Action at A Distance, Good Simple Ideas

Allright Floyd, here's one thing we can do from the comfort of our armchairs, then in turn would ideally inspire us to get out of said chair of arms and maybe beat some innocent hardware into something intresting.

Or at the very least tell your friend there...that guy, over there, with the screwdiver.



NOW, since due to my Newbie Status, I am still only on day 2 of my 7 DAY bannnana ban on posting links, here is my best effort to communicate electronically with you. Please excuse the absence of such frivolities as Links, Pictures, Videos or anything else nice that everyone is accustomed to using, such as when navigating a rectangular space in front of themselves....

AHEM

I apologize for that, my grammar was simply atrocious, and it shall never happen again; and now, here is something we hope you'll find a lot more interesting: A Cow.



Here's a great idea on a simple shelter/home; very deployable and assemblable..babull..

But it's no bull: look for Hexayurt (dot com)

(There would be a rather nice picture here, which would probably make you really intrested in the subject, but It has been hijacked by ninjas and used for events we shall not be spoken of.)





I've seen a variation on this, as a barrel on it's side, with pivot rings on the ends for the rope:

Go to singularityhub and paste this after the dot com /2011/10/24/the-wheel-reinvented-–-the-q-drum-is-an-easy-way-to-transport-water-in-developing-countries-video/


Now, if anyone else has any cool ideas for helping people simply meet a comfortable existence, then let us know here!

Very cool site Treecaster.

The Gupta State Failure Management Archive is now online at Archive.org. The collection has over ten hours of Public Domain video and audio teaching a set of thinking tools for extreme resilience, ideal for downloading (4.3gb HTTP) (4.3gb Bittorrent) and burning on a DVD for handing out to people. You can read a little more about the archive too.

The hexayurt shelter can cost less than a relief tent, is designed to be manufactured anywhere in the world at any scale, from local materials, as Free hardware, to house humans in need. The Hexayurt Project maintains the designs and makes them freely available to you.

To make the simplest hexayurt, make a wall by putting six sheets of plywood on their sides in a hexagon. Cut six more sheets in half diagonally, and screw them together into a shallow cone. Lift the roof on to the wall with a large group of people, then fasten it down with more screws. Seal and paint it for durability. Your basic hexayurt is complete.

This shelter will last for years in most climates and costs less than $100. This basic design can be improved with proper windows, doors, room partitions, stove fittings and other architectural features. More durable materials could give it a very long life. The basic building materials are available within a few hours drive of almost any large settlement in the world and can be cheaply imported in enormous quantities if needs be.

Here are the key points.
Hexayurts can be built in plywood/OSB for less than $100 for a 166 square foot (15 sq meter) building. See the Plywood hexayurt how-to video and The Hexayurt in Haiti? technical document on an ultra-rugged design for hurricane risk areas.
Hexayurts can be made in a variety of sizes using simple tools from industry standard 4'x8' (1.2x2.4m) sheets with zero waste and can be made successfully from many different materials, like plywood, OSB, coroplast, composites, hexacomb cardboard or other honeycombs and polyiso insulation boards.
We also have new hexayurt geometrices
from Edmund Harriss on 450 square foot "nearodesic" domes which share the zero-waste property with the hexayurt itself.
from Scott Davis and Dylan Toymaker on the H13, a new hexayurt with expanded headroom and a full-height doorway.
Hexayurts are public domain with no copyright or patent, meaning anybody can build as many as they like for free.

Depending on your choice of materials, a Hexayurt can last for years or even decades. In some long stay applications this could cut the cost of providing shelter to 10% of the cost of using standard relief tents. The hexayurt enables regional shelter self sufficiency, where in a crisis, pre-trained local builders or military personnel can work with first responders to rapidly create shelter from materials in the local supply chain, typically plywood or OSB.

