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. http://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.

http://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....