Split Rail Fence

It's that time of year again. Time to clean up the dead fall of winter. Here's a forty foot elm that I was able to cut into three 12 foot lengths.

Once cut into lengths I split them into halves and some larger halves into quarters.

These are the kind of rails Abe Lincoln spent his youth splitting. 

This kind of fence was very common at one time. It's easy to assemble, easy to move and easy to re-purpose if you run low on firewood or rough lumber. Ours won't keep anything in or out, just give hunters a heads-up when crossing our property lines.

The rails are stacked one on top of another in a zig-zag pattern to help with stability. Typically the rails are between 10 and 12 feet long, the ends are overlapped to make the distance between 'points" roughly eight feet. The distance between the zigs or zags is an old measurement called a rod (roughly 16 feet). Old farms used to measure out acreage using rods and these fences helped people estimate the size of their fields.

Earthships

This month I am very pleased to be able to share Earthships. Chris Reynolds was kind enough to send me the following information and give me permission to pass it along here at the House of Fallen Timbers. The photographs are from Wikimedia Commons.


Regardless of whether you're thinking of building a new structure or retrofitting an existing one, the Earthship concept can be designed and adapted to accommodate all climates and situations. The goal of our company is to help you to make your home or building project more energy efficient. We believe in housing that works for people, rather than the other way around. It's our hope that life in an energy efficient home will encourage a more balanced lifestyle that involves less financial stress due to high utility bills. Although the classic Earthship is one that is built primarily out of recycled materials, such as automobile tires, aluminum cans, glass bottles, scrap metal from discarded appliances, etc., the function of an Earthship is not determined by the use of those specific items. Thermal mass, for example can be achieved through concrete, stone, rammed earth, etc. We just find that the simplicity and value of free scrap tires to be a great way to produce what is basically a rammed earth wall without the cost of forms.

You can still have an thermally efficient building as long as you incorporate thermal mass into the walls and floors of the building. Using what is easily available to you is a good idea, and depending on your local climate, you might adjust the amount of solar gain, building orientation, etc. We do implement a water catch systems in most Earthships, but again, if you have easy or existing access to fresh water, and you don't have to get creative with 10 inches of precipitation per year like we do here in the high mountain desert of New Mexico, you don't necessarily have to incorporate this feature into your Earthship. If you have abundant wind, you can augment photovoltaic (solar panels) generated electricity with windmills. The point is, the Earthship is made up of many systems and features that can be incorporated into your design based on your individual needs and tastes.

Some people are intimidated by the idea of pounding dirt into tires. Like everything, a little practice goes a long way. It's more technique than brute strength. The tire walls for an average 2 bedroom home will usually not take longer than 2 weeks to complete with a moderate crew of 6 people. We published Earthship, Volumes I, II and III with the intention of helping people build their own sustainable homes. Many people have done this, and we receive photographs and stories from do-it-yourselfers all over the world.

If you are ready to begin planning your project, the first step would be to contact us regarding the design. What size home, how many rooms, bedrooms, baths, etc. If you have land and funding and can get permission to build in your desired area, you are ready to go forward. With a $1,500 down payment on drawings, we can begin. We have many designs to choose from. The more affordable, Packaged Earthship has a plan book available through the web-site @ www.earthship.com/books as well as a Packaged Earthship Detail Book that takes you through the entire building process of this design.

Approximate square foot cost for a Global Model Earthship, which is our most current design that incorporates the newer double greenhouse feature, is $215/per SF. This price includes all labor, all materials, and all systems. This price is comparable to mid-range conventional housing, but the future utility bills are much less than conventional homes. Please note that this is a turnkey price, that is, a home that is ready to move into and fully functional. If you are looking for ways to build more economically, personally contributing to the labor that goes into building your home can lessen square foot costs. Also, our company does fairly expensive finishes, stone and tile floors, tile baths, all handmade doors and cabinetry, and many custom details. You can choose to do simple concrete slab floors, for example, or purchase manufactured doors and cabinetry, to bring costs down.

If you wish to hire outside help to build for you, we have a skilled crew that goes to any location in the world and builds Earthships. We also enlist the use of Earthship volunteers in these builds. Generally, the size of the crew, with volunteers is between 40 and 50 people. This large work force, and the pre-fabrication and shipping of components allow us to complete a home in 4-6 weeks depending on the size of the building. These buildings can be totally off-grid, having photovoltaic electric systems, catch water systems, and a thermal mass structure that requires no (or very little) back up heat or cooling.

