Mike Schuller

Hey all

I'm moving soon and need to find a place to live in or around Snohomish WA.
I figured why not post and see if anyone has a place they are wanting to rent out or know someone who does.

I can't afford much right now (about $600 a month) but can do work in exchange for partial rent or something.

Thanks for your time.

Thanks for the advice and the support.
Good luck in all your endeavors, you are an inspiration.

Hey Mike,

I bought your book about 4 months ago and have just been really impressed by the detail and thought you put into it ( I especially like the engineering charts at the end; they are super helpful).
I wanted to propose another method for the wall construction namely earth bag walls that have been cobbed over.
The reason for this is two fold: 1, I feel that it would add another layer of fire protection to an already fire resistant home and 2, it would be an option for those without access to mill ends or a method to have their trees milled.

What are your thoughts on this?

~Mike

Here's a super simple Baler Box that could work well just dump the grass in and tie it together once full.

I couldn't help but think that every homesteader would find it useful to make/purchase a multi-use press for making CEB's, grass bales, fuel blocks and whatever else you can think of.

Anywho just my 2 cents.

~Mike

So I stumbled across Human Car and had to share it!

Efficient, reliable, long lasting, multipurpose, sustainable and totally green.

I hope you all enjoy it.

~Mike

Hey Chad,

I am pretty sure as long as you keep part of the system hotter than the other the water will flow along the convection current. In a truly closed system (sealed system) a "heat pump" will cease to function once all the water is the same temperature. From the sounds of your system you wish to utilize gravity and heat to drive the circulation. I would suggest that if you want to incorporate gravity into your system that you use a ram pump or small electric pump because if you cannot create a temperature difference in your system for some reason (due to weather) then your system won't work.

Besides I assume you want constant circulation so a ram pump would work very well for that from what I can tell.

Hope this helps.

~Mike

Danelle,

I live in WA too so I may be able to give some input.

The only restrictions in WA are the pollution output (check here http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/indoor_woodsmoke/wood_smoke_page.htm#Washingtons_wood_stove_requirements ) and there is leniency given if it is your only source of heat.  A well built and designed rocket stove would satisfy both as it could have a nice cooking surface and be low emissions.

I think though that there is a restriction in place that a stove cannot be the primary source of heat in new or vastly remodeled housing so you may run into problems there. 
Although you could always set it up as your "backup" heat and just use it all the time. (they burn so clean no-one would know unless they came over to say hello).

Hope this helps.

I am hoping to move to the area this coming September but at the latest September 2013.
(All depends if Peninsula College accepts me for the nursing program this coming year).

After that it will be a couple years before I am able to get started with my Perma-property but I plan to be experimenting with some things before I find some land.

Cool!

Well when I do move there I'll be sure to let you know so I can look you up and we can discuss the local possibilities.

Paul and the rest of you all

I'm new here and so far I have to say that this is a great site.

I can say from personal experience that the "green" movement as always had negative connotations for me due to the perceived overemphasis on the "morality" of it.  I personally don't prescribe to the three ethics or social justice (I don't condemn them either. To each his own.) but I see the intelligence and functionality of living close to nature, which has nothing to do with morality at its core. I myself am a person that tries to live responsibly and be a good steward of nature, because it makes sense.

IMO "religion" takes many forms for many people and for some eco/environmental/green is it.  This can inadvertently turn people off of the functional and largely beneficial aspects of Permaculture and in doing so harm an otherwise smart, safe and stable concept/movement. 

Cudos to you for trying to distinguish and separate the functionality of Permaculture from the spirituality aspect.

~Mike