Mail Order Tape

A key material involved in constructing Hexayurts is tape. Specifically, 6" wide bidirectional filament tape. In English, that's a six inch wide tape with re-enforcing fiberglass strands running in both directions, so that it will not break or tear under almost any imaginable circumstance, including howling playa dust storms. It is amazing and very expensive. Other tapes have been tried-- they aren't great in playa conditions, and those who went off the beaten path regretted it. Some innovations are underway, we'll see what results come back (and we'll take reports of success w/ other tapes in the discussion section.
Mail Order 240 yards bidirectional filament tape such as 3M 8959 "Extreme Applications" packaging tape, 6" wide. AKA as "JVCC 762 BD." 6" is not a standard width, it usually costs around $30 plus shipping. 5" tape is perfectly good. For certain steps, you can use 3" which is half the price and a lot easier to work with. 3" tape is ideal for sealing the panel edges during preparation. If you are employing the "classic construction" approach, you will seal all panel edges prior to assembly: that step alone takes 132 yards of tape.
You also use the tape calculator spreadsheet to figure out exactly how much you need.
http://hexayurttape.com/ aka GoodBuyGuys. They've been helpful to Vinay, they know what you want the tape for and sell a good product at fair prices. $30 per 6" roll, they also now have 3" wide tape, and case prices as well.
Findtape.com, sold as "JVCC 762-BD Bi-Directional Filament Strapping Tape." $32.67 per 6" roll, plus every other width imaginable, case pricing (36 count) available.
Taperite.com has 3",4", 6" tapes. 6" for $38.72/roll, discount pricing starts at 6 rolls (smaller than case sizes above!)
One supplier is Tapes Unlimited, 1245 Hartrey Ave, Evanston, IL (847) 866-6060. They do not have a web site. But they know Hexayurts and are very helpful.
http://penmar-industries.com/specialtytapes.html#sptp Penmar Industries also carries a bidirectional filament tape in 5" which looks perfectly serviceable although I have not used it personally.
http://thetapeworks.com/ also has a 6" bidirectional filament tape available, although possibly not in stock.
Check with 3M about direct ordering because sometimes Tapes Unlimited sells out.
Also hillas.com, these guys apparently sell by the roll as well, but it is a custom order product, so give them at least 10 or so business days to deliver.
http://taperite.com are aware of the Hexayurt Project and have excellent tape...I couldn't find this tape here.
Office superstores like Staples carry 3" filament tape (strand tape) which will do in a pinch
Kragen/O'Reilly Auto Supply sometimes has 3".
Total cost: $130 with shipping, perhaps?


read more at link... http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_playa_checklist

Hmm, I could make a very good chicken house with this design.

This thread is good too.


http://www.themistsofavalon.net/t3349-16-year-old-builds-tiny-home-to-guarantee-mortgage-free-future

and I was impressed with this for $2,845.00 through Amazon.com

Oh very nice. Thank you Carol for stepping up and being with the making of the nice pictures!

My brother and I have been revolving ideas on simple housing solutions. We've been through everything from Yurts and Tipi's to machine-on-a-truck that may could "print" out your new home, which is definitely NOT simple! (but a way freaking kewl idea tho!)

Maybe have to be starting with the thread of the new technologies.

You're welcome and my pleasure. I was looking at one video where they converted the two storage containers into an off grid living space and was impressed with their simple water catchment system. We do not get water here so live off a water catchment system as well. With the tiny houses rain gutters would need to be put up to collect water into the water drums located just below the pipes and then gravity would be the means for the water to go down to shower, toilet, sink. Gray water can be collected for garden into another tank or just have it go out via PVC pipe directly into the area to be watered. We have that set up here as well.

Only problem with a tiny house is where to get water. If the house is at a permanent location site one may have means to different types of access.

I also like this scaled down aquaponics system too for growing vegetables, berries and fish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S7w4yFjy97o

Portable Wood Stove
We offer an outstanding wood stove from the Four Dog Stove Company in Minnesota. We have evaluated many wood stoves and this is by far the best available. It is an airtight stove that is solidly built. The "Two Dog" model measures 11x11x18, and is the perfect size for our 13 foot yurt. The internal baffle allows for cooking, and makes it much more efficent. You can find out more details about the stoves here. http://www.goyurt.com/accessories.php

Stove with side shelf, collapsible stove pipe and damper: $217
3.5 gallon stainless water heater: $95
http://www.fourdog.com/

Here are some things we have been working on:
Integrated LED lighting systems
Lightweight solar power stations
shelving and storage solutions


This is good too.


Stove Accessories http://campingyurts.com/stove-accessories.shtml

Oh I love Yurts. I think they are a fantabulous design. One day I'm gonna build one and it'll be NICE!

I really like the kettle idea posted above.

In regards to collecting water: assuming regular rainfall, your tiny house could have rather nice porches on the front and the back. These would aid catchment. Also could be simply constructed is a pole barn, with no sides, basically a small pavilion which could also be piped in.


