Billy Williams

I am seriously considering a straw bale house.
1. What if any, are there problems with building on a cement poured slab.
2. is there a problem with stucco, we are in a wet area 30 plus inches of rain yearly
3. is there a good  video to watch

has anyone tried the compost hot water on a green house WITH NO PUMP . I am a plumber and we install circulating systems with no pump(only a check valve) in homes that the water heater is lower than the living areas where hot water is needed. Heat rises, as water cools it returns thru a check valve at the bottom of the water heater. point of use on demand hot water . If that same thought was applied to a green house several hundred feet of pipe in a compost heap, one line going to the green house to the beds then check valve returning water to heap. I am fixing to build a green house and plan on doing it on a hill side(slight) with compost below. Has anyone done this. Doesn't make much sense to use a pump if this can be done. This is a sealed system . water just continually circulates. Thanks for a reply , Billy

I am in North east Arkansas. they are in the lower part of our county pretty bad, several people hunt them several times aweek, I asked some of them about raising the young they said due to diseases they may have and they dont gain weight as a domestic pig could. I have heard of people shooting or trapping and eating them BBQ style and they said they were good , one said they weren't. I talked with game wardens and they said get rid of them any way I could except for spot lighting. They are meat eaters and will kill calves, and their own for a meal. Often the hunters will shoot one and leave him lie and wait till the rest come to feed.

Thanks for the info everyone

Thanks for the replys. I should have thought about the weight that 2by12 on 16 in centers can hold spanning 12 ft. it is an out side wall and would cross the joists . the ceiling is finished below the area where the stove would go and can not have any additional support.. Protecting the floor I still have concerns. what about a hardyboard or the stove mats that go under a wood stove for the first layer, Is it good to super insulate below the horizontal flue and just have the mass on sides and top.

I have a 15 hand tall Jack Donkey. He is rough on Dogs and they can be rough on calves. A friend had a calf killed by one.

My concerns are 1. weight of the mass. 2. weight of the mass.

I have access to a large amount of used Styrofoam. The type that is used for flotation in Boat docks. Any thoughts?