porta-cabin - love shack

I'm curious, if the shack is to be a place people can sleep, where does the bed go? I'm assuming that if it's a love shack, there will at the very least be a full size bed involved , two people on a twin width isn't that much fun.

If it's on the floor, will a bench next to it make it awkward to use either one? As in, I can't really get to the end of the bench without walking over the bed... From the pictures it looks to be 5-6 feet wide, the bench seems to occupy 2' in the renderings, leaving 3'-4' of floor space.

I have no idea how much a full pebble RMH weighs but driveway crushed rock generally weighs around 100-140lbs per cubic foot, will it need additional reinforcement?

The location of the bed hasn't been decided yet but I do have a few ideas it might go perpendicular to the mass at the end opposite of the RMH core. And be even be a loft bed to save space. Or it may go ontop of the mass pushed all the way to the end of the mass and it will have a majority of it hanging over the edge of the mass I am still working on designs for it though.

Love the "Love Shack".

Could the bed be integrated into the pocket rocket system like a traditional Chinese "kang" system of stove/bed?





And from: http://www.hedon.info/BP29_Kang-LianzaoBedStove?bl=y





From: http://mandyhyj.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/moe-interactive-surfaces/

This reminds me of some vernacular thermally active surfaces that’s adopted by people in the rural part of northern China. Explained by Moe in his another writing, this design is called Chinese Kang, a thermally active bed. “In this system, the living space of the house was a few feet bove the level of the kitchen and fireplace in an adjacent room.” Hot air is channelled horizontally from the fire. There are slots built under the finished floor from the fireplace to and exterior chimney. The floor slab is made of concrete coated with clay. And on top of this are layers of oiled paper and floor mats. When heat warms up the concrete, the space above is heated up as well mainly due to radiant effect. the bed surface is then heated up as well and transfer heat to human body, mainly through conduction. Here, radiation is the main starting process of heat transfer, followed by more direct conduction. The following diagram explains this system.

Has anyone considered the value of hempcrete for the thermal mass of the bed/bench? The weight to insulation value may make it ideal for this application (where you need to be able to move the structure), and it would also be lighter than cob for around the barrel. The lime in the hempcrete bonds to the silicates in the hemp Hempcrete info. This video explains it far better than I.

What are the dimensions of the mass and what will be used to fill it? Based on Nicola's rough number for the weight of the mass and my estimate of a 1'x2'x10' that would be 20 cubic feet or 2 tons of mass on the low end, unless her number is off. That number being used, and a rough 7'x12' dimension for the shack (I rough counted the 2"x4"s used on the floor), you'd most likely need to add a third runner in the middle of the shack or bowing of the floor would occur much sooner than later. That all assumes the weight of the mass fitting the rough numbers tossed out here.

I like the idea of doing a "loft" type bed that would take advantage of warm air being higher. People often don't realize how cold it can get on a mountain (or Montana Valley) evening in the summer.

I do like the look of it all, and how easily it went up.

The Kang bed is a great idea, it's been around for a few thousand years at least, and been used in Japan and Korea as well.

As for design: do NOT put it the heat chamber above anything other than an insulating base (refractory cement/vermiculite mix or somesuch) because it will leech out alot of the heat and radiate it away from the bed -- namely, the ground, or air if it's the cabin above.

For even more efficient heat transfer, either a set of finned ducts (internally and externally would be ideal) or smaller-diameter tubing embedded in the thermal mass is best (think boiler or radiator design--or, even easier to visualize: I'm floor radiant heating). If the ducts are too large, you lose a great deal of surface area through which the heat can conduct, and out the chimney the heat goes.

That cabin is kinda scary, too: I see so much daylight thru the cracks, air intrusion would render the heating moot.

In this situation I think a rocket stove is "Picking your nose with a crow bar". Its completely overboard - a monster tool to do a simple job. In such a tiny space any size ROCKET - as in something that generates gaseous cumbustion is going to be overkill. And possibly WILL kill as its a light wood construction. Something sa small as a coffee can rocket maybe ok. Or as in the KANG design suggested, a tiny cooking stove with no rocket pretensions would be fine.

A simple charcoal burner would be a sweet little project for your LAB site. Charcoal burns hot, clean and over a reasonable time periood. Something like the KANG clay stove is constructed with the space for a pot molded into it so no smoke exits above the burn.

As for a bed. Is a Murphy style a possibility? Maybe as 2 "twins" side by side. A fold down table can be added to the underside of one bed. The bed itself acts as daytime insulation.

Would a vertical thermal mass be possible. Others have commented about the load problems associated with mass. If the chimney cavity runs thru some concrete blocks (laying the blocks on a slope) and the unused air spaces are filled with something that will hold heat - say sand - you'd only need a 3 foot vertical by 6 foot or 8 foot length to store the heat you'd need.

I would suggest that rather than doubling the tubes back run the tube all the way around to the door. This keeps the weight over the skids. Consider it a base board heater rather than a bench. With a space for air to enter at the floor and exit at the top of the pebbles it would draw cold air from the floor and warm the insulated walls for radiated heat. Possibly add a wire cage filled with pebbles around the riser by the door. The clean out Ts then could make the corners and be accessed from outside.

I like the idea of a fold down bed at the far end with a fold down table underneath. With the heat from the baseboard mass underneath it should be comfy warm.

Guys, you all have good points, tho, that cabin is small! May be garry is onto something with the kang?


Well, what bumped straight away in my head, is hypocaust.

Cover the actual floor with sheet metal. Insert a 4 incher rocket so the feed is flush with the future floor. Or a smidge above. (that's where Cindy should bump in, as their 4 incher proved to be better than the other ones, well Peter van den Berg, has proved to be, onto which Cyndy's rockets are based)

Raise the floor 1 bricks width, making a surounding with bricks laid on their sides, and a few in the middle for supporting the future floor, direct the exhaust from the barrel into this space, cover the space with sheet metal, riveted and sealed with high temp silicon caulking. Cover the metal with pavers of some kind. Previous thinking will have to be done, as the suporting bricks should be on the corners of each paver. Drill a hole for the flue pipe in the sheet metal and pavers.


Otherwise, sam's design could be also done. I just had a crazy solution on hand.

Thank you thank you for posting this thread full of great info on the rocket in a tiny house. I've been wondering how that approach might be possible. Much appreciated...