We have very economical standardized building plans available for several time tested models. These plans can be customized @ $200/hr. At present, the price for the plans for the 1, 2, and 3 bedroom Global models are $6000, $7000 and $8000 respectively. Building plans for the Package Earthship and other more economical models are available as well for comparable prices. In comparison, standard drawing fees for architectural drawings generally run from 8-15% of the total cost of the home.

The Earthship has been developed over the last 45 years, and is a very sophisticated and finely tuned sustainable building. Our crew builds these homes year after year, and they have evolved according to feedback from clients, and our own observations. We have built them all over the world, in all types of climates and conditions.

We are currently in the planning stages for upcoming projects in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and New York City, among others.

For more information, you might be interested in any of the following:

EBook available from amazon.com "Earthship, I want one" - $4.99
Michael Reynolds books, videos, etc. - Available online @ www.earthship.com
Earthship Academy - Hands on and educational instruction in building your own Earthship
Intern program, Taos, NM - One month working with Earthship crew Volunteer program 1 week-6 weeks working on current builds in US and internationally
Spring, summer & fall seminars - 3 day course that includes classroom instruction and hands on experience

Please visit our website for information on any of these programs, or to purchase any of our books and videos. We also offer nightly rentals in newer Earthships in our Greater World Subdivision in Taos, New Mexico. To book a night in an Earthship, or to inquire about the seminars, intern program, etc., you can email us @ reception@earthship.com.

Mr. Reynolds is available for in person or phone/skype consultation @$250/hr or $125/per 1/2 hour session to answer any technical questions. When you are ready to go forward with designing your Earthship, or if you would like to get on the build calendar to have Earthship Biotecture build for you, I would recommend this as a first step in defining your project.

Relaxshacks.com

I recently wrote a guest post for Derek Diedricksen of Relaxshacks.com who has a new book!

I am proud as punch to say that the banner photo from the House of Fallen Timbers is featured in Derek's new "Triple-Caffeinated EXPANDED EDITION." Available for pre-order now, first copies will ship on February 1st. Congratulations Derek! 

Thank you so much for including me in this super cool  project.

Fun With Pallets

I salavaged a pile of shipping pallets not knowing exactly what I would do with them. I just wanted to keep them out of the landfill. About six hours later I had a new table/bunk bed for the cabin!

It's six feet long and four feet wide. I cut sections of wood from the pallets because the nails used to  build them were impossible to pull without tearing up the wood. It has eight legs and is solid as a rock. To late to carve a Thanksgiving turkey on it but I'm looking forward to the next chance for a cookout!

Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

My mother picked this up off the curb outside a home that was being cleaned out to be sold. Its an old Dutch Oven. It has three small legs and a rounded bottom. It is perfect for hanging over a camp fire. 

You guessed it, someone had used it as a planter. Can't really blame them. These old ovens were used on coal fired or wood burning stoves. The rounded bottom fit in the open burner hole and the three little legs kept it from moving around. The same qualities that made it perfect for those old stove tops make it pretty useless on a modern one.

After an hour or so with a wire brush on a power drill it started to shine again. Of course the great thing about cast iron cookware is it's non-stick characteristics. In order to get it ship shape again it needs to be seasoned. Once I got the rust off I coated it with peanut oil and baked it in a 450 degree oven for an hour.

Presto! Its ready for a batch of sliced onions and bratwurst, the real seasoning won't begin until it has soaked up a healthy dose of animal fat. I did a little painting inside the cabin to help showcase my swanky new piece of cookware. Painted the heat shield with some high-temp XO-Rust.

Happy Holidays!

Gussy it Up!

A friend from the Forestry Forum asked me to post some photos of the interior so of course I had to gussy it up first.

Here is the Kitchen (So to speak). I decorated it with a map of my Hoosier home, my grill gear, a jug and mugs I made when I was a student at Vincennes University. The hand crank Ice Cream maker will see some action when the snow flies. Oh ... did I forget to mention the Perfection Oil Heater!

