Habitat for Humanity

I'm sorry to hear about your dog RTM

I hope he went to a good home.

I miss my cat, she passed away early this month. She was old. She's buried in the garden. God gave me a lot of cats over the years to look after but now, we don't have any.

I thought about what it would be like to look after some sheep. Maybe it would be weird cos I live in the suburbs and nobody here has sheep. But if I got two, they could graze the lawns for me and the neighbours and we wouldn't have to use noisy lawnmowers.

I am not even sure why we can't have sheep in the suburbs. Maybe there are too many dogs around. I am forever seeing people walk with their dogs around the park, but nobody walks their sheep.

We had chickens, but the neighbours dog killed one and the other died of old age. The chickens gave us eggs. and a lot of chicken manure.
 
I read this book 'Because of Winn-Dixie' it's a children's novel about a 10 year old girl who finds a stray dog at the Winn-Dixie supermarket. Her dad is a preacher and they move to a new town, I think they live in a trailer, and her mother left the family when she was 3 years old.
I am not sure if this is actually realistic or not but it IS set in Florida.

Anyway the dog makes friends with everyone and the girl learns to make friends with people just as lonely and heartbroken as she is, through the dog. (who is called Winn-Dixie).

I am not actually sure what to think of this book as I wasn't that much of a fan of the dog, but..you might like it. It was a required reading for a school quiz. Also *spoiler* I don't think ten year olds would actually READ Gone with the Wind. I was definitely not reading an 1037 page book at that age. And I have read Gone with the Wind. Maybe I was 13-14 at the time.
 
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Ok there must be something special in the dog that I didn't really glean from the book because this heartwarming musical was made of it!

www.becauseofwinndixiethemusical.com

Because of Winn Dixie the Musical

Because of Winn Dixie the Musical. A new musical based on the novel featuring a canine star. Award-winning team with book and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Duncan Sheik.
www.becauseofwinndixiethemusical.com www.becauseofwinndixiethemusical.com
 
I got notice from Auckland Council that the laws have been changed and now everyone can build dwellings of more than 6 storeys high

It wasn't Aucklanders wanting this change it was handed down from central govt in Wellington.

Possibly because it wasn't willing to develop other small towns to take in the population growth. ?!
 
Lanolin said:
I'm wondering if anyone on here has built a house and how do you go about it.
I'm seeing lots of new houses go up around the city but I'm not certain they will even last five years because they don't seem to be made of proper materials or have good roofs. I know people need housing and it needs to be affordable but cardboard houses on shaky ground or flood prone land...really?

Is there any solution to the housing shortage?
Click to expand...

I've built a number of houses. It takes looooots of money, looooots of materials, and loooooots of skill.

Actually, living in a cardboard box isn't a bad idea when it comes to earthquakes....

MM
 
Musicmaster said:
I've built a number of houses. It takes looooots of money, looooots of materials, and loooooots of skill.

Actually, living in a cardboard box isn't a bad idea when it comes to earthquakes....

MM
Click to expand...
Can you tell me what you made them out of?
I'd love to know a bit more about it.

Like how long it takes, and how many people need to be involved, and the basics of what you need before you build. Are the houses you built still standing?
 
Lanolin said:
Can you tell me what you made them out of?
I'd love to know a bit more about it.

Like how long it takes, and how many people need to be involved, and the basics of what you need before you build. Are the houses you built still standing?
Click to expand...

We used 2X4's and 2X6's for the framing, 2X10's for roof rafters, and concrete for the footings and foundation. Then we laid brick along the outer walls, with sheetrock on the inside, and then trim. Pretty standard stuff that can withstand quite a bit considering the winds we get here in the midwest.

MM
 
Musicmaster said:
We used 2X4's and 2X6's for the framing, 2X10's for roof rafters, and concrete for the footings and foundation. Then we laid brick along the outer walls, with sheetrock on the inside, and then trim. Pretty standard stuff that can withstand quite a bit considering the winds we get here in the midwest.

MM
Click to expand...
What did you use to cover the roof, and did you have eaves?
I'm wondering why some homes don't even have eaves now. The rain has to drain somehow, not down the walls!
 
Lanolin said:
What did you use to cover the roof, and did you have eaves?
I'm wondering why some homes don't even have eaves now. The rain has to drain somehow, not down the walls!
Click to expand...

Yes, they all had eaves. I fully agree. My house right now has eaves all around. The roof was plywood and shingles. On my house right now, I have a metal roof. They are guaranteed for 50 years compared to 30 years for tar shingles. I can send pictures if you like.

MM
 
Lanolin

I think you may find geoism/georgism interesting.
apparently its touted as a good working ideology to help alleviate homelessness. give it a google...
(I have been reading a bit about it lately, and we have a number of young people advocating for this ideology in the uk.
 
Lanolin said:
What did you use to cover the roof, and did you have eaves?
I'm wondering why some homes don't even have eaves now. The rain has to drain somehow, not down the walls!
Click to expand...
Musicmaster said:
Yes, they all had eaves. I fully agree. My house right now has eaves all around. The roof was plywood and shingles. On my house right now, I have a metal roof. They are guaranteed for 50 years compared to 30 years for tar shingles. I can send pictures if you like.

MM
Click to expand...

Hello Lanolin and MM;

When you say eaves, are we talking about eavestroughs? If so, aren't they the same as gutters? We call it gutters, a channel intended to drain rain water. Periodically, we have to clean the leaves and debris inside the channels.

As far as metal roofs, we have tar shingles and surprisingly our roof is in good shape after 21 years. I may give metal roof research for our home.
 
Via dolarossa said:
Lanolin

I think you may find geoism/georgism interesting.
apparently its touted as a good working ideology to help alleviate homelessness. give it a google...
(I have been reading a bit about it lately, and we have a number of young people advocating for this ideology in the uk.
Click to expand...
ok, I never heard of it before

It seems weird that in NZ there should be now a homeless problem when we don't have nearly as many people as the UK does and just as much land.
 
bobinfaith said:
Hello Lanolin and MM;

When you say eaves, are we talking about eavestroughs? If so, aren't they the same as gutters? We call it gutters, a channel intended to drain rain water. Periodically, we have to clean the leaves and debris inside the channels.

As far as metal roofs, we have tar shingles and surprisingly our roof is in good shape after 21 years. I may give metal roof research for our home.
Click to expand...
That and overhang from roof over the walls or extending out from it so the rain falls away from the house not on it.
 
I tried to figure out what geoism or georgism is

But the wikipedia article went kind of over my head a bit.
Is it talking about rates for land because that is what is already done in Auckland if you a ratepayer. Rates are higher in certain areas and the more people there are the more revenue.
Ratepayers pay rates to pay for things like water, rubbish removal and roads. Also libraries and other amenities. This goes towards local govt eg councils.
This is also in addition to taxpayers who pay tax on their business, goods, and income. This money goes towards central govt eg parliament.

I don't think it's either or, most people pay both. Landowners pay rates, while tenants pay rents (which go toward the landowners payment of rates).
 
bump

if anyone wants to add anything.
I got nothing much at the moment. Local elections are coming in my area...housing is always a big issue in NZ. Especially in Auckland the biggest city. Lots of new houses being built and I notice the wooden frames are pink? I think because it's treated pine, but I don't know if those homes will last. We get a lot of rain and wooden homes tend to rot if they aren't painted every couple of years.
 
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