6/13/2009

Wit & Wisdom

One of the discussions at breakfast on Saturday morning was the fact that Cessna Aircraft is laying off 1300 workers in Kansas. In a perfect world, demand would match production and our production would match our capabilities.



Now that we know that we don't have a perfect world, what do we need to do to change what we have into what we need. If we know that solar panels can replace 75% of the electricity we need in a typical application, why aren't we producing solar panels instead of building new coal plants and wind generating systems? If we know that super insulated homes cut the heating and cooling costs, why aren't we generating ways to post insulate homes?



If we know that we need to cut the number of cars out there and increase the amount of exercise we get, why aren't we building bike lanes in our cities? We seem to be able to build those damned roundabouts everywhere but only have a path around a lake nearby. My only real complaint about that is those damned Canadian geese that poop on the sidewalk. Perhaps I am a little mad at people that feed them on the sidewalk instead of the grass. The geese don't care where the bread falls, they eat it clean or dirty. Hell, they will eat it even if it is in the water. It is slippery and tastes like someone crapped a frog when it flips up in my face as I ride.



Sometime way early this morning I watched an installment of "This Old House". The builder of a really upscale home was working with Habitat for Humanity and did a post and beam home for one of their projects. He built a home in just a little over 25 days from start to finish. His innovations made it fast and energy efficient. Because it was going to be a Habitat home it also had to be simple for the builders once it hit the site. Most of the local labor was volunteer and semi skilled at best.



I watched a three car garage being built just up the road and they hit the lot with a crew of five and erected the structure in four hours and finished it the next morning. With out any solar or insulation work it was about $17,000. That is about $17.00 a square foot (no floor installed) add about $3.00 a square for the floor. I want to do one slightly smaller an add a storm shelter into the design.



Oh well, I didn't know where this was going when I started and now that I am finished, I'm not sure where it went, only that it did. I do know that a mower is calling my name and I sure don't want to get behind, again



MUD

3 comments:

  1. Those geese are some kinda crazy pooping machines, huh? They are actually PROTECTED down here. I consider them to be LAKE RATS.

    On the three car garage, when you say "floor" do you mean the foundation and everything? And if this is pre-engineered metal, that does have insulation in the wall panels and 3" vinyl backed in the roof. Granted, that is not great R value, but it is more than nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MUD: I think I get where you're going...even though (to use a redneck expression), that one did run off the road, and clean out both the ditches. (nyuk)

    If the "problems" proposed by the media, politicians, alarmists, etc. are "real problems,"...and the "solutions" proposed are "real solutions," we would be doing them.

    I'm all for alternative energy (like solar) if it works. And, I have always been interested in wind power...even though the more I learn about it, the less I like it.

    And, I am WAY, WAY, WAY in favor of nuclear power...but try to sneak that by the envirotards.

    I did not know that people actually put insulation in a garage...

    And, geese suck...

    ReplyDelete
  3. The thing that concerns me about building and manufacturing is the drastic drop-off in the quality of materials across the board. The tradesmen still do a fine job with what they have, but you just can't build with pine the same way you build with oak.

    Most of the houses that I've worked on that were built within the last 20 years are turning into sawdust before their owners eyes.

    ReplyDelete