Big Metal Pot

[zax]

If you don't want to get handy with bricks and you can't find any old nuclear waste barrels, try a short length of this stuff:



...laid on it's end. Build your fire inside and place your metal grill over the top. Job done

They're bloody heavy though...

[Rob A.]

I am always so amazed at how Finns can build and make everything themselves. Most of our neighbors here have built their homes themselves for example.

That’s called “hartiapankkirakentaminen” (building by the aid of one’s own “shoulder bank”.) People are too cheap (or poor) to pay for all the required manhours to outsiders, so they’d rather do as much work on the building site as they can themselves – i.e., take a loan from their “shoulder bank”.

Isn't this an interesting insight!!! And would this still be a common occurrence today?? Particularly in the rural areas?? Some how I'm not surprised to see that this resourcefulness is part of Finland's cultural heritage.

This was common in, ...well at least, in western Canada, particularly the smaller places until maybe the late 1960s or 1970s... I have vague childhood memories of these things... I've never done it myself...though my father built a house... following a process very similar to that outlined in Jukka's post. And one of my brothers built a nice place, but in a smaller rural village... I figure he had kind of an edge, being an electrical contractor... And he's work-addicted, which I guess helps... Oh, and the Finn in my office recently built, with a fair bit of his own energy, a new place for his wife and himself... I think his kids are all adults now... He has also built rural cottages over the years... I guess Finns just like to work all the time...

Personally, I would much rather live in a place that I had built...there is something satisfying about being that resourceful and knowing exactly what went into the building and how it was constructed... Over the last ten years or so, two new houses were built on either side of my 1950s-style bungalow... And I was appalled at the crappy workmanship and the crappy looking material that went into them... Houses that in the current market might sell for CAN$1,000,000 (700k euro??)... Badly poured concrete... one place, built during the rainy season was awash for a couple of months before they closed it in... Great way to let the decay process get off to any early start... And I regularly hear other "horror" stories regarding contractor built "spec" houses... It's all about getting the costs down and the prices up and "caveat emptor"... So what if you have "legal protection"... Who wants to spend their time trying to get money out of some building contractor with "good" lawyers, who probably restructures his company periodically, or may "like" to go "bankrupt" from time to time...

Currently my house needs new roofing... I want to give it a go myself, but almost everyone looks dumbfounded when I talk about it... "Gee, do you know what your doing??" "What if you screw it up??" "What about the guarantee??" Hell, what guarantee?? the guarantee that you won't be able to track down the roofing contractor ten years later when it starts leaking, because he used the cheapest underlay material to save himself $50...

You get my drift don't you'all...

[EP]

And would this still be a common occurrence today?? Particularly in the rural areas??

It is just as common in less rural areas to strive towards divorce in this way But like somebody said, more and more people buy "a house package" where everything is prefabricated in a factory, and walls come up in a day.

Personally, I would much rather live in a place that I had built...there is something satisfying about being that resourceful and knowing exactly what went into the building and how it was constructed...

Yes, me too. I don´t now if I should be saying this, because it makes us Finns perhaps look really weird, but I say it anyway: We like so much places that we ourselves have built that nowadays we have courses on "Build Your Own Coffin – Go to your Grave in a Familiar Box". I hear that women make more decorative coffins than men, men prefer more simple.

[Jukka Aho]

I don´t now if I should be saying this, because it makes us Finns perhaps look really weird, but I say it anyway: We like so much places that we ourselves have built that nowadays we have courses on "Build Your Own Coffin – Go to your Grave in a Familiar Box". I hear that women make more decorative coffins than men, men prefer more simple.

I hear the participants to these courses are just dying to test their creations... (OK, I’ll get me coat)

[enk]

Here's a picture of the pot I saw...

That is an old sauna cauldron. From times when there was no plumbing in saunas, and people just filled the cauldron and had a fire under it to warm it. Cold water was separate, and then you mixed the two in a bucket and washed yourself. Some people still do, like me, we don´t have plumbing at the cottage.

I didn't realize that was so uncommon nowadays We still sauna like
that at my ex's grandparents place in the countryside.

-enk

[Jukka Aho]

I am always so amazed at how Finns can build and make everything themselves. Most of our neighbors here have built their homes themselves for example.

That’s called “hartiapankkirakentaminen” (building by the aid of one’s own “shoulder bank”.) People are too cheap (or poor) to pay for all the required manhours to outsiders, so they’d rather do as much work on the building site as they can themselves – i.e., take a loan from their “shoulder bank”.

Isn't this an interesting insight!!! And would this still be a common occurrence today?? Particularly in the rural areas??

