Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 17Final thoughts
Well, I don't know where to begin. This was a monster project. I tried to write this up as best I could to come off as if it was a very organized and well-thought out project plan. This was absolutely not the case. I had an idea and a budget... and a really understanding wife. The budget was more than doubled and the idea was expanded so far beyond what I initially expected. The whole thing was just supposed to be a little tub with jets, right? When did tipping buckets and fire hoses become necessary? And, oh man, if you all knew the ideas that I had to scrap because of time and budget reasons. Left to my own devices, this would have blown out of control.
This project became far too important to me and it definitely caused a lot of stress. I mentioned my hatred for Home Depot earlier and I feel I should spend a little more time on this since it's specifically caused by poor project planning. Nearly every time I went into that store I received great customer service and occasionally some outstanding ideas for problems I was experiencing with my designs. My problem was that I couldn't stop with one trip. In fact, from the day that I received my 80/20 components, I made 52 trips to Lowes or Home Depot. That's in an 8-week period. This is the reason why I have to take a break from home improvement warehouses. We aren't even doing any gardening around our home because that would require a trip to either store. I just can't bring myself to go back in there. Proper planning could have avoided this.
I definitely got in over my head here. Several weeks ago, my wife asked me if I would do this over again if I knew then what I know now. My answer is yes, but only because I wouldn't make the same mistakes. There was a LOT of wasted material, probably over $150 in scrap. I initially went with pressure-treated lumber for the top panel, but pressure-treated lumber is CRAP and it was a terrible choice. My original buttons were in no way water-proof and all of my efforts to make them weather resistant totally failed. Then there is the giant bag of PVC and copper fittings that I'm left with. Maybe I'll make a sculpture someday. Who knows? The point is that this was not thought out. I had my idea and I was going to make it happen one way or another. The results are fantastic. People say that the Starfield Ceiling is way better in person than the video shows. I feel the same with the Splash-Pod. Everyone laughs and loves the effect; it is MUCH wetter than the videos make it seem. My entire yard is completely drenched after a few minutes of play. It is a great toy. But this was work.
My biggest piece of advice for anyone attempting a project like this is to fully plan every factor and answer every question before starting. I didn't do this and I knew it. I ordered the tub and the aluminum before I even knew how I was going to mount it. My wife came up with the hole in the wood panel idea. I asked 80/20 to tap the ends before I even knew if I could get casters in the size they were tapping. Most glaring (and still unsolved) is the fact that my battery will eventually run out of juice and I didn't design a recharging system (I'm planning on taking it out and topping it off every year). I knew I had all of these issues to overcome but I just assumed that I would solve them as I went. Holy crap, do not do this. Do not go forward with a plan unless every loose end is covered; every question is answered.
I have to spend a whole paragraph to cover my wife's contributions to this project. She is really responsible for 50% of the design here because of her ability to think outside of the box. She doesn't have any background in engineering or mechanical design like me, but she follows along incredibly well. Every single time I ran into a problem with plumbing, structure, mechanics or toys I could bounce ideas off of her and she nearly always came up with the solution you see here. The fire hose - hers. Cross-fire jets - hers. Tub mounting system (hole in top) - hers. Water-balloon filler - hers. This toy would not exist in any form if I didn't have her support. So for that, I thank you. And I'll thank her for my two daughters who don't know to thank her yet.
This was definitely a family effort. My dad was a huge help by answering tons of design questions on electronics and plumbing ideas, from the very beginning. My older brother Paul helped me out with questions on wood-working and paint. My older sister Molly helped by creating the overview video on page 1. My baby sister Erin helped me with this guide. And my mom fostered my early love for water that carried over into my own children. Thanks to all of you =)
Anyway... I think that's it. I wish that I could show you all this thing in person because it's so much more fun that way. Stay tuned because I'm definitely adding more toys and accessories to it as time goes on and I have tons of more project ideas for my growing family. I hope you enjoyed the Instructable.
-Mike
This project became far too important to me and it definitely caused a lot of stress. I mentioned my hatred for Home Depot earlier and I feel I should spend a little more time on this since it's specifically caused by poor project planning. Nearly every time I went into that store I received great customer service and occasionally some outstanding ideas for problems I was experiencing with my designs. My problem was that I couldn't stop with one trip. In fact, from the day that I received my 80/20 components, I made 52 trips to Lowes or Home Depot. That's in an 8-week period. This is the reason why I have to take a break from home improvement warehouses. We aren't even doing any gardening around our home because that would require a trip to either store. I just can't bring myself to go back in there. Proper planning could have avoided this.
I definitely got in over my head here. Several weeks ago, my wife asked me if I would do this over again if I knew then what I know now. My answer is yes, but only because I wouldn't make the same mistakes. There was a LOT of wasted material, probably over $150 in scrap. I initially went with pressure-treated lumber for the top panel, but pressure-treated lumber is CRAP and it was a terrible choice. My original buttons were in no way water-proof and all of my efforts to make them weather resistant totally failed. Then there is the giant bag of PVC and copper fittings that I'm left with. Maybe I'll make a sculpture someday. Who knows? The point is that this was not thought out. I had my idea and I was going to make it happen one way or another. The results are fantastic. People say that the Starfield Ceiling is way better in person than the video shows. I feel the same with the Splash-Pod. Everyone laughs and loves the effect; it is MUCH wetter than the videos make it seem. My entire yard is completely drenched after a few minutes of play. It is a great toy. But this was work.
My biggest piece of advice for anyone attempting a project like this is to fully plan every factor and answer every question before starting. I didn't do this and I knew it. I ordered the tub and the aluminum before I even knew how I was going to mount it. My wife came up with the hole in the wood panel idea. I asked 80/20 to tap the ends before I even knew if I could get casters in the size they were tapping. Most glaring (and still unsolved) is the fact that my battery will eventually run out of juice and I didn't design a recharging system (I'm planning on taking it out and topping it off every year). I knew I had all of these issues to overcome but I just assumed that I would solve them as I went. Holy crap, do not do this. Do not go forward with a plan unless every loose end is covered; every question is answered.
I have to spend a whole paragraph to cover my wife's contributions to this project. She is really responsible for 50% of the design here because of her ability to think outside of the box. She doesn't have any background in engineering or mechanical design like me, but she follows along incredibly well. Every single time I ran into a problem with plumbing, structure, mechanics or toys I could bounce ideas off of her and she nearly always came up with the solution you see here. The fire hose - hers. Cross-fire jets - hers. Tub mounting system (hole in top) - hers. Water-balloon filler - hers. This toy would not exist in any form if I didn't have her support. So for that, I thank you. And I'll thank her for my two daughters who don't know to thank her yet.
This was definitely a family effort. My dad was a huge help by answering tons of design questions on electronics and plumbing ideas, from the very beginning. My older brother Paul helped me out with questions on wood-working and paint. My older sister Molly helped by creating the overview video on page 1. My baby sister Erin helped me with this guide. And my mom fostered my early love for water that carried over into my own children. Thanks to all of you =)
Anyway... I think that's it. I wish that I could show you all this thing in person because it's so much more fun that way. Stay tuned because I'm definitely adding more toys and accessories to it as time goes on and I have tons of more project ideas for my growing family. I hope you enjoyed the Instructable.
-Mike
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Loved the project, loved the video. Can't wait to see your next one!