On a nother note, check up on these Mongol Yurt door decorations.

www.ulaantaij.com/Accessories_Door_design.html

Here is a rather nice DIY on making your own Yurt:

www.instructables.com/id/Build-yourself-a-portable-home---a-mongolian-yurt/

{Insert Yurt Emoticon Here)

OMG! I'm in


Note: If you’re new to earthbag building, first read the introductory Step-by-Step Earthbag Building Instructable and How to Build an Earthbag Roundhouse . Also, my new Earthbag Building Guide is now available.

We built this earthbag dome at our home in Thailand for Mother Earth News Magazine in 2007. The article that describes the complete building process in detail was published August/September 2009. It is now free on the Internet: Low-Cost Multipurpose Minibuilding Made With Earthbags , by Owen Geiger.

These pics make you want to go on holiday for the rest of your life!

Carol wrote:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-an-Earthbag-Dome/

Whoa - The dwelling above makes being a Hobbit appealing...

The $300 earth bag house.

https://www.youtube.com/user/naturalhouses#p/a/u/2/YdVSoSd9Frw

Mercuriel wrote:

Carol wrote:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-an-Earthbag-Dome/

Whoa - The dwelling above makes being a Hobbit appealing...

Could be very hobbit forming
(Groan)

Indestructible 30 foot monolithic concrete and steel dome being sprayed with 3 inches of 3lb closed cell foam. Next is cosmetics and solar pre heat water to conventional water heater. My belief is that monolithic concrete construction is the possible answer to the disaster in Haiti and storm prone areas. If your house will not blow down then your homeowners insurance should be less!

DRD Enterprises Inc of Davie will make every effort to contact some agency to volunteer the education and material to construct a monolithic concrete dome, need safe transport for men and equipment from Miami. A monolithic concrete dome is indestructible and can be off the grid.
lunarcon@aol.com
www.safedomes.com


Completed encapsulating a mobile home in closed cell foam Ocala Florida, now the mobile in 90 degree heat is cool enough to take the Central AC out and use smaller AC unit VIEW IT AT SAFEDOMES.COM

Gray water system allowing the use of a compost toilet
Inverness, Florida

A new way of living protected by nature. A revolutionary building system, registered in the Library of Congress of the U.S.A. as a new technology.
These houses are the ones that should be in tornado alley and in cold climates.

Wow...I tell ya, if'n y'alls likes that...

You'll LOVE this...

I've been diggin this guy for a couple years now. (In fact serious stumblers of the webs maybe already have been seeing this...)

look for http://www.simondale.net/house/




(And I cannot help but noticing a subtle change in my posts...something appears to have changed while I was away...)

It appears an angel of some sort, possibly from the Pleadies, produced some pretty pictures and pasted them in my posts. How very lovely!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

We own a small trailer park, and the things are really old. Upkeep is a major thing; and the place occasionally floods - say about a meter or so...but only twice in twelve years....

But I am seriously considering getting rid of the mobile homes and installing shipping containers on good foundations, and then insulating them with straw bales (we are largely agriculture around here...)and sealing with shotcreete or stucco.

Still have to resolve a cost effective roofing system tho....

OK this definitely falls into the simple yet brilliant catagory; and a little light in the back of my brain says:

"You can take the principle behind this concept and use it to build a geodesic dome."

And now I'm sitting here going "Maybeee....hmmmmmm..."

dubyadubyadubya http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/frabjous


and it looks a fun thing to do also!

{Except that the pieces would be gianourmous...maybe it would be good for making auditoriums, or stadiums...)

I've been toying around with the idea of containers for awhile and really liked how they did this one for off grid. If you are in a flood zone it's more tricky as pillar posts would work better where your container is up off the ground. Now I did see some stacked so the lower one could be designed where it is expendable if flooded with the main digs up top.

Of course you could just build house boats with anchors.

"video of us buliding our house boat. this is how it all went together. pause the green screen at the end of the video for the specs on it. everything on this boat was built by us besides the hull. please rate and subscribe. please comment, were tryin to see what people think of it. building more boats soon, thanks. here's a article of it in ductworks." http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/09/projects/houseboat/index.htm this boat was also featured in houseboat magazine.


Alien architecture, gravity-defying homes, giant rabbits. Today we hunt: BizArchitecture.

10. Architecture that is quite literally revolutionary. Including the: a Rotating House; Moving Architecture; Rotating Skyscrapers; Homes with Rotating Roofs; and the Rotating Tower in Dubai.

9. This 1,000 square foot cabin of the future sits above the ground on stilts that are three floors high.

8. Hobbit-style architecture might seem like a blast from the past, but these are meant to reflect affordable eco homes of the future.

