paid job on lab / build infrastructure on deep roots spots

I would like to guage interest in an idea.

I suspect that there are people out there with experience in building things that would like to come here if only they had a paying job. It doesn't even have to pay much.

And I suspect that there are people out there that are interested in a deep roots package complete with a wofati and some hugelkultur gardens - and they are willing to pay more for something like that than bare land.

There is a lot of interest in tiny houses. I wonder what somebody might charge to put in a 10x10 wofati. Pretty basic. People could think of it as a tiny house for permanent living, or as a bug out location, or as a place to go and commune with nature. I also wonder what somebody might charge to pop over and put in a hundred feet of hugelkultur, six feet tall, seeded and mulched.

Some deep rooters might be interest in having someone cut/limb/drag/stack trees for a future WOFATI.
What part of the year would be best for this task?
Is it better to work/build with green trees or ones that have seasoned for a few years?
Approximate number of trees it took to build the 400 sq foot wofati?

give a thumbs up on this post if you think that some day you would live on the lab and BUILD things for people for a price.

Give a thumbs up on this post if you think that some day you would have a chunk of deep roots or shallow roots and you would PAY to have somebody build stuff on your patch.

I think this is a good time for folks to list stuff that they might build for how much. And this would be a good time for folks to list stuff they might like to have built and for how much.

Around here (Northern Michigan) we have a lot of summer homes, and cottages that are in an "association". Many of these "associations" have a live in care-taker/matinence person/all around do it all type person. They are provided with a house for their family to live in all year round and paid a salary. I wonder if this type of thing may work for your situation? That may provide a peace of mind for deep roots people who only visit their parcel once every few months? As well as open up many other opportunities.

Just putting it out there- I fall under the category of a.) having not yet found my entrepreneurial niche and working toward it to be able to be a contributing member of the Lab community through writing/building rocketmassheater shippable cores/whatever else b.) am working toward establishing connections with the Lab through a 'GAPer' opportunity and working toward establishing shallow a/o deep roots through time, $ and sweat equity, c.) am moderately skilled in many areas and would like to hone and polish skills through work-trade, at the Lab and also out here in the urban jungle. Grateful for this thread, it's helpful to weigh different possibilities and see how to craft a path that works... VIVA LA EMPIRE!

How soon will the job positions for the lab be available to apply for? What level of experience is expected for working at the lab? Would the job be short-term, seasonal, long-term? I ask these questions because I have about a year to graduate from high school and then four years after that to complete a B.S. in college. I am very interested in learning and gaining as much experience as I possibly can about permaculture and giving back to the community.

My husband and I would love to come out and live and work in the lab, we've often talked about wanting to come out there and work, but would need to be able to continue to save to reach our own goals. He comes from a farming background and is very familiar with tools and basic construction. My passion is definitely natural building, and I have little experience, but can swing an ax and have a brain like a damn sponge.

Loved the hugelkultur workshop, we're going to cut out of work to come out there and help as much as our finances will allow.

I think i am in both build and have built. I could build hugels and help with building lots of things but wouldnt be able to just myself. So if i was going to it would have to be figured out between me and whoever else wants to do build-for-people-paid-for that can do the other things i cant do but could help with.

Like say... four people and i can do hugels, we work out from the persons spot the cost and we split the pay... six people can do all the main moving and building for a wofati but five others and i can be runners and handers and holders etc.

Or on the other hand someone might be able to do all of one persons.hugels on their own and get all the pay.

Is this along the lines of what you were thinkin?
I dont know what prices it would be for things..

In experience there are many good ways to get stuff built in a community that supports each other that are mutually beneficial and result in a deeper relationship with each other, a level of interdependence that makes people invest more than time and energy. The two that I have been part of are alive and well in many small communities in the US and internationally.

