Visitors Guide

At the Austin Alpaca Playhouse our mission is to let your Alpaca dreams run free.  Our goal is to redefine your idea of what an Alpaca Playhouse can be.  We believe that when it comes to selecting an Alpaca Playhouse no one need settle. 

To allow maximum enjoyment by as many people as possible, please read through this orientation guide with some attention.

If you have ideas for how to enable more people to enjoy the Alpacas in a fun and healthy manner, please consider the Austin Alpaca Playhouse as a supporter of your plans.

Principles:       

Enjoy The Alpacas

  • They are Special, Strange and Adorable.  It took 8000 years for humans to breed them into what they are now. All Alpacas in the US came from Peru in the 1980’s.  They are herd animals and tend to do everything together.  You need at least 3 of the same sex, in order to have a happy herd.

  • Be Slow, Calm and Gentle around the creatures. They are very tasty prey animals and will spook and run away if they think you are dreaming of eating them.  Keep pure thoughts.  

  • Make sure to always keep all gates closed with carabiners.  Alpacas will open latches if not secured.  It is really important that you don’t leave gates open as the animals will leave and may not come back.

Feedback

Please offer feedback on anything you think about by emailing alpacaplayhouse@gmail.com

Worktrade

If you want to consider doing worktrade, please read the worktrade section and make sure you

Dress.   Consider Mosquitoes in your dress and costumery plans. They can be really bad at times. If it’s recently rained and it’s warm, beware.

Phone Charging and Electronics

  • There are several places to charge phones inside and outside. These have most needed cords. Please don’t plug phones into random places to charge, especially in the kitchen or where other stuff is happening.

  • Don’t unplug ANY electronics of any type for any reason, unless you send email explaining what you are doing and why, and please never mess with the black stereo receivers.  Altering these tends to cause huge amount of diagnostic efforts. See music.

Don’t Move Things (or touch electronics)

  • Please don’t move furniture, electronics, plugs, or generally anything unless there is a really good reason and you promise to put it exactly back where it was before the end of the day and not forget to do this.  Any other furniture changes needs to be discussed. Things are often in places for specific reasons. If there is a better configuration, please indicate what you want to do and let this be reviewed before making changes. Often people leave  things out in the Sun or the Rain and they get damaged or destroyed.  Messing with Electronics is a huge problem that costs tons of time for people to figure out why things aren’t working. Don’t do it. Don’t unplug anything. Don’t turn anything off. 

No Storage - don’t leave your stuff here.

  • There is no storage for your stuff at the Playhouse. Maybe later but not now. Please take everything with you when you leave, and find alternate storage for your belongings. Anything left will be donated to Goodwill on a weekly basis.

  • Please also do not leave your car onsite unless you have made arrangements for something very short term. If your car is at the house, it means other people cannot park during events.

No Mess Lying Around

Don’t leave bags, boxes, or other possessions lying around the house. Especially in the living room.  If you have items they can be placed in the dining room during the day. Please remove at end of day.  Try to reduce all clutter.  If you’re residing at the house, keep your stuff in your dwelling area or dog house or the dining area. Not the garage or living room.

House Logistics for Residents and Longer Term Guests

Living Room - Vibe Control

  • Please don’t take calls, watch video or otherwise do things that would  disturb the music or vibe when in the Kitchen/Living area of  the house.  Feel free to use the garage, upstairs or outside, if open or the dining room if you want to cowork. 

Lights - to turn off/on kitchen/living room lights say: “Alexa turn on kitchen lights” etc…

Kitchen 

  • Please help empty trash and compost.  At least once in your stay.

  • Always clean your dishes and cooking tools before you finish your dining process. Please, Please, Please put your dishes in dishwasher.  Make an extra effort to put everything away and keep things neat and tidy.  Clean up after any guests you have invited.

  • Get filtered water from the counter spigot near trash can in kitchen.  

  • Help yourself to any food and drink if it’s not labeled. 

  • If you put food in the frig and it has no label, someone might eat it.

  • Wipe down tables and counters after use.

  • DON’T PUT Following items IN DISHWASHER: - but rather handwash

    • Fry Pans - Leave one Fry pan out on the range

    • Big Knives

    • Big Wood Cutting Boards.

    • Wooden utensils

  • Always place thin cutting boards in the dish drying rack so they can drip off (not on the counter)

  • Stove burners have high and double high settings. They are little knobs. The front right  burner has only high level.

  • If you have lots of food or drinks you want to keep cold, ask for a cooler or fridge. Don’t leave stuff in fridge when you depart. Take it with  you.

  • The kitchen sink garbage disposal switch is waist height on the right.

  • COMPOST. There is a compost transfer bin outside the back door. Please transfer items from the white container in the kitchen to this. Then if it is full empty in to the large Black Composter by the back fence. No citrus/eggs/cheese/meat.   

