Monthly Archives: May 2012

An Easy and Affordable Poultry Pen in North Salem New York | North Salem Real Estate

This exercise pen is simple and practical. It’s inexpensive and easy to build, even without power tools. Although I call it an exercise pen, it could have all sorts of uses with minor modifications. I built this pen to keep ducklings on the lawn during the day, but put the ducks in a building at night.

duck pen
  TROY GRIEPENTROG

I used all 2-by-4 untreated pine. The premise is simple: make the pen 8-feet-by-4-feet so a minimal number of cuts will be necessary. It’s 2-feet high so cutting the chicken wire is also easy (assuming you buy or have a 2-foot roll of wire).

Materials List

  • 10 8-foot 2-by-4s
  • 40’ of 24-inch chicken wire
  • 2 hinges (not absolutely necessary)
  • Staples for attaching the chicken wire
  • 2.5” or 2.75” #8 or #10 screws

Some variation in materials is acceptable. Remember, this is a practical and quick project, so use what you have or use what you like. 2-by-3 lumber would work. Bigger screws are a little stronger, but this pen isn’t necessarily predator proof.

Putting It Together

Start by cutting six 2-by-4s in half. If you want to account for the width of the saw blade, it’s a good idea, but not critical. Take two of the 4-foot sections and cut them in half again. You should now have four 8-foot pieces, 10 four-foot pieces and four 2-foot pieces.

Make a rectangle out of two 4-foot pieces and two 8-foot pieces, but be sure to put the 4-foot pieces between the 8-foot pieces; that is, you’ll drill holes all the way through the 8-foot pieces where you’re going to attach them and the screws will anchor in the ends of the 4-foot pieces. After you’ve secured the corners with at least two screws each, make another rectangle the same way.

Next, attach the 2-foot corner “posts.” It’s a good idea to put screws through both the 8-foot pieces and 4-foot pieces that you’re attaching to the posts. It will make the entire structure stronger. You should now have the basic frame for the pen. If you don’t want to mess with putting a top on the pen, simply staple chicken wire all the way around it and you’re done. But if you want to keep cats or wild birds from getting in the top, read on.

duck run top
  TROY GRIEPENTROG

Topping it Off

Attach three of the 4-foot pieces of lumber to the top rectangle. Place them 2-feet apart on center so that the chicken wire will reach across the span without much overlap.

I added a “door” to the top of the pen. Of the four sections created in the top by the separating 2-by-4s, I put mine in the second section. Putting the door in an end section would probably be better because the birds always run to one end when you’re trying to catch them. But if you put the door in an end section, you have to account for the corner posts, which complicates the project.

To build the door, make another rectangle, this time using the 4-foot sections for the long sides. You should have a 4’ piece of lumber left over at this point. Cut two 20.25-inch pieces from that to make the door. You’ll want it to fit somewhat loosely so that you can open and close it. Attach it with hinges. I made rough handles with the left over ends of the 2-by-4s.

Cover the door and the top with chicken wire and you’re done. The pen isn’t terribly heavy, so it’s easy to tip it up to get the birds out.

If you want better predator protection, heavier wire attached more securely should improve your chances of success. You might also want to add something to the top to provide some shade for your birds.

duck run ducks
  TROY GRIEPENTROG
  Ducklings enjoy spending time on the lawn on a sunny spring day.

North Salem NY Real Estate | Make the Most of a Small Living Space

The following is an excerpt from Compact Cabins by Gerald Rowan (Storey Publishing, 2010). Whether it’s a first or second home, at the lake, in the woods, on a mountaintop or at the ocean’s edge, a small-footprint cabin may be the perfect housing option for you, and Compact Cabins has 62 interpretations of the cabin getaway dream that are affordable and energy-efficient without skimping on comfort or style. This excerpt is from Chapter 2, “Design: Architecture, Logistics, Environment.”

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Though cabins may have a small footprint, with good design, they can offer a comfortable living space. The challenge is to create that feeling of space in a small cabin. I find that, in particular, high ceilings and strategically placed windows make even very small cabins feel comfortable.

High Ceilings

High ceilings give a sense of roominess and space in even a small footprint. They also let in more light and make ventilation easier, and increasing ceiling height yields space with less expense than adding floor space.

The additional ceiling height can be used for storage. (After all, small cabins, by definition, have small storage spaces.) For example, two rows of cabinets could be hung in the kitchen, one over the other, doubling the kitchen storage. A small, folding kitchen stool provides access to the higher set of cabinets. In the bedroom, additional shelving could be mounted on the walls. Using clear plastic storage tubs on this shelving would add visible, climate- and insect-proof storage. In the living room, a kayak or canoe could be stored by hanging it from the ceiling with a pulley system. That same pulley system could double as a wash line to dry wet clothing on rainy days.

One drawback with high ceilings is that warm air rises and collects near the peak of the roof during the heating season. Installing a simple auxiliary duct system can overcome this problem. Install a duct with an air intake near the high point of the cabin roof and extending down to near the floor. Equip that duct with a small circulation fan that is reversible. In the winter, the fan is set to draw warm air from near the ceiling and recirculate it to the floor. In the summer, the fan is set to reverse the airflow, drawing cool air from near the floor and circulating it near the roof. Install a thermostat near the top end of the duct, and airflow will change automatically.