According to this Turun Sanomat story, building your home by the aid of a “shoulder bank” is still popular: 47 per cent of the detached house construction projects started in last year (2002?) make use this method, for a large part, and only 13 per cent have a professional foreman and builders on the site all the time.

That said, according to the article, as much as 2/3 of the projects are prefab houses these days and their popularity is on the rise, so the amount of “shoulder bank” work you can do yourself is, in these cases, smaller than when building everything on-site from scratch.

I have no idea about the rural vs urban aspect, but in urban areas, many live in apartment buildings or row houses, and there’s of course less lots available for detached houses...

This was common in, ...well at least, in western Canada, particularly the smaller places until maybe the late 1960s or 1970s...

My father built his house (or got the project finished) in the mid-1980s. I was a bit too young to be of any real help at that time, except for some small things like picking up litter, but it was interesting to see how it all came together.

Currently my house needs new roofing... I want to give it a go myself, but almost everyone looks dumbfounded when I talk about it... "Gee, do you know what your doing??" "What if you screw it up??" "What about the guarantee??" Hell, what guarantee?? the guarantee that you won't be able to track down the roofing contractor ten years later when it starts leaking, because he used the cheapest underlay material to save himself $50... :evil:

Heh. I’d say go for it, if you’re so inclined, and have the time! (Don’t fall off the roof, though!) There’s lots of information about roofing on the Internet and you’ll probably find magazine articles about it, too, if you start looking for them. The contractor has probably already filed for bankruptcy by the time you would need them to fix any damages...

[Rob A.]

I don´t now if I should be saying this, because it makes us Finns perhaps look really weird, but I say it anyway: We like so much places that we ourselves have built that nowadays we have courses on "Build Your Own Coffin – Go to your Grave in a Familiar Box". I hear that women make more decorative coffins than men, men prefer more simple.

I hear the participants to these courses are just dying to test their creations... (OK, I’ll get me coat)

This reminds me of an old joke from high school days... I wonder if it's funny in Finnish??? Or just strange sounding... Only one way to find out.... Here goes...

Miksi hautuumaan aita ovat nain korkea?
Ihmiset kuolevat päästä sisälle... or or

Feel free to suggest corrections...

[Jukka Aho]

Miksi hautuumaan aita ovat nain korkea?
Ihmiset kuolevat päästä sisälle... :wink: or :roll: or :?

Feel free to suggest corrections... :)

Made some comments and suggestions on the Kielikoulu board.

[Hank W.]

Yeah, well, I just found out yesterday that the well lid is rotten through. *Sigh* ... well, theres enough of pieces of wood, some 'lacquered plywood' (weatherproof red stuff)... and then I really should get it done to look neat as possible...

[SaxonManFinland]

A simple Half cup BBQ costs 15€, which is pretty much what you are looking for. . A 200 litre oil drum is free from your local garage, just cut it in half, add two carry handles and you have a portable incinerator, BBQ or place for cooking with pointy sticks. My mate made me one and we use it all the time for burning stuff and a BBQ when there is a Big Crowd who want to sit round a fire and cook. Few holes around the edge 4 to 6 " above base helps BTW.

[raumagal]

Well, I decided to use the bricks from the garage and try to make something simple. The plan is to throw some wood in there, build a fire and roast some marshmallows, tikkupulla, smores & sausages!

[Hank W.]

Well, you're going to have fun for sure.

[raumagal]

Now I just have to figure out how to build a fire....


well, hopefully I can manage that!!

Thanks again to everyone for their helpful suggestions and advice!

[raamv]

I wonder what the Palomies and palonais are gonna say about it..
Generally, when you burn leaves etc, you have to inform them..and in camping areas, you are allowed to do it as they are designated areas..but I am not sure how it works in a residential area..you might wanna contact them to see if it is allowed to do "Burning" for this purpose ( as opposed to BBQ grilling)
THis is just to be on the safe side so that you dont get hit by ridiculous or silly fines..

[raumagal]

I wonder what the Palomies and palonais are gonna say about it..
Generally, when you burn leaves etc, you have to inform them..and in camping areas, you are allowed to do it as they are designated areas..but I am not sure how it works in a residential area..you might wanna contact them to see if it is allowed to do "Burning" for this purpose ( as opposed to BBQ grilling)
THis is just to be on the safe side so that you dont get hit by ridiculous or silly fines..

I stopped by the fire station today and asked them if it was ok. The fireman said if I am grilling sausages it's ok provided I have a grill or safe grilling area. He mentioned a tile type grill and I told him what I had and he said it was ok. He said the only time you can't make a fire is during the dry season when there is a fire warning (I forget the term he used in Finnish) and they will tell you that on the news or text TV in the weather section.