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Hobbit Home Progress.

Dave Lotte

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posted 4 months ago

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4 windows down, 1 more to go on that side of the house.

Now to trim them out and start on window wells.

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Dave Lotte

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posted 4 months ago

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To be able to continue backfilling up to the roof, i need to get these window wells installed.

People keep ask me .... why haven't you moved in yet

This is a perfect example of why it is taking so long ....

For each window :

1. - Cut out the plastic, drainage matting, Styrofoam and wareproofing blocking each window ( need to use a chainsaw )
1.5 - prime each window buck with primer and apply waterproofing.
2, - frame out each window with 3/4 inch plywood - priming the wood with waterproofing primer.
3. - apply the cloth reinforced bitumen membrane waterproofing around the entire new plywood window frame so it is tied into the side of the house ( no leaks anywhere ).
4. - apply aluminium trim over all sides of the waterproofed window frame - protecting it from the elements.
5. - cut and reinstall each side piece of 8 inch thick Styrofoam around the outside of the window, so that the R32 insulation is continuous right to the edge of the window.
6 - reinstall drainage matting.
7 - install exterior window well ( have not gotten this far as of yet. ) these are a different project all their own.

After an 8 hour weekend - all the new windows are in place, steps 1, 2 and 3 are complete. Onto the aluminium trim for all windows installed. ( # 4 ).

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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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Good weekend to get stuff done.

Aluminium trim installed on 3 windows, then cut and shaped R32 wall foam and reinserted around windows.
Trying out an idea of R32 window inserts for those really nasty days.
Big difference in amount of waste - by making the window inserts - last picture has waste from 1 window on left - waste from window with insert on right.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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Latest clover green roof pics.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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Little bit cool outside, so i thought i would test the window inserts - see if they make a difference....

53 degrees outside.
69 degrees in house.
Window without insert is 10 degrees cooler than the house, while the window with the insert is only 5 degrees cooler.
Going to have to see when its - 10 or -15 outside....

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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Time to start using up some sandbags !

For all those who are wondering why i need over 1,000 - 50 pound sandbags - stay tuned !

After getting the window trim and insualtion all figured out, time to put down the base plates for everything too sit on - properly compacted of course.

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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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After driving around this tree stump for the last year and a half, it has now moved up the priorty list to get dug up and moved.
Had to move it for window wells.
5 hours of digging, and its done !

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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August 25 to October 8 - bit more than a month makes a difference, and still growing.

Gotta backfill the walls and level out the edges - clover all the way to ground level....

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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 months ago

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After wrestling with the planks for this round door ( 8x8 square - 200 - 300 pounds each - before cutting rounds out ), going to need to rest for a few days....

Round door progress here : https://permies.com/t/263775/building-foot-door#2670743

Realized that the sky is the limit for this type of home, lots of references to choose from.
Originally, was going to put in just a plain simple fence out front, but then started to get creative ....
2 - 3D printed signs - Hopedully this will keep people off the roof when i hang them on the front gates 😁

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 2 months ago

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With the cooler weather here, time to switch to my inside plan.
Putting the floor in.
Everything has too be moved out, and sewer trenches dug in.
First thing, get these fragile Lord Of The Rings maps framed and hung up, safely out of the way.
Done and done. Steel drill bits left in the wall - should hold the maps up nicely.

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Jay Angler

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posted 2 months ago

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Nice to see you have your priorities right - no bathroom, but you've got artwork on the walls!

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Dave Lotte

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posted 2 months ago

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Jay Angler wrote:no bathroom, but you've got artwork on the walls!

😂😂😂 yup.

Workin on it.

Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 2 months ago

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One more little job to finish before the weather gets colder.

Removing the 8x8 wooden blocks on the roof that were used for measuring the dirt too 8 inch depth. Do not want them to rot and spoil things up there.

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
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Dave Lotte

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posted 2 months ago

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Still moving various building supplies out of the house to be able to put in the main floor.

Took a break and put the tree up ! 😁

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Still workin on it ....

Realized that for the first step of the floor install, i have to level the base with a bed of screed sand.
Last truckload of gravel has been cleaned up, and 11 tons of sand delivered in its place.
Now to dump the sand in through my dining room window 😁.
Get it inside before it freezes.

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John C Daley

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posted 1 month ago

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Why the sand?
Could you glue bricks to floor?

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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For those of you who are wondering ..... " is the Hobbit Home freezing yet

"

Short answer - not even close.

Holding at 51 F. degrees inside - dirt floor.
Outside dropped down to 29 F.
No inside heat source at all - just 2 ceiling fans moving air around.

Still hearing people ask if the concrete is going in on top of the dirt - to use " that ground heat ".
that is a definite NO !!
Again, many people have made this mistake by not insulating the floor of an earth sheltered home.
This takes away your ability to control the inside temperature and the floor will ALWAYS be trying to lower down to 40 degrees F.
Heating bill in the summer ? No thank you. This puppy is getting at least 8 inches under the floor.

