When looking around the neighborhood, it is also apparent that the craze has left a few people puzzled as I see just as many of these barrels sitting or on their sides, not functioning the way that they should. I’ve had my rain barrels for two years now and they have evolved a bit over time. I figured that it was a good time for a quick primer on these garden beauties and to give some hints on how to get the most out of them.

Getting the barrel
I got my barrel on e-bay. Several years ago, they could be cheaply purchased from several local dealers. Unfortunately, the demand has made the prices skyrocket a bit. The initial costs of mine were 35 bucks each. I believe that most municipalities still have these available through some public entity for roughly the same price. In Chicagoland, there are sources with the City of Chicago as well as the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

Sprucing them up
My barrels were grey, an unattractive grey. Most barrels are recycled food containers and are opaque white, blue, or black. I chose a flat green paint for my barrels as I didn’t want to draw too much attention to them and wanted them to blend into the garden. How you decorate your barrel is only limited by your imagination. For some great ideas of transforming your barrels into works of art, you can check out some photos in PDF form on the League of Women Voters website or better, take a walk around downtown OP and see some of these beauties for yourself.

The set up
Putting the barrels into action is maybe the most involved part of the process. Position the barrel under the downspout of your home. In order to get good water pressure from the nozzle and for easier access to it, it is also important to get the barrel off the ground. At my place, I have them standing on two concrete masonry units. Cut the downspout just above the barrel top and direct the spout into the barrel.
There are a couple of small concerns that should also be addressed. The first one is having something on the barrel to prohibit mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel. For this, the downspout can sometimes be hermetically sealed to the barrel. This is a little difficult so most folks put a screen over the barrel, yet under the container lid to prohibit the mosquitoes from getting in.

The second concern is overflow. The average barrel fills up quickly, in almost minutes during an average rainstorm. Most barrels are outfitted with a connection at the top of the barrel for an overflow hose. This is the simplest way of handling excess rainwater and it can be directed into your garden area. There are other systems that can be found online that connect to your downspout and redirect water to the ground, a storm water line, or another barrel.

In the wintertime
The rain barrels don’t function so well in wintertime. Barrel owners have a series of views on what to do come winter. I’ve always been concerned about the life of the barrels so hope to prolong it by reconnecting the downspouts and let them drain directly to yard and planting bed areas. I store the barrels upside down, under the eave, to keep them dry. I know of some local folks that just keep them connected without problems so far.

Going all out
One way to make the barrel more maintenance free is to attach it to a soaker-hose and snake the hose around your garden. I've had mixed results with this as the hose seems to get clogged or not have enough water pressure in it to work after a month or so. Sometimes I flush it out by hooking it up to a spigot or I just get lazy and resort to my watering can.

There are other ways to enhance the experience of the rain barrel in your garden. At my place, to disguise the screen at the top, I have placed pebbles and stones to give it a sort of fountain experience.

I also removed my downspout entirely and installed rain chains to add to this “fountain-like” experience. These are also available online and even at local garden stores. I got mine at Target. The overall look and sound in the rain is pretty nice, even with the rush-hour traffic in the background.

Waiting for the rains...

With one of the wettest springs on record, we don’t actually need any more rain but I can’t wait to see how my new rain chains work. After years of wanting to install them, I finally found some inexpensive ones at Target. There are beautiful copper ones that I’ve seen online for anywhere between 100 and 200 bucks. The Target ones were a bit more within the Tiny Bungalow’s price range at 40.It was my birthday last week and in addition to the lilac from my mother in law, my wife got me a neat glass sculpture. Since my mom sent me a little cash, I figured this would be a great time to get the chains. Thanks mom.I am sure that there are some of you out there that don’t have a clue about rain chains. Commonly known as a Japanese invention, they create a surface sown which water can flow from roof gutters to the ground. They can be as simple as a linked-chain and as complex as sculpted animals that are interconnected to create a garden water feature. Western architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, who were inspired by Asian designs often, incorporate them into their buildings. Wright’s Fallingwater has some prominent ones.At the Tiny Bungalow, I’ve always wanted on at the front entry, above the rain barrel. It seems like a perfect location because everyone walks by this as they come into the house. Assembly was pretty simple. I removed the existing downspout (saving the screws, etc. as I will likely want to re-install the gutter in the winter. I then threaded the chain through the downspout opening and attached the pieces.The only wrinkle was that the barrel was not centered under the downspout. It wasn’t even close so I had to empty the barrel and re-center the barrel so that it would splash properly. Now, we just need to wait for the rain and see how they work. I’ll be sure to post photos or who knows; maybe a video is in order.I think that they look pretty cool. They are a heck of a lot better looking than the white aluminum downspout that used to snake down the column. The only problem is that the gutters and eaves look like ass. One of these days, we'll get to exposing that beadboard under there but I've been holding off on that one as something tells me that will cost a bit more than 40 bucks.While installing the chains, I watered the garden and got a look at things outside. Everything is on the verge of bursting with flowers. I still have a couple bare spots where seeds didn’t take but I am not too concerned right now. The daisies are in full bloom as are a few other perennials. I had to hold back from moving things around. Maybe in the rain later this week…

Water water water

It has been raining off and on all weekend so I haven't been able to get as much work done as I had hoped. The initial goal was to set up shop outside but with the intermittent showers, I figured it wasn't the best idea.

