After a long-awaited update this Minisode shows the amazing and fast progress of the cob walls getting almost to ceiling height on one side of the cabin (south). Just a little more cob and we can begin to put in the roof beams.

Future episodes will go into detail of various elements.

To learn more about this project please check out our previous Minisodes in the Archives.

SoCal Water$mart is currently offering a $250 dollar rebate on our water tanks!

Funding for the SoCal Water$mart program is through a partnership between the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and its 26 member agencies throughout Southern California. Their commitment to developing an affordable balance between supply and demand has made “finding” water a mission.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state chartered cooperative of 26 member agencies—cities and public water agencies—that serve about 18 million people in six counties. Metropolitan imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and help its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs. Metropolitan draws supplies through the Colorado River Aqueduct, which it owns and operates.

The rebate process is simple and fast, we are happy to help you through the process.

Contact us for a free at-home consultation to see if our rainwater harvesting systems are right for you!

Ever had a problem with rodents?
I bet the answer is yes.
Fortunately there is a natural and safe way to rid yourself unwanted rodents - install a Barn Owl nest box on your property!

OUR NATIVE FRIEND
Barn Owls are a native owl species who like to nest in the hollows of trees and, of course, barns. Unfortunately there aren't many old trees or barns around. Old dead trees with hollows have mostly been cut down for firewood or to reduce the risk of wildfires.

After years of work, and over a decade of studying birds of prey, we have developed the ultimate Barn Owl Nest Box. The box is made of cedar wood and strong screws so it will last for years and years. It is the optimal size, keeps the owls cool with small vents and we use an all natural bee repellent to be sure your owl box does not turn into a bee hive.

Barn owls nest in spring and usually have between 3 and 7 cute little owlets. Each adult Barn Owl eats about 1-2 rodents per night and a nesting family can eat over 1,000 rodents per year (1995 UC Davis Study).

BARN OWLS' FAVORITE MEAL =
GOPHERS, RATS AND MICE

The owls are also very small, weighing about a pound, so you don't have to worry about pets being injured.

It is absolutely critical that the nest box be placed in the proper location to attract the owls to it AND keep predators like raccoons from getting into the box and eating the owls or owlets.

Many factors go into play when an owl is looking for a home. These factors include the size and shape of the box, opening size, mounting height, mounting substrate, sun angle, box door accessibility, relative grade slope to box and many others. After studying raptor ecology for over 10 years we can ensure your nest box is placed in the best way to get owls.

Here at Permasystems we are about using natural systems to solve our problems and lead more efficient lives in balance with nature. There is no better example of this than giving a home for Barn Owls. Whether or not you get a Barn Owl nest box from us, we plead you not to EVER use ANY poisons for rodents. THEY ARE ALL NOT SAFE for wildlife, pets or people!!!

DO NOT USE POISONS - EVER

Even poisons that state on the package that they are safe or do not cause secondary poisoning are construing the truth. Secondary poisoning is when an animal, like a coyote, eats a gopher you poisoned, and then get poisoned themselves. The claim that a poison does not cause secondary poisoning means that once a poison is digested by the primary animal, the gopher in our example, it is no longer poisonous to the secondary animal, the coyote. This is true, however, most of the times, when the primary animal dies, it still has undigested poison in it's stomach and therefore will poison anything that eats it!

Learn more about poisoning from our friends at Raptors Are The Solution
http://www.raptorsarethesolution.org/tracking-poisons/

Overview of our simple, cheap and reliable irrigation system. Our long-term goal is to not even need/use the watering system, however, in our dry climate we need to water the trees and other plants to get them established. The best watering system is the rain and soil!

Proper watering techniques are important to get plants to grow deep roots so they can eventually find more ground water as well as nutrients on their own. Deep roots also keep tress from falling over. The best is to water evenly,  slow and deep.

We will later cover the white PVC pipe with soil and the black poly tubing with compost and mulch. Mulch and compost are very important to build healthy soil which allows the soil to hold more water, making it available to plants. Healthy soil also builds healthier plants that are more resistant to disease and less likely to fall over.

Also be sure to add an in-line filter before the emitters to get out any small particles that could clog or build up in the lines or emitters.

Don't forget to always take photos of your water lines while the trenches are open!

Important parts used (feel free to email me about details):
- Woodpecker Emitters - Woodpecker 2 GPH (green)
- Woodpecker Emitters - Woodpecker Bug Cap
- 1/2 in. (0.700 O.D.) x 500 ft. Poly Drip Tubing
- 3/4 in. Sc40 PVC pipe