Ok, how would you live and build your home ?

Catfish · 11-15-14, 07:19 PM

... in any context, just:
a) as the world is now..
b) if you expected a falling down of energy, and communications..
c) if all goes wrong, and you are on your own (maybe add children, relatives, friends..)

This was inspired (while i may have drank a bit) by another house/how do you live/Zombie apocalypse/survival thread.

What would you like to have thought of earlier, when something really bad happened, but you survived it by happenstance.
Like oil running out,
electricty fail (incorporating internet/telephone/communications fail),
buying anything in a store near you failed,
and so on.

Ok i do not expect that to happen anytime soon, but if you could design your own house, or way of living, what would you do or change ?
There may be different points of view, like age, personal fitness of craftmanship and so on .. just interested.

Skybird · 11-15-14, 07:28 PM

How many volumes of novels do you want for a reply?

I have prepared food and water and heating and light and such for 2 comfortable weeks or accordingly more weeks if rationing the resources. That's as far as I can get with my limited options. With detoriating health and a very unpleasant outlook in that regard, just surviving as long as possible is not necessarily my priority. Life quality and meaning of life I rank higher for me personally, and if these lack, I am ready to fold my cards earlier. Half of my financial assets is turned into precious metal. If there should be a prohibition coming for these, I know that liberty has come to its ultimate end and tyranny is all around. I then will grab a weapon and fight a last fight. I am 47, I have pains, I really do not expect nor want to live forever. Imortality I think is the utmost punishment in a universe of transitory things only: you only exist to see all that you loved and everything you liked, dying. That is cruel if it lasts forever. I am a happy mortal, therefor.

Oberon · 11-15-14, 07:42 PM

a) Fully powered by solar and wind energy, perhaps also water. Nice and open, with a well near by. As off the grid as possible in order to reduce amenities bills. Otherwise, a swimming pool would be nice, a garden model railway and man cave, lots of storage space for the items the wife would collect en mass and a similar house next door for the mother with the usual home-help items to help her out in her old age. Minus the pool and railway though, but she would like to keep chickens.

b) Same as the above but with less leisure items and more fortifications and farming material.

c) A castle with plenty of land for farming space.

ikalugin · 11-15-14, 09:27 PM

The issue is the self reliance on:
- basic safety.
- heating.
- water.
- food.
- power.

My point here is that a lot of complex systems (such as power generators) have a very limited life time, hence you either need the uber reliable systems (such as a long term solid nuclear power plant design with no moving parts in it and 0 maintenance life time of hundreds of years) or some sort of industrial capacity to keep your technology going (and replace it as it wears out).

However if it is a limited time period we are talking about (up to several years) then nothing could beat an old fashioned fall out shelter sufficiently stocked with expendables and with reliable equipment (water, air filters, power generator).

Eichhörnchen · 11-16-14, 04:02 AM

Agree with all of Oberon's suggestions, but on a more prosaic level (not in survivalist mode quite yet) I do regret not going for a bungalow when we bought the house. Much easier to get at roof for repairs etc. and wouldn't be as nervous when we get such strong winds as we do out here.

Ideally, a low peat-thatched dwelling like you see in old paintings of Highland scenes, or one sunk into the side of a hill and covered with turf.

Living in a tree ain't so much fun any more...

Jimbuna · 11-16-14, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

a) Fully powered by solar and wind energy, perhaps also water. Nice and open, with a well near by. As off the grid as possible in order to reduce amenities bills. Otherwise, a swimming pool would be nice, a garden model railway and man cave, lots of storage space for the items the wife would collect en mass and a similar house next door for the mother with the usual home-help items to help her out in her old age. Minus the pool and railway though, but she would like to keep chickens.

b) Same as the above but with less leisure items and more fortifications and farming material.

c) A castle with plenty of land for farming space.

Works for me but only when minus the mother/mother-in-law

Catfish · 11-16-14, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Works for me but only when minus the mother/mother-in-law

^

Yes, Oberon summed it up nicely, would also work for me. Garden railway always was a dream ... but at least i already have two locomotives.

We already have a freshwater supply, or more a kind of hose 8 meters deep, to pump water from.
We also have solar collectors (coll. for warming water, no solar cells for electrical power), but it does not support the heating system - too few roof surface for that.
There's also a wood-burning oven installed, but its chimney is still below the roof. We also plan a smaller building along with a garage, for repairs, and as a man cave. Well maybe next summer..