7. The Romans had a Torjan horse, and now the Chinese have a gigantic bunny, the Macau Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo. The color-changing jade rabbit represents mythology and it trips you out!

6. Houseboats just got greener with the Schwimmhaus, made from scrapwood As a special bonus you get to flush your toilet into the ocean. A nice upgrade DIY redneck houseboat.

5. Alien Architecture. The Gigal Bar is filled with skeletons and spinal cords, all designed by Han Rudi Giger, the genius behind the Alien movies.

4. This 500-storey skyscraper has been designed to reach a mile into the sky. It would house 100,000 people and the elevator rides, would suck.

3. Ocean lovers will enjoy the Seashell and Nautilus Homes. Both are shaped like snail shells with twirling interiors.

2. The green exteriors of flowering architecture, living walls, Greenchitecture, and G-sky.

1. A gravity defying tie between real fairytale houses, treehouses on log stilts, treehouse homes, uber him eco homes, and gravity-defying buildings.

I've got a pretty good idea how to arrange the footers.

I need to run some numbers on water pressure, but I think a traditional crawlspace with cinderblocks, anchored to the footer and filled with reinforcement would work out OK. Also installed would be large wooden insert panels that would offer maintenance access, and would "blow out" if the water pressure gets too great and let the water flow on past.

Both times it was gone in less than 24 hrs, so I'm too worried about scouring or anything.

Plus, If I can get the city to work with me, I think we can improve the small bridge and let more water flow through the natural drain on the property...

But anyrate - make the footer footprint slightly larger than the containers. Run steel I-beams or large timbers (or maybe these recyled fabricated beams) onto which set the containers. The extra foundation then supports the straw bale walls, which are secured to the containers.

California has adopted a rather extensive Straw Bale Building Code (which I have found on the web in a PDF, I'll try and find a link for it later....)

Now I just have to figure out what to do about a roof. Do I want tradional stick build? Metal? Rubber?

Maybe spring the extra money and grow a lawn on the roof and it would last forever....

I'd go with metal or recycled tire material. Metal is safer for fire hazards.

Shoot - the shingles are coming off my current house (and no $$$ (yet!)) so maybe I should do this to all my properties:

www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/roofing-products/green-roofs-more-than-meets-the-eye/

Carol, I know this does not work toward water collection, at least untill after the "upper lawn" gets it's fill...But I think this is pretty awesome.

Plus the words "low maintenance" always make me smile.

(And thank you again for the interjection of the pretty pictures!)

Intensive (garden-style) - Intensive roofs resemble gardens or parks. They are often used on flat roof-tops in large cities where park space is limited. Intensive roofs usually require about 6-24 inches of soil that is able to grow shrubs, small trees, lawns, even vegetable gardens. Consult a green roof specialist before considering installation of an intensive roof because they may require more sophisticated structural support and irrigation.

Extensive (lawn-style) - Extensive roofs are the most common type of vegetated roof for a home because they require low to no-maintenance. An extensive green roof only requires a very thin layer of soil (1-6 inches), and can sustain many different types of grass. It is virtually self-sustaining and only requires weeding about once a year. There is usually no access to an extensive roof except for what is necessary for maintenance. That means no roof-top barbeques. Since extensive roofs support drought-resistant, shallow-rooted plants, and grass which generally grows no higher than a few inches (which means no mowing) they are ideal for homeowners looking for an easy way to save on energy consumption and make their homes more eco-friendly.

I really like the green vegetation roofs. Here in Hawaii many roofs are built out of metal because of termites and the humidity. Building materials are expensive because everything has to be shipped in. I did like the earth bag house and thought something like that would be fun as a guest quarters, office or studio.

We have high pitched roof and collect all the rain water into our cistern which is our only source of water and another good reason for a metal roof. The cistern is 10,000 gallons and when full can last a family of 4 about 3 months. However we also have critters who need water and a garden. For the most part we never water the landscape so rain here is important especially since the goat, mini horses and chickens depend upon the grasses as food.

