porta-cabin - love shack

The mini clay pot heater works off of candle power. I used one years ago to take the chill off a small office I had out in the barn. They won't heat a large space, but they will make a cold small room comfortable to be in. If my office had had insulated walls and ceiling, it would have been even warmer.

My clay pot heater had 3, or was it 4, pots nested inside one another. There was a bolt running down through the pots' center hole and spacers that kept the pots separated by about 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and the nut & bolt held the contraption together. I didn't make the thing, so I'm not exactly sure of the spacing. The outmost pot had little legs that held it up above table level, and they fit inside of a larger diameter ceramic saucer.

To operate it, i lifted the pots and placed a candle on the center of the saucer. Then lit the candle, then replaced the pots atop the lit candle. It took several minutes before it started giving out heat, I guess because it was heating all those nested pots. But once it started putting out warmth, it felt nice.

A candle by itself sends it's heat to the ceiling. But when it heats those nested clay pots, it radiates into the room space. I don't know how came up with the idea, but it's nifty.

I've enjoyed a few days in The Love Shack and am having Permaculture Design fantasies about the sanctuary this spot will become!

Love Shack spiffication.

Peter van den Berg's "Minnie Mouse" rocket mass heater was moved into the love shack.   And along the way, Peter gave it a significant upgrade:

The Love Shack

Love Shack in December ❄️🌨❄️

We've torn the Love Shack apart for some much needed improvements.

- Added a window
- Added multiple corner braces in the framing for support
- Attached a loose wall frame to the flooring
- Added house wrap to the exterior
- Added horizontal braces to the attic area to enclose it for more warmth retention and critter prevention
- Lapped the exterior siding

More to come...

Here's a reveal video of the remodeled Love Shack, thanks to Matthew Stone (Check out his Bootcamp thread here!)

I love this design so much --

If I was building one for myself, I'd probably only have one bed up in the loft, and a desk underneath.

Maybe a little shelf/table like the in the previous design next to the RMH , with a few layers of shelves for tea / jars of nuts/ dried fruit and a seed collection, a few books, and some art supplies.

Really love the 'minnie mouse' RMH, so smart to line the inner vessel with bricks!