Thomas Agresti

    Howdy Duncan,

          I like your project and the advice offered so far. It's an interesting take on the rocket stove concept. Perhaps a comparison is in order, in the sense of understanding what wood fired kilns do as compared to the RMH. The Kiln Book by Frederick Olsen seems is a good reference point for the comparison. It's full of those kind of measurements of space, mass and flow of gasses that make a wood fired kiln work. Of course, if you're doing this as your own fantastic exploration without any specific desired result, such as kiln efficiency concerning wood or controlling heat as in work well, please disregard the above unless it fits with your goals.

      Best of luck in your project!

      Thomas


       

      Howdy Paul and everyone else,


          Nice one. In the present moment and with all that is going on around the planet I find myself more and more drawn to the beautiful, fundamental things. I have come to the recognition that, for myself, those fundamentals, Shelter, Fire, Clean Water, and nutritious, natural food, family and friends are what makes life good. A full belly is nice, nicer with your tribe.


       Best,

          Thomas

     Howdy J Wayne and everyone else,


             I have no experience building dams, however when I figured out the load for my roof on the cabin I built I researched on the internet and although there was some math involved it was nothing any regular guy or gal couldn't handle. It would seem to me, as you are questioning the guy with the equipment, and you should, you could figure out just how much more pressure the added water will create on your dam. It has to do with how much more volume you're adding to the existing pond and how much that volume of water weighs and then how much more pressure will be on the damn. Of course, you should know the dimensions of your existing damn too because that's the other half of the relationship. It appears to me, if you know the original water weight, volume and pressure, then dam size and weight too, you can determine the relationship between the two and move from there. In addition, can you increase the thickness of the dam on the back side?
             All of this is moot though if you simply take those numbers to a civil engineer and get their feedback. I don't imagine it would be as much as a new dam the guy with the equipment is proposing. It's certainly worth a call to check. Last, the engineer will give you definitive answers and reasons and then you know where you stand and if you choose to you can figure out adaptations like making the pond wider or deeper etc.

       Best of luck in your project,

        Thomas

       Howdy Marie,

                  All the best to you and your children and your family. I love the fact you are crying in front of your children; who better to show them how to grieve and how to be healthy. The tender, open heart is the bravest heart; it's the heart which feels the most even if it's sad. And that too will pass.

               All the best to you and your family,


                      Thomas

   Hi Jennifer and everyone else,


          Why not use the raw materials that concrete replaced?  Stone. I cannot tell from your post, however if you only need to get it off the ground bit you could look around Missoula and perhaps locate stone that you could use. Reading "The Good Life" by Helen and Scott Nearing, I appreciated how they multitasked when out and about, always gathering stones in their pickup for later use.  They used adjectives like uglies and I think squares to categorize what the stones could be used for. You'd want squares, 2 sides straight or what your think you'd need.
          I suppose if you want to work more, Mark Brunnr's suggestion is the way to go and one I like, although never used. Perhaps, a concern is wind and how to keep you shelter from moving; there are steel anchors for that, more to the point, if that isn't a concern dry laid rock may serve your needs and the needs of all those little creatures who make homes in nooks and crannies. Best of luck on your project!


        Cheers,
        Thomas

       Howdy Michelle and everyone else,


              This is a practical and excellent idea, combining root cellar and shelter for oh, what brouhaha may come and of course those things of a more serious nature. To that end, I would recommend the book, Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney. It is detailed in such a way that you find in books of yore. In addition, as far as root cellaring is concerned I have and would recommend Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel.
             On another note, if memory serves, Nader Khalili was the originator if you will, of earth bag or super adobe etc. construction, which others have written about. This vernacular originates from arid areas and therefore, at least to my mind, would give one pause in understanding how it would translate to one's place. In your case, the foothills of Seattle. I'm of the opinion that PSP, post shore polyethylene, construction by Mike Oehler would be worth looking into. You can find some info about that here on Permies. Last, I like your tag line, "Just a mom, trying to do best by her kids." Good on you! and good luck on your project!


          Thomas

        Howdy Catie,

               Love what you're on about! Here's what I would do, find a person in a woodworking shop, meaning go there in person to the shop, tell them your situation and ask for help. However, I like analogue things and learning from people. I took the liberty of searching woodworkers in Ontario: A Facebook page came up  https://www.facebook.com/groups/185125965312293/ and also, http://www.canadian-woodworker.com/. and the third https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/courses which looks to be what you might want.  


          Best of luck in your search,


         Thomas

      Howdy Chelsea,


             Thanks for the recipe; It sounds like a good one and I'm going to try it out. On another note, I primarily make coffee on the stove with a Moka pot because I like analogue best and I can extract, in my opinion, only the good stuff and none of the bittering oils from the bean; I'm with you on that!

               Cheers,

             Thomas

      Skandi,

     I like that! Doing is far, far better than talking about doing.


    Nice kitchen too!

       Cheers,

 
      Thomas

          Howdy C murphy,


               You have piqued my interest. How do you make your cold brew? Just the regular old way or something different?


           Cheers,



             Thomas