How to Fix a Leaking Pond | South Salem Real Estate

I recently bought a 6½ acre parcel of land that has a pond on it. However, my new water hole has a leak at the base of the dam, which causes the water to seep out at the bottom on the back side of the barrier. I want to stock the pond, but can’t do so because of the fluctuating water level. Is there anything I can do to seal this leak, short of draining the pond and reworking the whole dam with a bulldozer? 

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Leaky ponds are like most ailments, in that preventing the problem is a lot less expensive, and easier, than curing it. There are three types of remedies, however. The surest, but most expensive and time consuming, method is to drain the pond and repair the dam. This could involve complete reconstruction, remarking the case (a good dam should have a central core of impervious soil extending from the waterline to below the bottom of the pond), or simply compacting the existing structure with a seeps-foot roller. Less costly, but still requiring pond drainage, is the application of dispersants or a clay blanket to the dry pond bottom. (Dispersants are chemicals that break down the bottom soil into tiny particles that will plug any seepage points when the pond is refilled. The most common one is plain old sodium chloride.) Finally, the simplest but least certain way to seal a leaky pond, and perhaps the method you’re after, is to add bentonite clay to the water.

Bentonite is technically described as a “hydrous silicate of sodium composed chiefly of montmorillonite.” It’s the montmorillonite that counts, as this type of clay has the ability to absorb several times its own weight in water, swelling to as much as 20 times its original volume! Consult an agricultural supply store for your closest source of the material. The clay isn’t expensive, but you may need a lot of it, and freight costs can be prohibitive if it isn’t available nearby.

The generally recommended dosage of bentonite is about one pound per square foot of pond surface, but as much as twice that amount should be used on very porous soil or in extremely deep ponds. The best way to apply the clay without draining the pond is to mix it with water to form a slurry, which is then spread over the pond surface from a boat. Because of the weight of the material and the labor involved, though, bentonite is commonly spread directly on the water in granular (not powdered) form. In any case, the grains will sink, and the force of the escaping water will draw the expanding material into the leaks, sealing them.

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5 Tips to Stop Failing at Social Media Marketing | Bedford Hills Real Estate

Over 800 million people in the world are on Facebook, including over 180 million Americans, or 1 in 2 adults. Twitter just topped 300 million accounts. Small business owners in droves are trying to capitalize on the trends, but few are reaping the benefits. For most local business owners, the temptation is to use social networks to promote their businesses and to broadcast their messages.

But if you take off your marketing cap and put on your customer cap, you’ll realize that consumers are already pummeled by marketing and advertising messages all day long. The secret to social media for small business owners is being human – being the sort of person at a cocktail party who listens attentively, tells great stories, shows interest in others and is authentic and honest. In other words, the secret is to simply be likeable – and that means creating value for others.

Here are 5 specific tips for small business owners to enjoy more success at social media:

  1. Listen before you talk. Before your first tweet, search Twitter for people talking about your business, and for people talking about your competitors. Search using words that your prospective customers would say. For example, if you’re an accountant, use Twitter to search for people tweeting the words “need an accountant” in your town. You’ll be surprised how many people are already looking for you.
  2. Don’t tell your customers to like you and follow you; tell them why and how. Everywhere you turn, you see “Like us on Facebook” and “Follow us on Twitter.” Huh? Why? How? Give your customers a reason to connect with you on social networks (what’s in it for them?) and then make it easy. Note the difference between these two calls to action: “Like my book’s page on Facebook” and “Get answers to all your social media questions at http://Facebook.com/LikeableBook.
  3. Ask questions. Wondering why nobody’s responding to your posts on Facebook? It’s probably because you’re not asking questions. Social media is about engagement and having a conversation, not about promoting. If a pizza place posts on Facebook, “”Come on by, 2 pizzas for just $12,” nobody will comment, and nobody will show up. If that pizza place posts, “What’s your favorite topping?” people will comment online — and then be more likely to show up.
  4. Share pictures and videos. People love photos. The biggest reason Facebook has gone from zero to 800 million users in seven years is photos. Photos and videos tell stories about you in ways that text alone cannot. You don’t need a production budget, either. Use your smartphone to take pictures and short videos of customers, staff, and cool things at your business, and then upload them directly to Facebook and Twitter. A picture really is worth a thousand words.
  5. Spend at least 30 minutes a day on social media. If you bought a newspaper ad or radio ad, you wouldn’t spend five minutes on it or relegate it to interns. Plus, there’s a lot to learn, and every week, new tools and opportunities across social networks emerge. Spend real time each day reading and learning, listening and responding, and truly joining the conversation. The more time you put in to social media, the more benefits your business will receive.

Above all else, keep that customer cap on, and follow the golden rule: Would you yourself click the “Like” button, the Follow button, or retweet button if you saw your own business on Facebook and Twitter? Would YOU want to be friends with your business at a cocktail party?

Dave Kerpen is the cofounder and CEO of Likeable, an award-winning social media agency, and author of New York Times Bestseller, Likeable Social Media.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently published #FixYoungAmerica: How to Rebuild Our Economy and Put Young Americans Back to Work (for Good), a book of 30+ proven solutions to help end youth unemployment.

Author: Young Entrepreneur Council     Young Entrepreneur Council on the Web Young Entrepreneur Council on Facebook Young Entrepreneur Council on Twitter Young Entrepreneur Council RSS Feed

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently published #FixYoungAmerica: How to Rebuild Our Economy and Put Young Americans Back to Work (for Good), a book of 30+ proven solutions to help end youth unemployment. View full profile

This article originally appeared on Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and has been republished with permission.

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