Would anyone be interested in volunteering for a free place to stay in New Orleans?

[Raging Bird]

Alright I'd just actually check with the city instead of the neighbors before putting money or mortar into it. Just sayin'.

Yeah totally, that's 100% intelligent thinking anywhere else in America. Come here some time though, you'll get it. There is no "city." There are no cops. If someone, somewhere got it into their head that they wanted to start enforcing laws, they would probably start with the prohibitions on murder and armed robbery, ultimately descending the list until they reached "building a shed out of dirt on your own property." Lol. Until then, we tolerate the violence and crime and make the most of the total lack of authority or oversight.

 

[TMG51]

I've been there. Build how you like though!

 

[Andrew Ellis]

This wouldn't happen for a few months, but I just want to gauge interest......long story short,, I bought a house in New Orleans and I'm trying to start a cheap DIY hostel in the lot next door. I got a trailer that sleeps 6-8 people and have now commenced the absolute shitload of work I will need to do to get this of the ground. I want it to be a totally green space with big trees, grass, giant plants, shade, basically the opposite of 90% of New Orleans. I want to put a tiny house on stilts to make a treehouse, and build an earthbag house out back to sleep 2-4 more people.

I think there's a lot of opportunity for fun and experimentation with alternative housing and planting here, and I'm really psyched by what I've been doing already (planting 100 year old heirloom banana trees and a weird breed of elephant ear plants with leaves that grow to be 5 feet long....it's really cool.)

So just out of curiosity, do you think anyone would be interested in like, one week volunteer opportunities where you have a place to crash in exchange for doing some work on the project with me? I've got water and I'm getting electricity turned on soon. It's about 6 blocks from St. Roch Tavern, if anyone is familiar. I just wanted to post here in advance to see if anyone thinks it sounds cool or if I'm just totally out of my mind.

Ill volunteer

 

[salxtina]

Hi RagingBird, is this still happening? I have concrete pouring and construction experience, some painting/mudding/remodeling too, and would be down to set up a time to help for a week....

 

[Matt Derrick]

anything new happening with this? and just out of curiousity, are you trying to keep the yard open or would you put a fence around it? i just mention the fence since if it was tall enough you could then do whatever you wanted inside without outside scrutiny (not sure if that's an issue or not).

 

[john felix]

This wouldn't happen for a few months, but I just want to gauge interest......long story short,, I bought a house in New Orleans and I'm trying to start a cheap DIY hostel in the lot next door. I got a trailer that sleeps 6-8 people and have now commenced the absolute shitload of work I will need to do to get this of the ground. I want it to be a totally green space with big trees, grass, giant plants, shade, basically the opposite of 90% of New Orleans. I want to put a tiny house on stilts to make a treehouse, and build an earthbag house out back to sleep 2-4 more people.

I think there's a lot of opportunity for fun and experimentation with alternative housing and planting here, and I'm really psyched by what I've been doing already (planting 100 year old heirloom banana trees and a weird breed of elephant ear plants with leaves that grow to be 5 feet long....it's really cool.)

So just out of curiosity, do you think anyone would be interested in like, one week volunteer opportunities where you have a place to crash in exchange for doing some work on the project with me? I've got water and I'm getting electricity turned on soon. It's about 6 blocks from St. Roch Tavern, if anyone is familiar. I just wanted to post here in advance to see if anyone thinks it sounds cool or if I'm just totally out of my mind.

Heading to NOLA today or tomorrow. I would be interested for one.

 

[Raging Bird]

Heading to NOLA today or tomorrow. I would be interested for one.

Fuck, leaving town in exactly 12 hours for a couple weeks. I'll be back around the 5th or 6th of August if you're still around.

It's been a while since I posted in this thread, so I'll briefly say that shit is still coming along. I installed a 30amp breaker/outlet so the trailer has electricity and AC now. The top half of the house (where I want the hostel to be) is in the process of getting cleaned out, and the bottom half is still low income housing for people from the neighborhood, how I want it to stay. There are 3 chickens and we got our first egg yesterday. I planted a shitload of plants (Banana trees, Yuccas, thai giant elephant ears, a mimosa tree, gunnera manicata, majesty palms, sago palms, queen palms, canna lilies, dieffenbachyia, and a couple more) so it's beginning to look like a crazy fucking jungle, which is how I want it to look.

The concept I'm kind of going for right now is to get a hostel going with approximately 6 beds and variable pricing -- you can either pay $10-15 a night with mandatory community service (probably like an hour or two every couple days), or $30 a night without, since a lot of tourists just want to show up and get drunk, and this is a way for them to do whatever they do and still pay something forward. I'm also trying to get a couple tiny houses or earthbag structures in the lot next door, as well as the trailer, so if anyone with skills they can bring to the table wants to stay longer term, there'll be a place for something like "collective members" to stay for work trade. I'm mostly trying to make a couple bucks, in a way that doesn't exploit the neighborhood and actually gives something back, and in a way that creates a community where real people get to live in the real world and do some real shit -- and hopefully learn a thing or two that they can take with them.

Anyway, I'm gonna really start gunning it in September. I'll post some pics of what it's looking like now in a minute if I can find any.

 

[Raging Bird]

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[Hillbilly Castro]

Yes 100%, if you're down, I'm down. I'd love to scoop in after the jambo. V down to bust ass in any and all ways and would be down to stay a while if things went well for a few days.

 

[meatcomputer]

Dude that overhanging second story looks hilariously awesome. I'd love to come by when it starts getting cold in the north east.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

Im really considering going to the jamboree, and I'd be absolutely down to head there afterwards!! Sounds absolutely awesome!! Got experience in construction and farming. Ill keep in touch!