This thing is a beauty. My Grandmother's cousin, Orpha Wickersham, gave it to my cousin before she died in 1989. He saw the blog and asked me if I wanted it. It had been sitting in his shed unused for years. She was a homesteader in Wyoming. She taught school in a one room school house and I remember her telling stories about getting to school before the kids so she could warm the place up. This is very likely the same oil heater she used. While I was cleaning it I found a date of 1925 on the wick cap. The brochure linked above is dated 1920 something and has a picture of it on page 4. It still works like a champ and you can still buy wicks for it. It is one of the simplest machines I have ever seen. And you can boil water on the top in a pinch.

In the living area I give a "Tip-O-The-Hat" to the first European settlers of the Wabash Valley. For those of you who aren't familiar with Illinois history, it might be of interest to know that this area was once part of the French colony of Canada. Along with the fluier de leis flag there is a set of wrought iron chairs, purchased in Paris and sent to Granny Hawkins by her son Daniel. I have a dandy kerosene lamp from my mother and if you look closely at the shelf in the top center of the picture you'll see a Beaver skull. Our intrepid Husky found the skull along the river trails one morning last winter. The beaver are not only the reason the French colonized the Illinois Country, they also are responsible for killing several of the Hackberry trees I used to build the cabin.

Finally we have the washroom complete with basin, bucket and washboard. My sister gave me the washboard. She found it in the garage of her first home in New Albany Indiana. As you can see I still have a lot of work to do on sealing up the walls but I'll be warm, clean and well fed while I work on them. 

Bonne nuit les amis!

Tacking down the floor

Got an early start Saturday morning and spooked a doe with her fawn. I had my camera with me but the mama deer was so distressed I just passed by as quietly as possible. The little fawn was hunkered down in the grass trying to hide while the doe stomped and circled trying to decide if she should run from me or take me down. Nice reminder of how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place. Anyway, I started the day by stripping the cabin down to the floor and squaring up the decking as best as possible. Then I tacked down the boards with 16 penny nails. This is what happens to cheap fiberglass handled hammers when used to drive big nails through hardwood!

Once I secured the floor to the joists I lag bolted the short sill log to the decking to keep it from sliding around.

About eight hours later I had eight new notches cut and joined. I tried using a long groove cut on the first course above the sill and it did make a nice snug fit but pulling two angled cuts for six feet was really tough. On the remaining front side logs I pulled long straight cuts to flatten the sides that stack on each other. The back and front walls are tight but the sides have large gaps between courses. I'm thinking I will put small 3" diameter logs into those gaps just wedged and toe nailed in before chinking.

Ended the day burning the slash pile and roasting some pork chops over the fire. I was treated to a serenade of coyote howls and the familiar "Who Cooks For You" hoot of the Barred Owls.

Cutting the decking

Time to start cutting the old bridge decking down to size. I'm five weekends into this project now and finally starting to see some results.

The footprint of the cabin will be 12'x12' with the enclosure only 8'x10'. The front three feet will make a small porch.

About now I'm thinking maybe I'll hoist a sail on this bad boy and ride it down the river!

Stacked the logs back up to keep them off the ground over the coming week. We have predictions for rain on four of the next five days.

Foundation and Joists

The foundation is made from three logs set right on the ground. The two outside logs are an old utility pole left on the property by the power company. It is kiln dried and creosote soaked to prevent rot. It has been on the ground for over eight years and still no noticeable signs of rot so I think it will work fine for the cabin. The center log is one of the dead Elms and will rot fast in contact with the ground so I painted it with some left over oil based wood treatment/stain that the previous owner of the property left in the basement.

In order to hang the joists I had to make plunge cuts in the two outside logs. I was not looking forward to plunging a running chainsaw tip into a log but I got the hang of it.

 

Once the two vertical cuts and the bottom plunge cut are made you just set a hatchet on top whack it with the backside of an axe and POP the wedge comes right out. Pretty cool.

On the center log I made saddle notches to carry the joists. I'm going to have to cut about a thousand of these before its over so this was good practice. 

Joists are hung!

Flooring

My neighbor had torn down an old bridge that spanned a pond on his property and stacked the decking up along a fence row. I noticed this decking looked like old locally milled hardwood and asked him if I could salvage it to build a floor with. He told me to "Knock myself out"... so I did.

The wood was wet and covered in mud so I scraped it off with a sharpened spud hoe and stacked it up to dry. The spud hoe makes a great log peeling tool as well. 

It took most of one weekend to haul the decking to the site, scrape it clean and stack it up to dry.