Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
runningtrails_gw

I hung up the bat house

runningtrails
15 years ago

Man! That puppy is heavy!!!

At first I thought I would just climb the TV Antennae with one hand and carry it up in the other hand. I couldn't get more than two steps up with that thing.

I then thought I would tie a rope to it, climb up and pull it up behind me. I proceeded to do this but couldn't lift it off the ground.

My next great idea was to keep the rope wrapped around it a few times and also tie the other end around my shoulder and pull it up that way. I still couldn't pull it up more than one rung at a time. I climbed up one rung and then used all my strengh to heave it up to that rung and hook it over. Then I climbed another rung, stopped and heaved it up using a hand on the hook and the other hand on the rope, along with everything I had in me, to get it up to that next rung. I did this until it was about 15' off the ground.

It occurred to me at one point, with extremely tired arms, that if it fell off to the ground the !!!@?# rope would pull me off with it. Why did I tie that stupid thing around my shoulder!

I persevered up to about, possibly, maybe 15', taking a few rests along the way. I want it higher but I just had to quit there and then. I wasn't sure I had the strength left to get myself back down again, but I did.

Oh, also, when I was doing up the attachment where I decided to hook it on permanently, I lost a nut and two washers. I had to leave it there, as is, and climb back down to find the nut in 2' of snow, which I did. Then climb back up and put it on. After it was fastened securely, I realized that the rope was still attached to it. So I carefully undid one side and spent a great deal of time getting that !!@?$ rope off the bathouse.

The piece of wood that it is attached to also fell a couple of times and I had to climb back down during this process and get it, twice.

The piece of wood that slides into the bottom on the back to give it the slant outward that it needs, is still not attached. I forgot to slide it in place. It's sitting up there with the bat house.

Hubby will take it up a few more rungs for me and finish it off, so he says. WHEN this will happen is anybody's guess and I will probably do it myself when I get tired of being haunted by an unfinished job.

I didn't put shingles on the back. I stapled a loosely weaved nylon feedsack securely on the back at the top, to help keep out the wind and rain.

Don't anyone dare to tell me that the feedsack is not a good idea right now. I don't want to hear it.

Anyway, it was a great adventure!

I installed the window in the chicken house and moved the roosts closer to the wall this weekend. (I had Friday off too.)

Comments (14)

  • brendasue
    15 years ago

    Feedsacks are good (?)

    I'd love to see a pic if you get a chance!

    Yes, be careful whenever doing projects, the simplest project can turn into frustrating ones, then you get sidetracked & don't work safely. I think we've all been there at one time or another.

    Congratulations on a job well done!
    Brendasue

  • nelda1234
    15 years ago

    Ok runningtrials-I am not making light of your situation-but when reading your story I thought I would just die laughing at your very descriptive story-it sounds like what would happen to me! :) I don't suppose your hubby secretly filmed you and we could see it? I am glad that you finally got it hung up-now just put the finishing touches and let us see pictures!

    congratulations on a job well done!
    Nelda

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    SUPERWOMAN hung the batcave. LOL

    That story was hilarious.

    What did hubby say when he saw you got it up all by yourself?

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    He smiled and said he would be happy to take it up further for me and not to do it myself. He has said this a few times since. He knows me to well. He's afraid I'll fall off. He was a little concerned that I wasn't careful enough and pleased that the height didn't bother me. He's a keeper ;-)

    Here are pictures of the hung bathouse. What do you think? Is it high enough now?

    {{gwi:37654}}

    Here's a pic of the back:

    {{gwi:37655}}

    If you want to see closeups of the bathouse and how I made it, you can read it here:

    Here is a link that might be useful: My farm blog

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    LOL!! He is probably saying "my crazy wife" Just can't slow her down.

    I don't know if that is high enough or not but it seems so. That is an antennea? If you are still using analog tv and put one of those converter boxes on the TV you should pick up a lot of channels.

    Youe bathouse looks perfect/ is it dark where you have the bathouse at night?

    GOOD JOB WOMAN.... We all admire you.

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    It is very dark there and the bat house is facing directly south. We have satellight TV. We do get some channels without it for a year but hubby and grown-son-still-at-home wanted satellight. So we have satellight TV now. Our dish is not up there but an old one is - someone else's.

    Our wireless internet box is up there too. If we keep going that antennae is going to look like something from outer space with doodads all over it! lol!

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    is your wireless internet box the one connected to the fiber optic or was that Velvet?

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    It's not connected to a fiber optic. Maybe it was Velvet.

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    hey I was looking for info on cameras to monitor your animals so I can see if I can can get mines working and for the last hour or so been watching everyone's cams. LOL entertaining. Anyway I found a video taken inside a bat house. It looks like it might be the last one to leave and there is only one bat on this cam but I thought you might like to see it.

    BTW it was definitely velvet. I remember now cause she told me about her setup when she had the chickcam up last year.

    Here is a link that might be useful: batcam

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I watched it. That is so cool!! Thanks for the link.

  • msmitoagain
    15 years ago

    That is cool, MSJay2u. Hey Runningtrails, my husband would have killed me (if I didn't kill myself) for trying to hang something that heavy up that high!

    Love the bat house, been thinking of making one to put up by the barn.

    Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    I never saw a bat up close like that. Glad you liked it.

    Forgot to ask are you sore from hanging the bathouse?

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    My arms were sore for a couple of days. That was it.
    Hubby wasn't angry, just alarmed and surprised, as I don't usually do heights.

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    I know I would have died! LOL
    Again....Good job!!

    GIRL POWER!!

Sponsored
Ed Ball Landscape Architecture
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars30 Reviews
Exquisite Landscape Architecture & Design - “Best of Houzz" Winner