Instead, I decided to finish some much-needed cleaning on the front porch and to take care of the water in the front of the house. Part of this work was getting up and cleaning out the gutters so that water actually goes down the downspouts as opposed to shooting out 10 feet in front of the house.

After cleaning the gutters, I decided to hook up a soaker hose to the front rain barrel. Hopefully this will make watering the front garden that much easier. It is a little obtrusive as it snakes in and out of the plants (and around my daughter's "decorative" stone and glass work) but I am sure it will disappear in no time. Since I was in the yard, I decided to throw a few plants in the ground as well.

A busy weekend

The painting in the stair is finished. I put another coat of "Honey Moth" on the ceiling and two coats on the adjacent wall. It looks pretty good - a major improvement over what was there.

Oh, and no room is complete in the Tiny Bungalow anymore unless I can spray-paint something in it with faux hammered metal. I did the light switch plate here. Very classy but it kind of clashes with the fixture the PO installed.
Since today was incredible outside, I decided to get the rain barrels in place. I changed out the screens and put in new ones. I also got some CMU and have each barrel lifted higher than they were last year. Hopefully this will improve the water pressure. It makes them a little more obtrusive but I don't really care.

The flowers look nice and I cleared two areas to start some more perennials from seed. I don't have a lot of hope for them but I guess we'll see. The tulips (the white ones) are going a little wacky.
I don't think I've seen a tulip open up like these - too funny. Its like they are jealous because they seemed plain next to the purple ones so they thought they'd yell out a little cry for attention. They really fill up the yard. We cut a few and brought them indoors and they really went nuts.

Rain Barrels

Just thought I'd make a quick post on an item I saw in the paper yesterday. The MWRD of Chicago is offering inexpensive rain barrels to folks in the Chicagoland area. Just look under the "Public Interest" section of the website. It might be a little cold for some of us to be thinking about stuff for the outside of our homes but spring is just around the corner (I hope).

They help conserve on water usage in the garden and reduce the amount of stormwater runoff. I've already got a couple and may get one more for the other side of the house.

Considering the Environment

As a way to celebrate Blog Action Day, I am writing down a list of things that we do here at the Tinybungalow in the hopes that in some small way we will impact the environment in more good ways then bad.

1. Live small.
I am not suggesting that everyone should be living in an 800 square foot home but it is worth considering why people in our country seem to need so much space. Regardless of how energy efficient your home is, an extra two or three thousand square feet per home is just not sustainable.2. Live in an old home.
If you don't have to build it, you don't have to use resources to manufacture it and you will create less waste during construction. The greenest building you can build is the one that you don't build at all.

3. Get off your butt and walk.

I hate driving so this is an easy one. When we chose this home, we knew we wanted something near public transit and within walking distance to park, school, and village. Burning off the last meal you ate will do yourself and the environment much more good than burning fuel in your car.

4. Recycle.

It doesn't take a lot of time to have an extra garbage can for recyclable items. If we could find the space for it, then anyone can. If it can be used again, help to put materials into the recycling pipeline.

5. Re-use and Re-purpose.

We love Craig's list and e-bay. Old stuff is usually cooler than new stuff anyway. Now, we don't buy everything used but there is so much that you can buy and sell so why not do it? An old piece of furniture will do more good in your home than it will in the area landfill.

6. Compost.
A lot of people think composting is rocket science. We do not have a composter - I prefer to layer stuff in a big pile. The result is great. If it can help out your garden then why would you throw it away?7. Repair, don't replace.

I am a fan of our old plaster walls, the wood windows, and just about every part of this old home. There are some good reasons to update particular items in old homes but why create waste and use resources when you have something that works and is currently in your home.

8. Go bottle-less

It is tough to avoid them - this is one item that we have had some difficulty embracing but so far, so good. To help the water taste better, buy a water filter and instead of buying several cases of water a week, use refillable bottles. The nice part is that we save money.9. Put in some CFLs.Look, they even have holiday ones now!10. Install a rain barrel

Putting in a rain barrel is not the easiest thing to do and it does add a little more maintenance to the house. We love them though. Why pay for water when it's free?

The weather has been great!

