Jon Crossen

Putting up a 6x3 pole shed, and had access to a gum tree lot that is slowly being removed, so we felled some trees for the vertical sections. This was a couple of months ago. I am pretty new to building, and brand new to building something out of non-standard dimensions and untreated wood.

Do the poles need any special treatment? I couldn't find any real info online re: gum poles, but know some woods need specific curing techniques and time frames.

Phil Stevens wrote:Build a fire outside, heat some rocks, put them in a basket or bag and bring them inside? We've done this with a caravan and it's surprisingly effective as long as the space is small and well insulated.

Mmm, that's what I was thinking with the "dense thing (brick/rock)" in oven idea. Thanks :)

Hi there, I find myself living in one of those portable (via crane) office cabins over the winter. Its a temporary thing, and will be used again as an office next year.

My budget is tight, and as it'll be used as an office again next year I am wondering if there are any simple and cheap ways to get a little more heat inside it.

Its 18m2, very well insulated (50mm xps) - so it doesn't get too cold most of the time and thus I don't need much heat to take the edge off.

- A portable gas cabinet heater has appeal in price/temporary nature, but is off the cards for 1) safety 2) the amount of moisture gas creates (i also have a gas oven which is essentially the same thing with the same risks).
- diesel heaters are just about cheap enough, but I am not very keen to make permanent holes for the venting..
- my solar set up is pretty small. 12v, 560w panels, 270ah battery, so I don't thiiiiink an electric heater works.
- i am very short on time currently trying to get the farm set for spring so I can hopefully live somewhere more appropriate next winter!!

I figure permies might have some ideas to bump the temperature up a degree or two. I have wondered if i can use the oven to heat something with dense mass each night...

I was donated chiller panels - about 25m2 worth. 100mm xps panels.
We're starting a market garden. I have looked into building a proper chiller out of them but:
- they are about 50% of the insulation required for running something like a coolbot
- we don't have power (and don't anticipate having the necessary money to build a full solar set up for a while)
- I have investigated the costs of doing so, doubling the insulation up, and I wouldn't save much/any money vs buying a second hand unit, which will likely be built and designed better than I could anyway.

It won't be super ideal, but I was thinking of building an insulated room that could be placed in a shady spot for medium term storage of things like Pumpkins, Onions and Potatoes. As well as a seed storage room. However these veges that don't require the usual 0-4c storage range all have different ideal temperature ranges and humidity ranges (seeds want drier than veges, onions want cooler than pumpkins..).

I figure it wouldn't be too expensive to have a small solar powered ventilation unit.

Is it a waste of time? Or will I still have a useful-if-not-ideal storage space?

And if not, how would you go about it? Would you have other creative uses for the panels?

Burton Sparks wrote:Jon, I've read both, and I would agree that while you can get the basics from the Humanure Handbook, the Compost Toilet Handbook is more user friendly and goes into more detail.  It also covers management in more challenging situations and the application of and response to his design around the world.

Thanks Burton! That's great info. And I found that he has the Humanure Handbook free to read on the website, so if I buy one it'll be the Compost Toilet Handbook

https://slateroofwarehouse.com/Books/Joseph_Jenkins_Books/Compost_Toilet_Handbook

A non-amazon link, so we can support the author more than Bezos

Trace Oswald wrote:

Jon Crossen wrote:I was about to order the humanure handbook, as I may be living off grid next year.

I notice he's come out with another book called The Composting Toilet handbook. Does this cover more particular and useful info than the humanure handbook? I had understood the humanure handbook was largely about composting, but maybe it only gives an overview of the composting and design of a composting toilet?

I don't know anything about the new book, but I have the Humanure Handbook, and it has every detail you need to design, setup and use the system.

Edited to add, I found this in a reviewer's comments on Amazon:  "The text in Part One will feel *very* familiar to the HH 4th ed. The Compost Toilet Handbook is a more straightforward introduction to the humanure system than the more humorous, and more text- and detail-heavy HH4. If the HH4 gave you all the information you were hoping for, you probably don't need this book for yourself."  

HH means Humanure Handbook of course.  As he mentions, I found everything I needed to know in the Humanure Handbook.  

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I guess the composting toilet book is more of a direct manual.

I was about to order the humanure handbook, as I may be living off grid next year.

I notice he's come out with another book called The Composting Toilet handbook. Does this cover more particular and useful info than the humanure handbook? I had understood the humanure handbook was largely about composting, but maybe it only gives an overview of the composting and design of a composting toilet?

Firstly, I'm a gardener, and don't have a heap of building skills. I also don't have any short term realistic hopes of "owning" land. So a more permanent abode so this whole world is very foreign to me.

But I do want to start thinking about building myself a home. I am lucky that a few family members are talented builders, and would be helpful.

Because I am realistically not going to be settled on any permanent land for 10+ years, I want to build something moveable. I always imagined building a cob house one day - maybe if I ever actually "own" land.
I also want to build something modular - if I do ever cohabitate, I don't think I could live with a partner (or children!) in a bonafide tiny home, I would need to extend it.

The tiny home movement seems very... gentrified, influencer-fied. As does the off-grid movement. A lot of companies making this stuff seem to be doing it with toxic and wasteful materials.

Are there any good books, websites, other sources that cut through the bullshit? My income is meagre, so I imagine this being a long-term project with the help of my more skilled builder family members (Dad is retiring soon and would love to help).

My wants are likely a trifecta of competing interests - low impact, mobile, modular/expandable in future, and relatively affordable.

How do I start learning? This project will be minimum one year away, but I want to start getting my head around it.

Elena Brooks wrote:Wow! Thanks for this. I am in Ireland too. Have you shared this on Permaculture Ireland FB page?

Thanks Elena! I no longer live in Ireland - my time was cut short there by Covid sadly. I'm not much of a facebook user, but you'd be welcome to share on that page if you like

Lots of people doing great things in little hidden pockets or Ireland

Catie George wrote:I am celiac.

I started my own starter by placing a mix of flours (rice and teff were in it, don't recall what else) and water, and a bit of sugar if I recall,  near the fruit basket on the counter and waiting a few days for it to bubble . I have done it twice now - once it caught something weird while trying to start and I had to restart. I fed it mixed GF flour and water, and froze it for up to a year at a time between batches.

No experience with nut flours, but buckwheat and oats should both work well.

Have you tried injera? It's a wild fermented Ethiopian flat bread (it's kind of a spongy pancake), made exactly this way. Traditionally it's made from teff, but outside Ethiopia the cost of teff is prohibitive for Ethiopian families so they use a mix of other flours - rice is usually one. Injera is often the plate and cuttlery. It's delicious (as is all ethiopian food!)

I'd bet it makes a delicious european style bread too.