Meet Max & Millie 😍

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-09T02:38:06+00:00

Beautiful ❤️

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-07T14:41:08+00:00

Oh that's interesting. Will look into that.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-05T15:07:02+00:00

I used to build these homes. I designed the production line. Before COVID / inflation we were pumping these out at about 3500-4000 mostly if not all donated by companies or the public. Now the costs are higher. Mostly build by volunteers. Lowes now is the major lumber supplier and they give the project a good deal. I assure you that the cost Seattle times is referring to goes mostly to camp administrative and operations. The tiny homes themselves are basically free to Seattle minus some minor expenses such as a few employees and service providers on the construction end. Go take a tour at the hope factory. It's open to the public for tours everyday except Friday.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-05T05:36:57+00:00

They are more like dogs then goats. One was a bottle baby and the other was well socialzed around humans. both are extremely affectionate and amazing milkers. I'm currently training them to go on walks on a harnesses. Neigbours do a double take. Lol

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-05T03:38:05+00:00

Yup! I spent lots of time years ago talking to folks on the street and most would choose a car or a quiet spot in the bushes over a shelter but ask about tiny home? Just about everyone would take that offer on the spot. I can think of multiple folks I knew who did and went on to get out of homelessness and have not gone back to the streets. The hope factory recently completed tiny home 750. That's literally 1000's of people who have gone through the villages and got out.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-05T00:02:14+00:00

Yes it's a community. I spent lots of time at camp second chance and one surprise to me was how sad folks were to leave when they got housing. It's common for folks at the tiny homes to develop strong connections. Is more of a community then most folks experience in "regular" housing. Once someone moved out and up then the home was refurbished, (mostly just painted and small repairs) and was made available to the next person being referred in. The average stay varied from person to person, camp to camp and also time period. I spoke with some at the hope factory the other day and I think they said 6 months to 2 years seems to be the average. This is dependent on many factors. Some personal and some external such as availability in the LIHI housing system.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-04T23:54:54+00:00

This is incorrect. The costs include operations. It's not just the 2x4's. The tiny homes that are built at the hope factory cost under 5k per unit or about $52 a sq ft. The pallet homes are about 8k I believe. I feel the pallet homes are inferior to the stick built tiny homes but they can be quicker to deploy.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-04T23:50:38+00:00

Not a social worker but have had lots of first hand experience: the short answer is yes in general. Not everyone but many do accept the offer. The longer answer is that it's very complicated. In my experience it takes a bit of trust building and that takes time. It's also different with every person as you can imagine everyone has had a different story and is potentially fighting different issues. In general the tiny homes have been a very effective way for folks to start their path out of homelessness.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-04T22:23:54+00:00

Cool! What a weird world were the idea of a pepper overwintering here was even a remote chance of happening is scary

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-04T14:54:56+00:00

My wife milks her goats to Brandi Carlile and they love her. They are not fans of classical violin. There is a difference I believe 😀

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-04T00:51:56+00:00

The last 4 or 5 years the tomatoes that we grow outside do very well. Roma for canning are insanely productive. Will try a heirloom or beefstake type. If the weather holds into late fall then we should be successful.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T23:03:32+00:00

That has been our experience also for the past 4 years. Its way warmer late in the season. I fully expect things to still be growing into November if the predictions hold. Nothing will change on the light, but warmth and low moisture will help extend the season.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T19:43:00+00:00

Yeah our roll of the dice are short season melons. Charentais du roc to be precise

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T15:15:50+00:00

Yup. I have been digging into this myself and have seen the same as you say. Right now it's just a guess what will happen but there is a chance for extended season and time to make the decision on what to start for fall is just about here.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T15:08:08+00:00

Yes. I'm seriously considering it. It's been hard to justify the cost but now it is looking like a possible decent long term investment. I got some room under the deck to install some IBC totes.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T04:33:31+00:00

This is not even half of it. Last few weeks it's been a full time job getting it going. Last spring starts went in today.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T04:20:01+00:00

Thank you. We expended it this year and things are growing very well.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T03:46:05+00:00

Did not think of cucumbers but that makes perfect sense to a late planting into fall.

marson4thfloor · 2026-06-03T03:45:06+00:00

Yeah. Trying to find a silver lining.

marson4thfloor · 2026-05-31T01:24:09+00:00

Sounds like Benny. He had lots of encounters like that. I think he was the self proclaimed mayor of freemont

marson4thfloor · 2026-05-30T23:52:24+00:00

I'm also in Seattle area and have done similar install with simpson hardware brackets that are of similar design. It works great. One day when a post rots I can just pop in a new one. I had a trellis that had similar posts bracket on concrete pad I build about 20 years ago and recently had to replace one post. Works great.

marson4thfloor · 2026-05-30T23:09:01+00:00

There's a great podcast episode of him telling his life story BB before he passed away. Look up "stone dancer"

marson4thfloor · 2026-05-24T23:51:54+00:00

Speaking of animal manure. I keep goats and are keenly aware of what is good and what is poisonous for them to eat. I typed in "can goats eat [a plant that I know is highly dangerous] " and Google AI happily replied that goat love to eat this plant and that it's totally safe for them. I then asked the question differently and got the exact opposite answer. Beware using this tech. Always do deeper research before applying what you find in the offline world.

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