I think that this is the first "real" spring we have had since we first moved to Chicago 10 years ago. The weather has been pretty great and except for a few serious downpours, it has been relatively warm with clear skies. The yard is doing well. The garden looks great as well. The inside of the house is a mess but the outside is looking o.k.After a couple weeks of using the rain barrels, I have learned a couple of things. I can water the yard (front and back planting beds and garden) daily for a week before I run out of water. Perhaps I'll get two more next year for the other side of the house because they are working well. Unfortunately, I can't use a soaker hose unless the barrel is completely full. So I need to find some other way to easily water the wildflowers coming up in the front. I also have a little tweaking to do with the barrel installation as my front barrel is creating a lot of splash onto the stucco during a rainstorm. This is not good.

We are almost used to the whole composting thing. We located the pile adjacent to the garden. It is separated by a wire fence "pen". I have been trying to layer kitchen wastes with yard waste and stockpiled leaves. We keep a medium size tupperware container near the sink and put all peels, coffee grounds, etc. in it and dump it when it fills (every couple of days). I create two stockpiles at the front of the pen, one for yard waste (weeds, grass clippings, etc. - these I collect each morning I work in the yard) and another of old leaves. The only reason I have these is because I had a scarecrow from Halloween that we never disposed of. I turn the pile weekly and water it every other day. It is already looking pretty good and there are no odd smells or visible signs of rodents. Even the rabbits are getting more scarce.

The weather has been so great, I even resorted to making some much needed repairs on the back step and today I cleaned out the garage. It is a little disconcerting to have so much space in there. Maybe it will rain next weekend so that I can get back to working on that bedroom.

The past few weeks

We like hosting visitors. It is a lot of fun to spend time with family and friends, it is a great excuse to visit that restaurant we always wanted to go to, and it is usually nice to play tourist in our own town. We have had visitors, in some form or another, for the past 4 weekends. It has been a lot of fun but unfortunately not much has progressed on the house. I don’t think we have even properly cleaned the place in 5 weeks – a somewhat scary thought.

All has not been lost though. I have made some strides in the yard work over the past few weeks. It is actually pretty easy to do work in the yard while people are visiting. I can get out early in the morning (usually between 5:30 and 6), before anyone is awake, and muddle around as much I like – as long as I don’t make too much noise. Since I have been able to spend a lot of time outside, and since it has rained quite a bit for the past few weeks, the yard is looking pretty good. The rain barrels are now both installed, the wildflowers are doing well in the front, and the vegetable and herb garden is planted and thriving. Another highlight is that it appears the first crop of raspberries is about a week or so away.

The installation of the second rain barrel went a little easier than the first. I partially credit the learning experience of installing the first one but more importantly, I credit the vinyl screen I used on the top in lieu of the metal one I used on the first. I typical HATE plastic on, in, or near the house but using the plastic screen made the installation so much easier because you could screw the top of the rain barrel right over it without it binding, tearing, or slipping out (like the metal one did).

We have the beginnings of a nice compost pile. I have layered stockpiled yard and kitchen waste with dirt and leaves. We are now composting just about anything within reason. I haven’t built a decent enclosure around it (that might make too much noise) but it seems to be doing well and has yet to spill over into the garden.

Our back porch has hopefully seen the last person trip on it. After much goading from just about everyone that has used it, the rear stair has had a major overhaul. Now we just need to get used to it NOT creaking when we walk down it.

After much anticipation and much publicity, the cicadas never came. I had hoped this would be a highlight of the blog for the past month but the few we had were eaten by our ravenous robins. I hear a faint call here and there but not the chorus that seems to be developing in the nearby forest preserve. Maybe we’ll have a better showing in another 17 years.

The inside of the home has not changed in about 6 weeks but this will hopefully change as we are not expecting our next visitor until the end of July.

Yard Work and Installing the Rain Barrel

It has been a very busy weekend. I rented a mulcher/chipper and finally got rid of the pile of brush that once was our front bushes. It is amazing, a pile of brush 5 feet tall, twenty feet wide and 15 feet deep yielded about a garbage bag full of mulch. I expected I'd be mulching the entire yard and more but with this amount, it is just not worth it. The back corner of our yard is now ready for planting.

My friend Pete came out again to help out with some of the work. Luckily he did come out because installing the rain barrel was not as easy as I had thought it would be. We dug out the area adjacent to our porch, installed a bed of gravel, compacted it and built up a small step for the barrel.

We cut the screen (to prevent mosquitoes) to size, fit on the lid, and then covered it with stone. we had to cut the downspout to the right length and I even took some time to clean out the gutters. We completed the front by planting some switch grass that will hopefully grow up and conceal the barrel. It rained this afternoon and we are already collecting water.

We spread a "butterfly and hummingbird" mix of seed and then put a layer of soil mixed with peat moss over it. I am not optimistic enough to think that we will get hummingbirds but hopefully it will look nice by the middle of the summer.

All in all, I think that the yard is vastly improved over what it looked like a couple weeks ago. Once I plant the garden and complete the compost bin, I will consider, except for maintenance, the yard "completed" for this year.