In case of a power-out, our heating system would not work: No spark to ignite the gas, no electrical pumps for warm water convection.
I always thought it would be nice to have a strirling engine to pump water through the heating system, the engine would get heat to run from the oven, and would drive the circulatory pump .. no electrical current needed as long as you have wood, or coal.

I bought an english book some years ago, by John Seymour, title is "The new complete book of self-sufficiency", and i think it is great. You would need more time and acres for really being independent, but a lot of good ideas and how to build and maintain, with information on plants and harvesting; at least the basics.

Armistead · 11-16-14, 09:13 AM

Family has a farm in the foothills of Va, so I guess we would go there. Very few people around and most of us still have old farming skills should we need them...

I also keep a list of known preppers, so all failing, we arm and like aliens go from site to site feeding off their goods..

swamprat69er · 11-16-14, 09:25 AM

I think I would go with a couple of 100 acres in the middle of nowhere and the house built in the middle of it (Northern Ontario) totally self sufficient with solar power and heat and the south facing house built into a hill.

Rockstar · 11-16-14, 10:17 AM

As a means to generate electricity I'd stick with solar panels, they have no moving parts, are practically maintenance free and can last 20-30 years. Compared to wind driven generators which have a much shorter lifespan require regular maintenance and spare parts to keep them going.

Platapus · 11-16-14, 11:37 AM

An acquaintance of mine is a concrete engineer and he is building himself a concrete home in WV. His girlfriend is a chemist and she is building the diesel fuel conversion stuff where they can use waste oils for power. . Their goal is to be as off the grid as they can.

Eichhörnchen · 11-17-14, 11:08 AM

Do you think the mother-in-law keeps out of the way when he's got a fresh load of concrete on the go?

Onkel Neal · 11-17-14, 04:52 PM

Since I no longer live in the city, I will be buying about 50 acres this summer, in rural Texas, where there are more cows than people. Closest Starbucks is 65 miles away.

a. See above

b. and c. I'm not a prepper, so there won't be a year's supply of canned food in my house. Will be raising my own vegetables, fruit, pigs, goats, and chickens. Can you kill a pig, dress it and prepare it for cooking? I can. Maybe a couple of cows, although I can rely on my father for that (he has a couple hundred). Then there's deer, game birds, wild hogs, and fish. Food won't be a problem.

If electricity goes down, I think I can live without it. I'll have to use a hand pump for water, and kerosene lanterns, until kerosene disappears. There are ways to make light without petroleum, my father knows how, so I may have to learn.

I imagine the daily activity will be keeping guard for the city dwellers who will fan out in search of food. I have one of these

plus a few handguns, and all the ammo I'll ever need. I'm open to bartering, but I won't be providing a social safety net.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Armistead.

I've still got a couple thousand books in my shipping container, so I will have plenty of reading to do.

As for clothes, well, I guess what I have will last me the rest of my life.

Jeff-Groves · 11-17-14, 05:08 PM

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html

Onkel Neal · 11-17-14, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html

Wow, that is awesome, Jeff!!

11-15-14, 07:19 PM	#1
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,765 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Ok, how would you live and build your home ? ... in any context, just: a) as the world is now.. b) if you expected a falling down of energy, and communications.. c) if all goes wrong, and you are on your own (maybe add children, relatives, friends..) This was inspired (while i may have drank a bit) by another house/how do you live/Zombie apocalypse/survival thread. What would you like to have thought of earlier, when something really bad happened, but you survived it by happenstance. Like oil running out, electricty fail (incorporating internet/telephone/communications fail), buying anything in a store near you failed, and so on. Ok i do not expect that to happen anytime soon, but if you could design your own house, or way of living, what would you do or change ? There may be different points of view, like age, personal fitness of craftmanship and so on .. just interested.

11-15-14, 07:28 PM	#2
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,603 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	How many volumes of novels do you want for a reply? I have prepared food and water and heating and light and such for 2 comfortable weeks or accordingly more weeks if rationing the resources. That's as far as I can get with my limited options. With detoriating health and a very unpleasant outlook in that regard, just surviving as long as possible is not necessarily my priority. Life quality and meaning of life I rank higher for me personally, and if these lack, I am ready to fold my cards earlier. Half of my financial assets is turned into precious metal. If there should be a prohibition coming for these, I know that liberty has come to its ultimate end and tyranny is all around. I then will grab a weapon and fight a last fight. I am 47, I have pains, I really do not expect nor want to live forever. Imortality I think is the utmost punishment in a universe of transitory things only: you only exist to see all that you loved and everything you liked, dying. That is cruel if it lasts forever. I am a happy mortal, therefor. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert. Last edited by Skybird; 11-15-14 at 07:40 PM.

