Calling all Permie Pro-Bono Angels of the Earth!

Permie - In - Need!

Disabled senior who recently started studying permaculture seeking Pro-bono consultation/advice/work/donations.

Due to septic issues, I am looking for an alternative to standard septic/plumbing so I can utilize grey water.  Also looking for a way to capture the rain and snow off of metal roof, and to excavate around the home which is built into the hillside and add a greenhouse with a retaining wall.  As it currently is designed moisture from the earth is seeping into the downstairs walls which also need windows for ventilation.

I would love to manifest a permie home and yard that would be accessible to my special disabled needs here in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Black Hawk, CO.  Boulder, CO is the largest nearby City and then Denver.  Any assistance is appreciated.  gaialuvlove@yahoo.com

Welcome to the forum!

For your rainwater/snow catchment I recommend the work of Brad Lancaster:

https://permies.com/wiki/brad-lancaster





For grey water, I recommend using French Drains:

How to make…How to make a French drain for grey water?

   Plan the Location. Figure out where the excess water is pooling and where you want it to go. ...
   Dig a Trench. ...
   Line the Trench with Filter Fabric. ...
   Pour the Gravel Bedding. ...
   Hook Up the Pipe Connections. ...
   Set the Pipe Drain in the Trench. ...
   Cover with Gravel and Filter Fabric. ...
   Backfill with Topsoil.

https://permies.com/t/249402/Permies-Poll-utilize-Grey-Water#2320428

A good way to get folks to come to your home to help with these is to hold a workshop. something like this:

https://permies.com/t/205199/Winter-Workshops-setup

If you are looking for an alternative to septic / plumbing, I am going to assume, hopefully correctly, that you don't have a septic system.

So to start with, you are talking excavation (expensive) and a greenhouse

And your walls are taking up water

You don't say where you are living. The temperature variations need to be considered.

For an alternative to septic, you could go compost toilet and/or outhouse, depending on whether outhouses are allowed where you are. As far as compost toilets go, you would need to find out if your area requires a certified toilet, or if you can make one (or convince the inspector the plans from permies are an acceptable alternative)
Certified compost toilets can be purchased used for very little, because no one wants to clean one (but it only takes a respirator, a pressure washer, and waterproof clothing, or, alternately, a whole season outdoors in the sun and rain.

I would want to look at the wall damage under the siding before deciding what to do with the walls. Is there insulation? Remove it. Are the inside walls damaged? Is there mold? Another possibility to excavating, especially if you are on boulders or thin top soil on granite (a reason to avoid a septic system in the first place) might be to eliminate all rot, and jack up the house, adding a new foundation, eliminating the need to go down???

The last thing I would worry about is the greenhouse. I have had various lean-to temporary "greenhouses" at times, against the south wall, using vapor barrier, pallets, and scrap roadside finds. It works, and they can be removed before mid Spring.

For rainwater collection, I am still at the barrels under the eves stage (no fancy plumbing in them either, just bail water or run a small portable pump.) I don't have engineering skills so a more advanced system hasn't happened yet. 20 years later. However I do have a well for drinking water, so I don't need to filter that rainwater.

So rather than plumbing, you could simply go with gravity fed, or use buckets. I've done both, but you don't have to fill the buckets if that's too heavy: half is fine. Sometimes simple is better.

If I were going to build the ultimate greenhouse, I would be visiting the permies vortex and looking at all their projects and take some time after you've made some personal decisions and sacrifices about what you really want to grow. Perhaps you can stick with seasonal extension, or maybe you really want the sense of peace that comes from sitting beside a breathing plant in the middle of winter.

You have an exciting journey ahead! Have fun with it and all the best! Take your time and start with the leaks!

Thanks so much for all your ideas!

I've been alone fixing my problems so just trying to help! I hope we can all give you some pointers. I really am concerned about the dampness in your walls. I got seriously ill from a rental with red mold in the wall back many decades ago

Gaia Poirier wrote:Due to septic issues, I am looking for an alternative to standard septic/plumbing so I can utilize grey water.  Also looking for a way to capture the rain and snow off of metal roof, and to excavate around the home which is built into the hillside and add a greenhouse with a retaining wall.  As it currently is designed moisture from the earth is seeping into the downstairs walls which also need windows for ventilation.

Wow , a lot of requests ...

Welcome to the forum!

We divert the water from our sinks and washer into a french drain that works to save our foundation.

We added gutters to our house and bought a black water tank from Tractor Supply.

Consider using a composting toilet and setting up a rain barrel system to start small.

Christine what I love about your low tech solution is that anyone can set up a rain barrel and bail water from it or pump it out, without having to get fancy with plumbing solutions
And
a room with a loo
Who could ask for more? Maybe a room with a loo, a view, a warm place have a smoke and preview the loo library, perhaps an insulated coffee carafe, somewhere to hang gloves, tuques,
The loo room makes the perfect back porch!

hi Gaia,
I think it would be helpful to know a bit about your limitations in order to tailor advice to your needs?

Sawdust toilets and rain water collection can take different levels of physical maintenance for example.

Might be good to use a dehumidifier in the basement for now.

We have always (until this home) had one kitchen sink designated 'no soap' and piped separately to the garden...it did take moving the hose around every few days but is a pretty low tech method to get started.