The 1st has its roots in our pre-wage earning job era where resources were often scarce and people NEEDED to rely on each other not just because without the help of others you could not get big projects completed, but also because you cared about the others around you and often had similar goals. No surprise this is the arrangement that is commonly called the Amish Barn Raising scenario. In this scenario no one gets a financial payment of any kind. They are there to help knowing that when they need help the others will be there to lend strong arms and backs to the task.

The 2nd is the model is a modified general contractor model where a group of community folks gather at the call of the prospective "homeowner" (used loosely as I think that these would all be Paul's when folks leave) where this person would detail what they want and will pay based on either hourly wage or completed task (i.e. I'll pay you 9 bucks an hour to help build this, or I'll pay you $300 to complete this wall) then the skilled individual organizes the work and pays "subcontractors or labourers" to do the general building under the guidance of the contractor. The modification comes where these labourers are neighbours/community members and though money changes hands to "compensate" them for their work they also have a level of interest in the outcome for their neighbour.

By far, I prefer the 1st, mainly because it builds community in a way that money changing hands does not.

Just to toss out there, once the structures are done for everyone in the group they could shift to wage structure for new people joining until they "buy in" by shedding blood, sweat and tears for their neighbours as well, or they group could then build and charge a set fee as a revenue stream like what Paul talked about earlier.

As to how both models have worked "for me". I have far more experience doing the first model.

What I have put in over the years: I have helped build six houses, many extensions, sheds, barns and fences, as well as collected many tonnes of firewood and hunted and shared loads of meat and fish.

What I have received: 100% free labour on one 16x32 extension, five house renovations (including labour and sign off of permits by electricians, plumbers, and both rough and finish carpenters), a few fences, a couple of sheds and I rarely ever ran out of meat or fish, or firewood. I also had the benefit of many fine people that I now call brothers and sisters by choice to share food and drink with after helping each other. As an additional benefit, when other people had seen the work that we did for each other that were on the "fringe" as acquaintances of the folk that I helped I got paid work. For example, I built many a deck, wall, shed or whatever for people who saw things that I'd built and wanted to then pay me to to that for them.

Just my two cents...

kadence blevins wrote:I think i am in both build and have built. I could build hugels and help with building lots of things but wouldnt be able to just myself. So if i was going to it would have to be figured out between me and whoever else wants to do build-for-people-paid-for that can do the other things i cant do but could help with.

Like say... four people and i can do hugels, we work out from the persons spot the cost and we split the pay... six people can do all the main moving and building for a wofati but five others and i can be runners and handers and holders etc.

Or on the other hand someone might be able to do all of one persons.hugels on their own and get all the pay.

Is this along the lines of what you were thinkin?
I dont know what prices it would be for things..

For this I would estimate an hourly wage and base the total on how long it has taken you to build something similar and negotiate it with all involved and either give a set cost for the finished product or have them agree to an hourly wage....possibly with a topped out cost.

paul wheaton wrote:I think this is a good time for folks to list stuff that they might build for how much.   And this would be a good time for folks to list stuff they might like to have built and for how much.

I don't know if this is still a thing, but here's my list:


Things I might build or put in for money:

Hugelkultur mounds
Cob ovens
Cob or wattle & daub houses
Outdoor cooking areas (cob based and canopied)
Mosaic courtyards
Dry stone walled bases for things
Dry stone walls
Pottery kilns (simple earth based wood fired ones)
Orchards


Things I might raise or make for money:

Vegetables and fruit
Sheep and their resultant products (meat, wool, milk, cheese)
Simple pottery home implements and roof tiles, made from native clay and woodfired
Spun yarn from wool
Knitted or crocheted items from that yarn (socks, hats, scarves, mittens, blankets)
Flax and its subproducts (linen, flaxseed) - assuming such would grow in Montana, perhaps making use of a microclimate within the Lab


Things I might purchase from people at the Lab:

Electrical wiring capability
Heavy woodworking capability (timber frame construction is as yet beyond me because I am short and have no practice)
Leather tanning
Mechanical repairs of all types
Child care
Forged metal items


These are the short lists.