11-16-14, 09:13 AM	#8
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,880 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	Family has a farm in the foothills of Va, so I guess we would go there. Very few people around and most of us still have old farming skills should we need them... I also keep a list of known preppers, so all failing, we arm and like aliens go from site to site feeding off their goods.. __________________ You see my dog don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

11-16-14, 09:25 AM	#9
swamprat69er Aceydeucy Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ontario,Canada Posts: 1,889 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	I think I would go with a couple of 100 acres in the middle of nowhere and the house built in the middle of it (Northern Ontario) totally self sufficient with solar power and heat and the south facing house built into a hill. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. We the willing, led by the unsure, have done so much with so little, for so long, that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.

11-16-14, 11:37 AM	#11
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,361 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	An acquaintance of mine is a concrete engineer and he is building himself a concrete home in WV. His girlfriend is a chemist and she is building the diesel fuel conversion stuff where they can use waste oils for power. . Their goal is to be as off the grid as they can. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

11-15-14, 07:42 PM	#3
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	a) Fully powered by solar and wind energy, perhaps also water. Nice and open, with a well near by. As off the grid as possible in order to reduce amenities bills. Otherwise, a swimming pool would be nice, a garden model railway and man cave, lots of storage space for the items the wife would collect en mass and a similar house next door for the mother with the usual home-help items to help her out in her old age. Minus the pool and railway though, but she would like to keep chickens. b) Same as the above but with less leisure items and more fortifications and farming material. c) A castle with plenty of land for farming space.

11-15-14, 09:27 PM	#4
ikalugin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 3,212 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	The issue is the self reliance on: - basic safety. - heating. - water. - food. - power. My point here is that a lot of complex systems (such as power generators) have a very limited life time, hence you either need the uber reliable systems (such as a long term solid nuclear power plant design with no moving parts in it and 0 maintenance life time of hundreds of years) or some sort of industrial capacity to keep your technology going (and replace it as it wears out). However if it is a limited time period we are talking about (up to several years) then nothing could beat an old fashioned fall out shelter sufficiently stocked with expendables and with reliable equipment (water, air filters, power generator).

11-16-14, 04:02 AM	#5
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,373 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Agree with all of Oberon's suggestions, but on a more prosaic level (not in survivalist mode quite yet) I do regret not going for a bungalow when we bought the house. Much easier to get at roof for repairs etc. and wouldn't be as nervous when we get such strong winds as we do out here. Ideally, a low peat-thatched dwelling like you see in old paintings of Highland scenes, or one sunk into the side of a hill and covered with turf. Living in a tree ain't so much fun any more...

11-16-14, 10:17 AM	#10
Rockstar In the Brig Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Zendia Bar & Grill Posts: 12,614 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	As a means to generate electricity I'd stick with solar panels, they have no moving parts, are practically maintenance free and can last 20-30 years. Compared to wind driven generators which have a much shorter lifespan require regular maintenance and spare parts to keep them going.

11-17-14, 11:08 AM	#12
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,373 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Do you think the mother-in-law keeps out of the way when he's got a fresh load of concrete on the go?

11-17-14, 04:52 PM	#13
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,383 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Since I no longer live in the city, I will be buying about 50 acres this summer, in rural Texas, where there are more cows than people. Closest Starbucks is 65 miles away. a. See above b. and c. I'm not a prepper, so there won't be a year's supply of canned food in my house. Will be raising my own vegetables, fruit, pigs, goats, and chickens. Can you kill a pig, dress it and prepare it for cooking? I can. Maybe a couple of cows, although I can rely on my father for that (he has a couple hundred). Then there's deer, game birds, wild hogs, and fish. Food won't be a problem. If electricity goes down, I think I can live without it. I'll have to use a hand pump for water, and kerosene lanterns, until kerosene disappears. There are ways to make light without petroleum, my father knows how, so I may have to learn. I imagine the daily activity will be keeping guard for the city dwellers who will fan out in search of food. I have one of these plus a few handguns, and all the ammo I'll ever need. I'm open to bartering, but I won't be providing a social safety net. I'll have to keep an eye out for Armistead. I've still got a couple thousand books in my shipping container, so I will have plenty of reading to do. As for clothes, well, I guess what I have will last me the rest of my life.

11-17-14, 05:08 PM	#14
Jeff-Groves GLOBAL MODDING TERRORIST Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 5,649 Downloads: 137 Uploads: 0	Going to look at an old Bank for sale here. $9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it! 3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house! http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html