warm tipi living

the tipi post was exciting for my wife and i. we lived in a 30foot insulated tipi w/attached solar greenhouse back about 1981 right after we met. we built it in the ozarks north of willow springs, mo. we had an article in the old mother earth news (on the cover even). it had three "stories". we used a regular wood stove in those days. i remember one nite it was 20 below zero w/ no wind, but i was barefooted in the tipi and very comfortable. those were the good ole days. wish we'd have had a rocket then. michael c.

Michael I have been thinking about attached greenhouses the past week, and from what I gather they can generate a ton of heat for use in the structure. Was your greenhouse made of glass? Did you have a lot of things to hold the heat overnight or did it get cold in there on winter nights?

zach, it's been 30plus years, but yes it was four pieces of glass from a sliding glass door company for real cheap (30year ago prices 5dol each as i recall). not a big greenhouse, but plants never died all winter with 2 each 55gal drums of water and a bunch of plastic gal milk jugs. we were amazed at how well it worked. the greenhouse was completely open to the first floor of the tipi. check the old mens for details. 81 or 82 our tipi on the cover. the best house we ever lived in cool in hot summers and very warm in cold winters. days long ago. i can't say how much the greenhouse added to the tipi heat, but as i say the plants never died so it stayed reasonably "warm".