Heating and AC (HVAC) - Don’t turn the AC below 77 or the Heater above 71.  You can ask Alexa to “Set temperature to 78 degrees” or you can tap the right side of the thermostat and swipe the right side up or down to change temp.  Make sure you turn off AC when you leave a room and especially if you leave the house.  

Visitors, PETs & Directions 

Please only invite visitors to open events.  Ask before inviting any others to the house.  Ask before bringing any pets - their compatibility with the Alpaca will need to be determined.  Never let  pets in the backyard no matter how sweet they are.   Never give any visitors the address of the house.  Just give them this link:  alpacaplayhouse.com/visiting.  If you invite someone and make sure they read the guide, and you are responsible for them and cleaning up after them.  Do not bring visitors who have not read the guide.  If you invite someone you must confirm they have read the guide or gone through the whole guide with them if they can’t read.

Shopping: 

Groceries: HEB in Bastrop is 12 minutes away towards Bastrop, there is no grocery shopping between South East Austin and Bastrop.

Overnight Visitor Logistics: 

Please read this guide every two weeks from the link so you are clear on everything and get all the updates.

Kitchen Logistics:

  • If you don’t want others to take your food/drink, label it with your name.  

    • Tape and marker and stickers are in the drawer to the left of the fridge.

    • If you don’t label it, others should feel free to eat it.

  • Help yourself to any food and drink if it’s not labeled with a name or doesn’t have a yellow or blue round sticker on it.

    • If you eat / drink things that aren’t yours, replace them with something comparable (or incomparable) if you’re staying more than a couple days.

  • Don’t leave any open fruits out. Put them in the fridge, or fruit flies will infest. 

  • Please make sure to take the time to clean out your leftovers, before  you leave if you have put them in the fridge.  No one is going to eat that container of “unknown whatever”.

  • Turn off the electric water kettle heater when done. Don’t leave the green light on.

  • Wash the dishwasher if it’s ¾ full or late at night.  You must open, turn off, turn on, press cycle, and then close.

  • Take veggies out of bags before you put them in bowls.

  • If the compost is full, please empty it.  If the trash is full, please empty it.

Opening Doors in the House

  • Keep front door closed or there is a wind tunnel and the pictures fall down

  • If you open the front or back door, make sure they are against the wall and magnetized open so they don’t slam.

  • Never lock outside doors

  • If you open a door or window make sure the heater or AC is not on.

Air Conditioning

  • If the air conditioning or heat is not at the right level, please ask someone who lives in the house to help.  Or if you know how to use Nest thermostat make sure all windows are closed and turn on not below 77 for AC or above 71 for heat. Make sure you turn off AC when you leave a room and especially if you leave the house.  There is a $10 daily cost for leaving AC on below 80 degrees if you are gone. If it’s super hot and you are going to be back soon, leave it at 80 degrees or above.

Laundry and Washer/Dryer

  • Don’t throw clothes in the washer unless you are immediately washing them.

  • Press “Power On’ and then turn to “normal” or whatever cycle, and press play

  • Dryer - Always empty lint first.  There is trash in the corner.

  • If you don’t want your washer clothes thrown into the dryer, then put a sign up.

  • Don’t use bleach or other chemicals in the washer, as this will hurt the septic, which is aerobic, and needs live bacteria.

Overnight Stay Departures

Unless you have alternate arrangements made, you need to return your room to AIRBNB ready state. If you can’t do this, you can arrange with someone else to help.  If you can’t do this, please don’t stay over.  If you don’t return to airbnb state, then a cleaning fee will be charged, even if it’s 90% done, because  we might need to get someone to come to the house to take care of cleanup.

Please wash sheets and pillowcases the morning you are leaving and replace them onto the bed (i.e. make your bed before you leave, so it looks inviting to the next guest kind of like a hotel room would).  Extra linens are in the laundry room in the closest, so please start the process early the day you are leaving.  Please vacuum before you leave.  Vacuum is in the laundry room or upstairs closet. Make sure you take the time to empty it before you start using it or after it is full. It’s actually quite easier than most vacuums.  Also please empty the trash cans in the room and replace bags with empty ones - don’t leave bagless. Feel free to leave the room a little bit nicer than when you arrived.

If you are sleeping outside, make sure you clean up everything in the morning and bring all dishes in and dispose of all trash. Don’t leave linens outside. 

Walking Excursions
There is a wonderful nature area McKinney Roughs right across the highway, which is only a 5 minute walk.   The Hyatt Hotel is also accessible by walking about 5 minutes drive and has some amazing buildings and cafes and restaurants.  If you can drive - It’s free parking for an hour, $8 for more than an hour and they have Alpacas (that are not as cool as ours), and bikes which you can just ride around. You can also crash their swimming pool with little recourse on most occasions.  Everyone there tends to be super nice.  No good veggie food.  

There are bikes available in the front container if you want to bike to Hyatt or McKinney roughs also.  Do not leave bikes unlocked outside the property if you are not riding them. Store them under roof in the doghouse shed.