Then i can see how much it will take too keep it at 72 F, with no A/C needed in the summer.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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John C Daley wrote:Why the sand?
Could you glue bricks to floor?

Rough gravel base, needs to be leveled and flattened for the proceeding flooring layers.
Compacted sand.

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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Over ten tons of sand moved into the house.

Made up a wooden frame to protect my new window sills - then attached a ramp to carry the sand. Moved the floor plastic sheet out of the way- then laid a sheet of plastic against the wall to keep it dry.

With the 4 x 4 window open for 7 hours the house dropped down to 48 F. Closed it back up, turned on the torpedo heater till it hit 60 F - then went in and crashed.

Now to get it spread out and compacted - then i can dig the trenches for the sewer / water / hydro lines.

I'm done for the weekend. Will update on the interior temps, now that i have a ten ton ice cube in the corner 😆

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
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Jay Angler

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posted 1 month ago

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Ping! Did you get the big snow dump that some areas of Ontario got? I have a cousin who got 140 cm and not power since Friday, but my sister got nothing but flurries.

Is your roof up for that, or will you need to snowblow it off?

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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Jay Angler wrote:Is your roof up for that, or will you need to snowblow it off?

Called the engineer, and asked him - just what "EXACTLY" is this roof engineered for ?
It has been a while since he has done the plans, but, he thinks he engineered it for 16 inches of top soil. - assuming of course that includes snow loading ... etc....

Should be good for a while yet 😁

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18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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For all my followers who are still wondering what the heck screeding is - here ya go.

Limiting myself to a few hours - back to work on Monday.
Finished setting and leveling the guide boards even with the base of the 8 inch concrete footings on either side, and then filled and leveled with sand for a nice smooth floor surface.
Screeding as i go.
Now to wet it down and run a plate compactor over it - adding more sand as needed - for a firm hard floor surface - a continuous 8 inches deep - in which to build the floor of my new house on top of.
This is layer 1 of 7.
Clear as mud ? 😉

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Warmer weather is coming.... calling for rain.

Only heating the building when i go out to work on it, not bad for no full time heating source inside.

Beams are still straight and level inside.

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Hans Quistorff

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Location: Longbranch, WA Mild wet winter dry climate change now hot summer

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posted 1 month ago

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Clear as mud ? 😉

only if you wet it down too much.
If I understand it, you are creating a stable layer to hold the things that go under the floor and hold the floor stable above them.
"wondering what the heck screeding is " " the smoothing of any pliable material into a flat, smooth, and level layer." for those who do not know.

Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT projects on permies Hans Massage Qberry Farm magnet therapy gmail hquistorff

Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Christmas present came early this year.

15 F outside.

A variety of things needed to be checked with this, including - overheating fan, overheating power bar / timer, brakes on my car, wiring, fuses, seals on fridge - heat loss - new house and old house.... lots of items.

Brakes need to be done, fan and powerbar are in the garbage.

Have to be careful though, as it shows heat prints from a reflection in a mirror !
When the new ceiling is all one colour - your doing good !

There is a CEN - center point reading ( white dot )
There is a MAX - reading ( red dot )
There is a MIN - reading ( blue dot )

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Another 300 sq. ft. Leveled.

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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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That made a dent in the sand pile. Leveled with the 4 points on the footings, filled and screed.

Going to have to order another 5 ton of sand.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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11 tons of sand pretty much used up ( before and after pic for ya )
Another 7 ton ordered and delivered- before the Christmas shut down.
Hopefully finish the back bedrooms and back porch.

Now to get it into the house before it freezes.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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Thursday - moved almsot all of the sand into the house. Is it just me or does 7 tons look alot like 11 tons ?
The daylight window is the 7 ton load while the dark window is the 11 ton,

Spoiler - the 7 ton load is sitting ON TOP of whatever is left of the first load so it sits higher.

Hurting all over today - time to take a couple of rest days.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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These pictures sum up the thermal mass of the hobbit home nicely.

-15 degrees last night and the entire house dropped 1 degree Fahrenheit. ( Good thing the sand is inside now ! )
No heat, just 2 ceiling fans.

Took the thermal imaging camera out and pointed it straight at a blank wall in the Hobbit Home.

Keeping in mind, i have close to 200 feet of concrete wall - 8 inches thick - 8 feet tall that is sitting at a steady 44 degrees F.
If I go out and fire up every heater i own, ( about 110,00 B.T.U's worth) for a solid hour - the inside temp will sit around 61 Fahrenheit - no higher. Once i turn everything off, within a few hours - it drops back down to 50 degrees. The walls ( and the floor ) just soak up the heat energy....
It takes alot of energy to heat up or cool down this much SOLID MASS.
It will be very interesting to see what happens this summer !
32 C outside and the hobbit home will still be (44 F ) 7 degrees C. ?

Edit : turned on the dehumidifier to heat the Hobbit Home. Once it cools off - it will stay there till summer !

COOL ! 😂😂

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 1 month ago

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The plate compactor has arrived !

