Відео

That little sound bite put a copyright strike on this video but I think it was worth it.

Draftsight. It's an AutoCAD clone.

Thanks! We're in zone 8B. Minimum temperatures are in the 10° - 20° F range but rarely do we have sustained lows below freezing. Highs in July and August will often hit the low 100s.

There goes my secret identity!

No, sorry I never produced a set of blue prints for this project.

Yes, thermal mass. There is layer of continuous insulation on the exterior side of the wall that isolates it from the outside. I go into more detail in this video: ua-cam.com/video/tIO2IxcatFc/v-deo.htmlsi=QVAJxHZ6e-VNxonl

I put extra blocking in the subfloor at each post location. Here's a picture: 4.bp.blogspot.com/--y0NWmpXLZc/XIXMTHtuNRI/AAAAAAAAIj4/bBmpy6zRkXYihl-iisrautH1bu3LvDOggCLcBGAs/s1600/P1090768.JPG So, there's a direct path from the base of the post through the blocking to the grade beam to the concrete pier. Building it again I would frame a pocket in the subfloor for each post so they sit directly on the grade beam which you can kind of see here on the deck: 1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOriMOxPeSc/XP3SiRhGMEI/AAAAAAAAJGE/oYCKQ4VqRMc0o2zrLMWzVEwmSkqD1g9VgCLcBGAs/s1600/P1260993.JPG This was our first house build so there are a few details I'm not happy with but overall we're really enjoying it.

$2200. About 75% of that was the roof. The shed is holding well. I did a little touch up to the exterior a couple of years ago as documented here: ua-cam.com/video/8YLUkYgFmSo/v-deo.html

She's not giving up her day job.

The only downside to full time occupation would be the outdoor shower in January/February.

Thanks! There's something I find soothing about earthen surfaces. Also, being built into the slope gives it a very cozy/comfortable feeling.

Maintenance-wise an outhouse wins out over a bucket toilet. With two adults we have to change out buckets every 4-5 days. I empty and clean buckets every 6-8 weeks which takes 30-45 minutes. However, for convenience of use I think the bucket wins.

Thanks! I'm trying to grow a quick cover crop in unoccupied paddocks so the quail have some greenery to eat. A week is enough time for sun flower, wheat grass and chia to sprout and put on a little growth. Ideally, I would have more paddocks to to allow a longer rest period.

@@offgridburbia Ah, you might have mentioned that - but my mind went to more traditionally rotational grazing-systems. Well, I've subscribed in hopes of a follow-up video or three sometime in the future :)

I'm not that familiar with hempcrete but it seems like being lighter weight than cob or concrete it would not be as effective in below ground applications to resist lateral forces.

The concrete blocks sit on a compacted gravel foundation. It would have to be a pretty determined predator. I'll report back in later on successes and failures with the design.

Thanks, we've lost birds in the past to faulty security so I tend to overbuild a bit. Depending how useful shifting the quail through paddocks in future I might just give them the run of the whole enclosure.

@2-3 days is great! Do you pre-soak the chia seeds or just cast them? Regarding the sound, I agree, I didn't know the camera had such a good microphone. Quail are pretty quiet and it even picked up their calls.

I thought I replied but I don't see it so I'm sorry if I double reply lol, I just cast them because when they get wet they stick together :)

Good point. Maybe I'll use them for pie. I was considering letting the quail forage a portion of them.

Good idea with the red clover. Tale pictures of your quail tractor and post them somewhere. There are a lot of chicken tractors out there but you don't see much for quail.

Thanks! I'll post an update with my results. So far the blackberries look like winners.

I've kept quail outside in mobile pens and predators haven't seemed to affect them. The important part is to give the quail a place where they can retreat to and feel safe.

Yes, I think quail are great for urban and suburban areas. When I was living in an apartment I kept four on my balcony using a deep litter system.

