Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

Started by glenn kangiser, January 30, 2005, 10:24:03 PM

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Windpower



Honey Mushroom .....

as in "Here, Honey, you try it"
Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

glenn kangiser

Hmm.. hadn't thought of that, but maybe safer for me?   Nah... I'll just try for a positive ID as safe then try a small quantity myself to start ...strictly following the books guidelines...  :)

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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OlJarhead

Hey Glenn, have you ever used Cereal Rye to 'fix' the soil etc?  I just picked up 200lbs of it to bring me to 226 total.  I figure I can get at least 3 acres WELL seeded with that but might shoot for 4 (35lbs ea) and to finish off the last one I planted in the fall (which didn't get covered as well as I'd hoped).

Anyway, just curious.

glenn kangiser

Haven't done that Erik.  Can you tell me a bit about the expected outcome - what it does? ???
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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OlJarhead

Quote from: glenn kangiser on December 13, 2012, 12:23:16 AM
Haven't done that Erik.  Can you tell me a bit about the expected outcome - what it does? ???
Here's one writeup: http://www.extension.org/pages/18571/cereal-rye-for-cover-cropping-in-organic-farming

Basically it was once used as both a weed control crop and soil 'fixing' crop.  It's still used today to fix soil in maintain it through the winter so new summer crops can be planted in the spring.

It's also good for feed as it produces a LOT of 'straw' or 'hay' per acre and the seed is popular with deer and birds....I'm using it as a first step in preparing my soil up in the mountains for other crops.  First planting the rye to fix the soil and get more organic matter back into it, then I'll start working in other crops in the warm months and continue to use Rye in the winter.

Of course you can also eat it :)

glenn kangiser

#4431
Cool, Ben... not so public though is he?  ???

Thanks Erik.  That could possibly be a crop for me where I have worked the ground up though some of my areas are hard to get to.  The trench I just dug to fill with wood will not be accessible with big machines until after filled from above with a trailer - the crane, etc.  Good info to have documented here for future reference for myself and others though.   :)

From my native country (besides Heinz 57) of Lithuania, is Lithuanian Black Bread... a rye, that is great.  I got some in Massachusetts one time from an old genuine Lithuanian Bakery.... long since gone from Brockton I am told by my cousin.



Found this

http://www.gourmantineblog.com/?p=2725

Black rye bread
Prep time:  30 mins
Cook time:  1 hour
Total time:  1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 6-8


Ingredients

    200ml boiling water
    35 g (about 4 tablespoons) malt powder (optional)
    380 g rye flour (preferably coarsely ground)
    150 grams sourdough starter
    100 ml warm water
    2 tablespoons sugar
    1 tablespoon honey
    10 g salt
    50 grams wheat flour
    sunflower oil

Instructions

    Pour 200ml boiling water over malt and let it cool down to about 37C, then stir in about 150 grams of rye flour, sourdough starter, mix everything and put in a warm place for up to 12 hours (or overnight) to rise.
    The next day melt the sugar, honey and salt in 100 ml of warm water, the stir in the water in the risen dough together with remaining 230 g rye flour and 50 g wheat flour.
    Mix everything very well together (you will end up with a sticky dough).
    Oil the deep baking dish with sunflower oil and pour the bread dough into it. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm place for 3 hours to rise.
    The put the bread into cold oven and set the temperature at 230C. Once the temperature is reached, let it bake for another 15 minutes (to form the crust), then reduce the temperature to 190-200C and let it bake for another 30 minutes.
    Once out of the over cover the bread with a damp towel for at least 20 minutes. This will make the crust softer and easier to remove it from the baking dish. Enjoy!

Notes
Rising time: 15 hours

Info on the Sourdough Starter and making it there at the site.

Hopefully this is better than the recipe I first used years ago... hard enough to drive nails with.... [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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ben2go

Quote from: OlJarhead on December 13, 2012, 11:21:51 AM
Here's one writeup: http://www.extension.org/pages/18571/cereal-rye-for-cover-cropping-in-organic-farming

Basically it was once used as both a weed control crop and soil 'fixing' crop.  It's still used today to fix soil in maintain it through the winter so new summer crops can be planted in the spring.

It's also good for feed as it produces a LOT of 'straw' or 'hay' per acre and the seed is popular with deer and birds....I'm using it as a first step in preparing my soil up in the mountains for other crops.  First planting the rye to fix the soil and get more organic matter back into it, then I'll start working in other crops in the warm months and continue to use Rye in the winter.

Of course you can also eat it :)

Thanks for posting that.


Quote from: glenn kangiser on December 13, 2012, 12:20:58 PM
Cool, Ben... not so public though is he?  [ouch]



Doesn't seem like it.  ???

glenn kangiser

Hey Ben - recheck my above posting - I edited it while you were posting to include the bread info.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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ben2go

Quote from: glenn kangiser on December 13, 2012, 12:37:06 PM
Hey Ben - recheck my above posting - I edited it while you were posting to include the bread info.