 

[DudeDuderton]

Mm.. I actually really enjoy building things.. Anything. As long as you can get creative, you can do so much.

I've actually lived in that neighborhood before, I wouldn't head that way without living arrangements since in getting off the road.. Too bad, that sucks. I was just there!

 

[Matt Derrick]

just a random idea, but i just paid $20 to sleep in a tent in portland on airbnb. first time ever doing that site/app, but i needed a place to put my stuff for 24 hours for logistical reasons. i was kinda surprised to find something like that, but i've heard of people renting igloos on airbnb, so who knows, anything is possible. might be a good way to get paying residents for the hostel.

 

[bluecifer]

This wouldn't happen for a few months, but I just want to gauge interest......long story short,, I bought a house in New Orleans and I'm trying to start a cheap DIY hostel in the lot next door. I got a trailer that sleeps 6-8 people and have now commenced the absolute shitload of work I will need to do to get this of the ground. I want it to be a totally green space with big trees, grass, giant plants, shade, basically the opposite of 90% of New Orleans. I want to put a tiny house on stilts to make a treehouse, and build an earthbag house out back to sleep 2-4 more people.

I think there's a lot of opportunity for fun and experimentation with alternative housing and planting here, and I'm really psyched by what I've been doing already (planting 100 year old heirloom banana trees and a weird breed of elephant ear plants with leaves that grow to be 5 feet long....it's really cool.)

So just out of curiosity, do you think anyone would be interested in like, one week volunteer opportunities where you have a place to crash in exchange for doing some work on the project with me? I've got water and I'm getting electricity turned on soon. It's about 6 blocks from St. Roch Tavern, if anyone is familiar. I just wanted to post here in advance to see if anyone thinks it sounds cool or if I'm just totally out of my mind.

 

[bluecifer]

iim moving out there from san francisco i could totally help maybe put a tent up in the yard for a week

 

[Raging Bird]

Sup y'all, just checking in. Shit's still buzzing along, my boy Ian (Desert Punk) and his girl Kitty are staying here and taking care of mad business with us, basically taking the place from a squat to an actual civilized household.

It's been a week and a half since we rode UP back from Denver and we've got a working toilet, ran a gas line to a stove we dumpstered, ended a mouse infestation, rigged up a butterfly valve to make both a shower and bath faucet, dumpstered a boat, and began sanding the hundreds of feet of reclaimed fence posts I grabbed to build a giant fence around the place so no one can see the insane tiny houses we're going to build on stilts around the yard. We also got a fridge and washing machine and kicked multiple substance habits. Not bad for 10 days in the drunkest, laziest city in America!

The chickens went to camp at my buddy Matt's farm and caught a disease there, so they are out of the picture. We did plant some oleanders, root beer plant, aloe vera, giant bird of paradise, and a lemon tree, though, and some of the banana trees actually started fruiting. So the plan to turn this into an extremely cheap hostel that feels like an Amazonian rainforest is chugging along.

We're working on the fence and on getting a back entrance opened up, as well as locks for the inside doors so we can have more people inside without worrying about getting all our shit stolen. I'm picking up some bunk beds tomorrow, so long story short we're trying to get it cool for people to roll through as soon as possible. There are some who we've been talking to for a minute and feel cool about, but in general I think in the next month or two it'll be more fluid and cool to come out and stay for a week or something if anyone wants to drop by. If anyone's in town and wants to chill, hit us up, but we should be opening it up to stay short or long term progressively as time goes on.

Anyway, I'll post some pics tomorrow if anyone is still interested in this project.

 

[Matt Derrick]

fuck yeah man, that's awesome! glad to hear things are chugging along. i'm totally excited and a little jealous of you! i'm really coming around to the idea of doing something like this myself someday, and I'd still like to come out and help at some point.

I'd like to come out after the Jambo, but I'm really trying to dedicate myself to getting this book done before I do anything else. But, I'll head through that way at some point, maybe before the end of the year.

 

[hahahaimnoone]

This wouldn't happen for a few months, but I just want to gauge interest......long story short,, I bought a house in New Orleans and I'm trying to start a cheap DIY hostel in the lot next door. I got a trailer that sleeps 6-8 people and have now commenced the absolute shitload of work I will need to do to get this of the ground. I want it to be a totally green space with big trees, grass, giant plants, shade, basically the opposite of 90% of New Orleans. I want to put a tiny house on stilts to make a treehouse, and build an earthbag house out back to sleep 2-4 more people.

I think there's a lot of opportunity for fun and experimentation with alternative housing and planting here, and I'm really psyched by what I've been doing already (planting 100 year old heirloom banana trees and a weird breed of elephant ear plants with leaves that grow to be 5 feet long....it's really cool.)

So just out of curiosity, do you think anyone would be interested in like, one week volunteer opportunities where you have a place to crash in exchange for doing some work on the project with me? I've got water and I'm getting electricity turned on soon. It's about 6 blocks from St. Roch Tavern, if anyone is familiar. I just wanted to post here in advance to see if anyone thinks it sounds cool or if I'm just totally out of my mind.

I really like the idea.

 

[Skidkidfox]

I'm going to me making my way to NOLA for December, If you're still looking for a hand around that time I'd love to help out! I've worked on similar projects and it's a damn good idea. Great to hear that everything seems to be coming along so well!!

 

[deleted user]

Glad you are still rolling along on your hostel project. I live in Hammond right now so after the jamboree I'll be back in state. Definitely down to help out, would like to stay for a week in november before having to find work. I can also borrow heavy equipment ( excavator/skit steer/mini skit/etc) if you need. Probably gonna be in LA until I have enough money to travel again (probably till Jan/Feb) so whenever I have free time I'd be down to swing by and help.