The soil and hydrostatic pressure is being mitigated in a few ways: The long (back) wall has a knee brace concealed within an interior wall. The exterior walls are infilled with cob which is a high mass material. The weight of the living roof is born on the side walls which provides resistance to lateral forces. Outside the walls there's a foot wide perimeter of gravel. This allows any subterranean moisture to drain of to french drain and no exert pressure on the walls I go into more structural details in this video: ua-cam.com/video/tIO2IxcatFc/v-deo.htmlsi=lxNDX02H_NoSKChg And here's a video about building the berm: ua-cam.com/video/kgJFMtY0Xrg/v-deo.htmlsi=u-YtfE_vg7z6XAP7

When I was trowelling on the cob I put to wood strips across the grade stakes to maintain a consistent level.

It's doing well. We did have a carpenter ant infestation the first year because they like nesting in the poly iso foam board and we had a tree limb contacting the roof for a while during construction which I guess was their avenue for access. Since they were evicted we haven't had any issues.

Thanks, the robust design made me interested.@@offgridburbia

I haven't thought of a good way to gather metrics to measure performance. I've heard since building it that vented roofs are best on steep roofs and ineffective on low slope (below 3:12 pitch) ones. Ours is 4:12. @@daveberry342

Thanks! Sorry, I ran out of steam creating videos. The cottage is 99% complete at this point. I have some trim left and staining. I'll post a recap and walkthrough at some point. Final cost is in the 25 - 30K USD range.

I calculated the total weight of the roof. See spreadsheet here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x2mXfM9LH7I09YhSJ4pPgEwyNJtNikGv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102759157513719220351&rtpof=true&sd=true Then I used the timber tool box beam calculator to determine the rafter size. In this case I used 4x10 douglas fir on 36 inch centers with a clear span of around 15 feet. Here's the linke link to the timber tool box calculator: www.timbertoolbox.com/Calcs/beamindex.html In this article/video, I talk about calculating roof loading for a living roof: offgridburbia.com/living-roof-install/ Shoot me an e-mail if you need some help. Contact details are here: www.youtube.com/@offgridburbia/about

Yeah, this is one of of my earlier videos. The videos have gotten better but I haven't done another vented roof since this one. My blog post has some close up pictures and more detail: offgridburbia.com/roof-installation/

There was a fine home building podcast I was listening to that described an outdoor shower as life changing. We're around 700 feet above sea level.

Thanks, per the extended forecast it looks like heat wave may be over. Now only if we can get some rain.

Yes, gravel would not be necessary. If there's a moisture break under slab (liner, gravel and/or insulation) you probably don't need to put down a plastic liner.

The drain plumbing exits through the wall into the berm. The water supply and electrical are run through the walls. Here's the video of the electrical and plumbing rough in: ua-cam.com/video/uXbA681INf4/v-deo.htmlsi=4bvL7y-ERuAPqqrA

No, I never produced a formal set of plans. After a few years of living here I've been thinking about publishing a "What I should have done" guide.

@@offgridburbia I am curious what a bullet-point list would look like for this! haha. You did a fantastic job with this build. I would love to build something very similar and get first-hand knowledge about the possible pitfalls I would encounter.

@@jacobyhomestead 1) Smaller is better (at first at least). The cabin was 384 sqft plus loft and took me mostly working on my own over a year and half before we could move in. The cottage (our more recent build) is ~216 sqft and took about eight months before it was livable and 10 months for the interior to be completely finished out. The cottage is better designed is built. My wife and I have talked about how we wish we had built them in reverse . 2) Stick to a single story. Once you have to move on to ladders or scaffolding a build really slows down. 3) Orientate your building for your site and the building's function. I think this mostly correct for both buildings. The cabin only has south and north facing windows has no east or west facing ones (so we only have solar gain in the winter). The cabin has a south facing sloped roof for mounting solar modules. The cottage is partially earth-bermed, has a living roof and tree cover so its solar aspect was not as important building with the contour of the land in mind. 4) Minimum roof overhangs of 2-3 feet and even more is better (unless you live in an area with high winds). 5) Document your build with a blog and lots of pictures. I often refer back to my notes and videos.

Cardboard tubes used for concrete pier forms.

Borax?

Termite mitigation is a consideration in our area. I put borax in the clay slip the straw is coated with. Later I also applied a lime plaster over the light clay straw.

Yes, an way oversized for our usage rate.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality forbids burying bodies in the same excavation with your septic tank.