[cool] [hungry]  I am passing that info along.

OlJarhead

Oh how I love black Rye's!!!  Pump of course being a favorite (American pump vs. the real thing).

glenn kangiser

Yup... I remember the loaf or loaves I got a Kilkus Lithuanian Bakery in Brockton was great stuff.  I was going to order some but I guess they went out of business around 1995 as the kids didn't want to run the business.  They had a brick oven they cooked in and were world famous.

I am currently making a fish pond in front of the cabin.  Dug it out last week with by buddies backhoe.  Quickly threw an EPDM liner that was going to be part of my roof in the hole before the last rain... didn't want to waste the rain.  I have some cool plans for it.  Big question now.... will I be able to implement them... [noidea'
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Windpower

Glenn, have you looked into aquaponics where fish supply nitrogen and other nutrients for growing veggies

I think it would be a great use for your pond

BTW we need pics of the pond   [waiting]

Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

glenn kangiser

Hate to even show you this at this point.  It was just a rush attempt to get the liner in the hole and catch the rain runoff from the roof.  I will drystack walls to bring the sides up as the water level comes up. [ouch]



I am quite sure it will get better before I stop....

I have a friend doing the aquaponics.  I have plans to incorporate some kind of aquaponics into this on the roof behind the pond.  :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Windpower


I am just now looking into aquaponics it seems like a great way to grow food

I would like to get prawns going but they need realatively warm water ~ 74 F (maybe with a little solar collector heating in WI summer.....)

http://www.aquacultureoftexas.com/index.htm

100 days from '60 day juveniles" to 10 per pound prawns   MMMMmmm

Trout would be good too or perch

Tilapia seem to be a favorite in aquaponics systems

--- here is a link to one supplier of complete systems about 90 miles from our farm in WI

http://aquaponics.com/

they recommend tilapia or perch -- even their small systems produce amazing amounts of fish and produce 

Their smallest system produces 110 pounds of fish and a 1000 heads of lettuce (or equivalent other veggies ) per year on a 12' by 20' area (turn key system ~$3000)

.5 hour per day of work and 7 Kw-Hr per day for the pumps -seems like a lot of electric power but if you have the solar it is no big deal 

100 pounds of perch, 30 pounds of fillets --  about a good fish fry per week
Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

glenn kangiser

I have a friend with some Tilapia to give me,  and he thinks possibly they would survive without the heat here with the hole in the ground to keep it a bit warmer and I have some solar heating panels for water also.  He is planning to use a compost heater possibly later also.

I measured yesterday and it looks like the pond will be appx 12 feet dia by the time I raise the sides.  I wanted the water to pull the liner into the rough dug hole before I finish the sides to avoid stressing it and tearing it on a rock though the EPDM is very tough. [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

#4441
I am going to be a world traveler soon.  Currently making plans to visit our friend Myo in Burma.  Also I have sent word to Thang also from Burma that I will be there.

They were our past guests at the underground Complex.



Dr Ekram Ullah, Bangladesh, Dr Myo Aung Kyaw, Myanmar (Burma), Sassy (Mariposa), Dr Abdoulaye Sereme, Burkina Faso, and a nondescript vagrant who got into the picture with these fine people... [ouch]

Edit: A steam engine similar to Myo's steam engine in his rice mill......He says there are many like this in Burma.




A rice mill similar to His rice mill firing up on rice hulls to process the rice....Myo's is farther off of the main road to north Burma.






Water Buffalo in use farming....




...and our friend Thang of Myanmar (Burma),




Thang letting down the table for breakfast at the underground complex.

This will take place from Jan 29th to February 7th.  I am currently getting details, house sitter etc in order.

I have ordered half size home made soap bars from Whitlock's wife to have a special home made gift to give to friends there.

Myo said I could stay at their expensive 3 or 4 star hotels...... or I could stay with his farmers, though bathroom facilities were not up to the fine American Standards... Guess which I chose......... [waiting]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

Myo got back to me and said that the mill and engine pictured is not his but similar to his since his is farther out of the way to his home town. 

He got back to me with info of where he plans to take me and I can tell you it will be a trip of a lifetime. Everything sounds so interesting....  [cool]

He said there are several rice mills who's owners are friends along the way to upper Myanmar so we will see some of them and engines, etc.. rather than go so far out of the way. 

It seems he is going so far out of his way to take care of me... so far above the call of duty but he is just a plain great friend, a great person proud of his country and doing his best to show me a side of it that the common tourist would never get to see.