Since this is an A-frame house, the vegetation roof would not work but perhaps puttying some of the containers together would. I'm not sure on the current cost of shpping containers but generally they go for

Our customer has been issued, as of mid-april 2008, a legal bldg permit for our single 40’ hi-cube shipping container home. It is a legal home. There are not a lot of built-ins or counter tops etc. This is because there is a law which states that there is a minimum number of unencumbered square feet to qualify as a legal home, so we have designed it to meet the legal minimums. From this, you can add-on later with another container structure that connects to it, and have a small efficiency apartment with bathroom and kitchen to live in while building your dream home or future addition connected to this single container home base. With our legal single container home, you have an instant roof over your head with bathroom, shower kitchen, living are and secure storage the minute you put this single 40’ container on your property. Don’t forget- you could permit this as an office or workroom and forgo the kitchen and shower so you would also be able to build your dream home on the same lot possibly. We will be building these homes at our Kalaeloa Oahu facility and shipping out to every Hawaiian Island as soon as possible. The cost will be in the low to mid $20k range for the model with insulation, drywall and hidden wiring, and no particle board or other toxic, cheap materials will be used. Cost for model with no insulation or drywall will be about $17k. Cost estimates here do not include the shed roof, septic, plumbing, or electrical hookups. Shed roof materials are about $2000. Delivery, shipping and set-up need to be quoted on an individual basis.

So many love this U-shaped modular home. It started out as a modular wood home 10’ wide as you can see, but now it has morphed into a U-shaped light guage steel frame or shipping container home. The steel frame option is 30%+ less expensive than using shipping containers, can be financed, and does not rust like shipping containers do. With this option, you can make each module any width you desire, or design a totally different home style. The shipping container option is made of 3- double wide sections comprised of a total of 6- 40’ hi-cube shipping containers. Each section is made of two containers sandwiched together and cut out for a 16x40 space X 3 for a total of 1920 sq ft not including the massive central lanai. You can enclose the lanai, or put up a retractable awning. You can, of course, make it from single-wide containers. The sq ft of that option is 960 sq ft plus the lanai. We enthusiastically recommend light guage steel frame with OSB siding for the reasons clearly stated above, in this paragraph. We design-build anything you want. You must check out our latest home- The Lava Runner.

What would you do if you bought land and the “neighbors from hell” build right next to you? Well, have no fear- we are currently designing and building the most affordable and quickly moved homes in the industry. You could pick up and move, then sell the land and build elsewhere, or get out of harms way if lava ever threatened your home! Take a look at this floorplan and tell us if you don't think this is a fabulous and functional design that could comfortably accommodate two adults and two children. All the lanais and landings are designed to be quickly detached from the main house, and within four hrs. max time the center post and piers can be removed, plumbing and electricity disconnected, and a low-boy trailer can back right underneath the house and move it anywhere. Take a look at the July 20th 2010 Hawaii Tribune Herald headline story about the lava endangering people in the Kalapana area. Our lava runner series of homes can be made any size but no wider than 12 ft. on any one module if you desire portability, and are perfect for areas like Kalapana. You could very easily save your home if lava threatened it. Of course, every home that we design can be built as a permanent home, on post and pier, on a slab, or whatever you need, and permanent homes can be built at any width so long as you do not plan on moving it.

Our latest portable home shown here is 12' x 44' with landings and decks. Check out the hallway to master bedroom and toilet room access from bedroom as well as from outside. Notice the pocket doors for more room to move around the home with ease. We can make it bare bones as a workshop without all the build-ins and decks etc. you see here for much less, and we can make any size. If you want the ability to move it, you need to go 10.5' wide at least, and we do not recommend going wider than 12' if you want the ability to move the home. We can design any size light gauge steel frame permanent structure you might desire, as a home or workshop or office etc for the most affordable prices we know of in Hawaii. Schedule a one-on-one zero pressure consultation- Email or 808-953-2005 from all islands. We appreciate you reading though the info on our website before calling or scheduling a consultation if at all possible. Aloha, John Rogers and team, Affordable Portable Housing.

This is a combination office and apartment featuring office space, kitchen, bath and bedroom. The addition of T-111 siding and a flat roof improves the durability of the unit and enhances its appearance.

My wife was watching a real-estate thing on TV and they were doing Hawaiian homes. Many of them did have the giant tank in the backyard. One had disguised theirs with large shrubs and made an outdoor lounge area beside of it.

***

Carol you are great! I love the "U-Shaped" Home.

I'm all about outdoor living and the center area could be easily made into a courtyard. Add some more roof and you can have a lovely porch and deck combo.

***

Would have to fix the fact the spare bed leads outside tho...it gets COLD here in the windertime!

But it reminds of the roman courtyard homes.

You could take this and add another container, and have a Hallway that runs the inside of the courtyard.

(But stop at that, cause any more would be getting away from our theme of Simpler Is Better)