James MacKenzie

Carla Burke wrote:I was only suggesting the design, not the electronics. If the inside flap is designed more like an awning (so the cat just climbs up & through to open it and get out), and the bottom edge of the flap/awning extends below the hole, much less warmth will escape/cold can get in, and it won't interfere with the storm door. The (hinged) 'awning' would only need to stick out from the door by a couple inches, so the cat could get its nose under, to open it.

gotcha - my bad - cheers!

it appears you have the flexible type with the magnet at the bottom - shouldn't be a problem - i had the rigid ones with felt edges which swelled up with moisture.

for sure the humidity will be going straight to the outside door - a hole inside will help - you can even get away with a strip door in the inside for an extra barrier - se epic.

cheers!

Carla Burke wrote:I was thinking something like this (though this one ain't cheap), where it's covered, but instead of swinging, they go up into it, to get out:
https://www.chewy.com/petsafe-electronic-pet-door/dp/52031

there would still be some collision coming back in and the cats need to have the chip on the collar..

so if the collar gets damaged and/or the door malfunctions and the cat is outside in the winter... they will be stuck there... i took the felt off a couple of cat doors because it was freezing in place during a temperature drop - i could hear the poor cat banging away at it..

not to offend - cheers!

yes - exactly... 2 flaps will not work so you are stuck with a single flap to the outside regardless.

as you are limited to the doors, you cannot add a tunnel to mitigate the drafts (a tunnel would give you the 2 flap option)

you will have a second barrier of sorts this way, a lot of cold air will be trapped in between - i see a significant overhang wall so hopefully wind is not going to be too bad.

it's a thought - not perfect but it would help - that glass door is pretty thin on it's own.

cheers!

kale will produce and INSANE number of seeds if you let it go hog wild

i can't remember what variety i have but it is a bi-annual.. so i leave a couple in the ground (volunteers) over winter, they come back and flower up to like 5 feet high... 1000 seeds per plant of more..

viable for years..

mustard, as mentioned, is great, raab rappini too ... even radishes if you let them go

hope this helps - cheers!

just a thought..

here in cape breton (fishing coastal communities) there are many many 100+ year old homes which, 100 years ago, were all cladded in wood, wood shingles etc. they required maintenance, repainting, staining etc.

i would say 90% are now vinyl siding... new builds included... i have neighbors whose shingled, painted old home had a full rotten wall that needed replacing..

you might indeed want to avoid plastics, but with a wood building you will be dipping into toxins on some sort over time.. smelting aluminum is a terrible process, cutting wood takes gas... you will not escape polluting

on that note - good quality vinyl now is 30-35 years install and forget - you can even paint it.. properly installed it provides a bullet proof barrier.. def go steel roof if you can

there are sawmills everywhere here.. many many many rough hewn sheds, outbuildings, coops etc...

all the homes are vinyl sided

hope this doesn't offend - cheers!

ahhh... 24/7/365 cat doors lol!

yours is a tricky situation... i see logs..

if you you not in LOVE with the main door i would suggest you cut a open hole in that door that is larger... tall enough that the cat door can freely open inwards. you can frame it out nicely and make a panel insert out of the cutout to re-insert if need be..

you are always gonna have drafts/gaps - but this would go a long way to reducing the inflow and basically provide you with that second barrier you seek... already in place..

hope this helps - cheers!

thanks robert for the tattler link - i have been getting decent results now but will wait for the boiling to stop before i re-tighten - makes sense..

cheers!

i guess it does depend on what the student is interested in - i didn't read carefully enough..

i was taking a "there can be only one" approach so for 2024 i said python... which i learned but have yet to use.. i have my favorites and am a SQL, HTML and PHP expert..

BUT - i was thinking of what i would recommend to someone just starting out today and after thought it is still python.. raspberry Pis, websites, ETL, multiple platforms and a good syntax plus PLENTY of great resources.. such as this (it will let you code via browser without any installs):

https://www.w3schools.com/python/default.asp

there are learning modules for other languages on that site too - best of luck to anyone starting out!!

If you grow your peppers in pots you can bring them in and overwinter them quite successfully... they will drop leaves, stems will die back, some will die... they won't "thrive" to be sure. but i usually get about 70% survival rate and then i transplant them into bigger pots in the spring when i put them in the greenhouse...  BIG jump on pepper production, there will even be a few that flower a bit over the winter and you will have peppers here and there... i have  a few plants that are 4-5 years old.

it works - if you have cats there may be mishaps ;-)

cheers!