Damn, it makes a difference. Instead of the rough uneven gravel that i had before the sand, or the soft squishy sand that i have in spots now, it is a nice hard packed , flat surface.
Can hardly wait to get the finished floor in now ! A sign of things to come !

For those of you who are worried about me running a gas powered machine inside an enclosed room - problem solved ! Made up an engine box fume extractor.
Had to break out my old central vaccuming hose, and with a bit of help from an amazon box that just arrived ( stainless steel cat litter box anyone ?😁) and is exactly the size i needed - box goes over the engine guard on the compactor - set the little shop vac outside, run the hose to the machine, and suck out all the nasty exhaust fumes.

The hose does get a bit warm from the heat of the engine, so every 30 minutes or so i take a break and shut off the compactor - keeping the vaccum on - letting the house air cool things down as its sucked through the pipe and out the window.

Stopped compacting when i started to hit dry sand patches - almost all of the sand is damp from the moisture under the plastic - going to have to find a flower watering can from somewhere....

Next up - find a watering can - reinstalling the screeding boards and start filling and leveling it to its finished level, then its onto the next step !

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 4 weeks ago

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In the process of leveling the sand bed for the floor, thought i would take a page from the concrete handbook.
Ever wonder how they dig a 50 foot X 75 foot hole - 5 feet deep too the inch ? - and then install footing forms - within 1/8 of an inch ALL the way across ? 18 months ago, i watched and learned ....

Set up a laser level, and use a stick. 😁
By lining the light from the level up with the center mark on the stick, i know that the floor is going to be completely level.

Cool !

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Back porch is done !

3 pictures of each - 1 before - 1 after screeding - 1 after soaking with the garden hose and compacting.
Entire floor is withing 1/4 of an inch - good enough for me.
Time to get the garden hose into the main room and finish that off.

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Some of you may wonder, what am i going to do with the extra sand .... ?

Well they're back !! 😂 ...... 😭

With almost all of the floor screed and leveled except for the dining room corner, time to use up the last of the sand pile and get it out of the way.

Sand bags are back ! Filled 45 bags, another 50 or 100 should clean up the rest of the pile, so i can level the floor. Come spring, i can load up the power wheelbarrow and move them outside.

Baby steps...

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Build it because they say you can't.
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Dave Lotte

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posted 3 weeks ago

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3 weeks of vacation finished, and with just over 50 hours invested in the Hobbit home, happy with what was accomplished.

Moved out a bunch of stuff, added some brighter lighting, 90 percent of the floor is leveled to within 1/4 inch AND with a last bit of effort last night, managed to get another 51 sand bags filled (not tied or stacked yet though ). Almost 100 - 50 pound bags filled in 2 days.

Time for a weekend off - if i sit real still, it does not feel like my arms are falling off 😁

That pile is definitely getting smaller. Time to start looking for a plumber !

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

Dave Lotte

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Location: Ontario Canada

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Wikipedia....

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

Dave Lotte

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Location: Ontario Canada

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posted 2 weeks ago

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Cold weather update ! 4 degrees F ( -15.5 C outside. - 10 C all week )
Dehumidifier plugged in 24 / 7, and the Hobbit Home is holding at 46.7 F. ( 8.1 C ). 50 % humidity.
With only a gravel floor, the center span is over 11 feet high - 8 foot perimeter walls - 1,500 sqf.

Yes, the main room of the old house is 67 F @ only 8 % humidity - which is why i am building !

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

Dave Lotte

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Location: Ontario Canada

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posted 1 week ago

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For the number crunchers out there.

Plugged in my Kill-a-watt meter - in line with the dehumidifier. Turns out that it uses about 9 KWH per day - keeping the house at 50 % humidity and keeping it warm at the same time.

1 KWH is worth 3,412 BTU.
Divided over 24 hours, and it takes 1,280 BTU per hour to keep up with the buildings heat loss.
9 x 30 days = 270 KWH.
In comparison - my 3 ton heat pump use 1 Megawatt a month in the winter time, heating the old house.

Oh, ya...

Posting this uodate, so once the floor is insulated, we can re-check.

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

Dave Lotte

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Posts: 381

Location: Ontario Canada

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posted 1 week ago

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Still working on installing the floor inside the house, but need to move this extra sand out of the corner.

All bagged up, and i can see the footing now ! Over 180 sandbags filled - bit more than expected 😁.

Talk about "painting " yourself into a corner ....

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

Dave Lotte

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Posts: 381

Location: Ontario Canada

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posted 1 week ago

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Now that i know just how much power the dehumidifier is taking to heat / dry the Hobbit Home, bit concerned about the hydro bill.

Realized, the house should not have to be heated at all. I am trying to heat the dirt up from its natural 40 F

So now begins the the real test. No heat at all - how low will it go. 32 F is freezing, and of course will have to monitor the footings for cold spots.

Here is what i have so far. The red dots help put em in order. 1 degree a day - 13 F outside.

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Build it because they say you can't.
18 different architect's that said " you can't do that "
Google " undergroundandlovinit "

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