Mike Oehler

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since Jan 03, 2009
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Recent posts by Mike Oehler

Polyethelene is a pretty effective vapor shield. Shed roof houses vent marvelously on their own, -- MO
12 years ago
My thoughts are entirely supportive, though I might incline more towards earth tubes. -- MO
12 years ago






















































Ahh, hey Kari, I'd have to study your problem for weeks, and I don't even know where you're talking about. North pole?














awe
12 years ago
umm, Gail, tell you what. I've told that story so many times i think I've worn it out. But it's a favorite of mine. Tell you what, I'm setting up a blog and if it seems likely a proper subject there I'll tell it then, okay? Peace, MO
12 years ago
Underground has always been the preferred choice for tornado sheltering in the Midwest, Sylvia, because the work wonderfully and are inexpensive.We design and build with an abundance of windows but you can buy or build hurricane shutters Build on a slope for water drainage away from the house and follow the advice in the books and videos as per mounding earth in a V above the uphill patio, using french drains, etc. You can also drain off on a sidehill patio. Start small and see what works for you. -- MO
12 years ago
All the more reason for taking special care when putting the roof down in the first place. Watch workers like a hawk that they dont cut the polyethylene with shovels, rakes (NEVER move earth around on the roof with the tines down on a rake). I'm now recommending EPDM (artificial rubber) for the first (bottom)layer on the roof. The polyethylene on the origonial $50 house has never leaked through, incidentally. It has leaked where I improperly (no glue) joined that poly with the poly on the $500 addition. Also where the poly surfaced at the extreme upper edge of the roof (needed capping) and where the girder extended into uphill patio (draped poly over that extention to keep water from dribbling down it into house.) Other than these and taking earth off and redoing I can only suggest a top layer of poly or metal roofing and use it to catch water for a cistern. (Devon Olsen, what does sub'd mean?)-- MO
12 years ago
I invested about $400 thirty years ago in such a devise that was used a lot in S America. It was called a CINVA Ram. Learned about it in one of the Whole Earth Cataloges. Made some bricks but they crumbled easily. Tried adding portland cement. still crumbled. came to find my soil had almost no clay. Hadn't added any straw either. If you do get a mixture that works either use it for interior walls or look up in Rob Roy's books about the plaster with fiberglas in it for the inside of exterior walls to keep the earth pressure from pushing them in. or use a vertical crawl space. -- MO
12 years ago
Kat, Gail Moore's answer is exactly what I would have told you. (Thank you Gail!!)

Are you possibly related to authors Ken and Barbara Kern, Kat? -- MO
12 years ago
Hi Suki,

You've asked a bunch of questions that I can't possibly answer here. But I will do one: What I'd do differently is when and if I use the charred post/garbagebag method again I will get a roof over it as quickly as possible and/or drap polyethlene so that water can not run down the post and be captured, saturating and rotting the wood. I hope to do a book on the ridge house and will explain all this there.
12 years ago
I'm an experienced homesteader/permaculturist, Cecile, near Spokane. If phoning outside the US my # is 208 267-7349, inside 800 328-8790. Love and good vibes to you, too.
-- Mike Oehler
14 years ago