I will be able to study the tourist spots from public travel agencies information....  What he is going to show me ???........I do not think money can buy such a trip.  Even in his work... his desire to provide the information and share his knowledge of EM.....his former caring for hundreds of patients a day as a Medical Doctor in his country..... he is one of the most generous people I know anywhere.  It is such an honor to have him call me a friend.   :)

I now have my flight booked and have been dealing with a wonderful lady in Myanmar (Burma) to get my VISA approved.  She said she has all she needs from me and is submitting the information to the Government Visa Approval Authorities. Her name is Grace Lwin at Goldbacked Travels in Myanmar - I have email addresses for anyone considering following in my footsteps.  :) 

She has responded to my emails nearly immediately in some cases but always timely and I just started the process last night.  How exciting is that.... [ouch]


I got so excited about this I nearly forgot....


Never go shopping when you are hungry......


I went for Coconut Almond Milk last night because I like the flavor..... then I saw more oysters... then some jumbo prawns.....


I decided I needed to cook... [hungry]



Butterflied out and ready for Tempura batter, each prawn was almost as big as my hand.... scratch the oysters tonight - can't possibly eat that much...along with the garden fresh cauliflower and broccoli, as well as one of my BIL's  sweet potatoes....

.... So I cooked them all in Coconut Oil after dredging them in Tempura batter kept cold in a double bowl of ice-water....


OHHHHhhhhhh Yummmmm .....







....and yet I am still working on trying to lose weight....

"Hey ....turn around... I think I found it..... "         [waiting]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

I had showed Myo our Burma Grade on the way to Yosemite.   I had studied about it from their Burma Road (Stilwell Road, Ledo Road) of WWII.

I found some good information  on it today.  Apparently after the war it was no longer used and maintained.







The Burma-Ledo-Stillwell Road: "A Man's Life For Every Mile."

From Tina Lewis Rowe -excerpt from her blog used for educational purposes per her terms. Opinions and paraphrasing are hers but it gives a great overview of the road I think.

Several years ago I spoke at a meeting of Veterans of the China-Burma-India Campaign from World War II. Some of them had been engineers involved in the building of the Ledo Road, later called the Stilwell Road which improved and connected to the Chinese portion of the Burma Road. Now you see why it has been described as one of the greatest engineering feats of WWII–and perhaps in any war.

The Ledo road portion of the Stilwell road ran about 1,100 miles in every kind of environmental condition from jungle to mountain top, and was built by 15,000 American soldiers and engineers (60% who were African-Americans) and 35,000 local workers.

In brief, here is the story: It was built to move supplies from India to China, through Burma. It was a vital supply line for our friends the Chinese, through the nation of our other friends, the Burmese, who we wanted to liberate from our bitter enemies, the Japanese, as we fought with our Allied friends Great Britain and Russia against the Axis powers, including our other bitter enemies, the Germans. (Great Britain had "annexed" Burma after a war in the late 1800s, and exiled the rulers to India.)

I'm not being flippant when I say this: Doesn't it seem, throughout history and up until today, that we could save a lot of lives, property, money and heartache, if, every time there is a conflict, we could pretend that it is 50 years in the future?

The Veterans group I spoke to years ago were a wonderful group of men and a few women, and they were patriotic and enthused about life. They laughed and sang and had a great time. One of them was talking to me about the 1,100 people, both soldiers and locals, who died while building the road. (Terrible construction accidents were a daily event, as were malaria outbreaks and strafing by Japanese planes.) He said, "It was Hell most of the time, now that I think about it. But in a strange way it was fun. We all had a job to do and we did it faster and better than anyone thought we could."

Shortly after Buma was liberated and after they gained independence from the British Colonial system, the road stopped being used and the jungle reclaimed large portions of it. Many said the lives lost were even more tragic when one considered how little time the road was used and what became of our relations with China and Myanmar (as Burma is now called by the military government). Nevertheless, it was extremely valuable at the time. It was also a monument to brave men and women, doing the best they could in an incredibly challenging situation.

The US Propaganda Movie about it....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42jVEqV6qUc
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Windpower


A friend from our church flew supplies over "the Hump" in WWII in C47 (DC3) and C46 (Curtiss Commando)

(the other way we got supplies to the Chinese)

he told some truly scary stories of the horrible weather -- lots of pilots did not come  back

The boys would run in front of the planes when they were taking off -- he did not know why

but they always made it


He never flew after he came back --"I think I had enough flying over there"
Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.


yidmark

Glenn, thanks for the updates to your lovely home. I'm moving to New Mexico, in part because the building codes are so relaxed. I can build this type of home, earthbag, straw bale, or rammed earth and not catch much grief from the officials. That's specifically what I'm moving NM.  I'm not sure if building one of these homes is feasible for me right now. Seems like every time I see one of these homes under construction it takes a long, long time time complete. A rammed earth home can go up in a few weeks. A container home can be constructed over a few months and an earthbag home can go up in a few weeks to a few months, depending on the size. Obviously, with a psp home you have something missing from the others...security. Alas, time is not on my side because I'm working on a homestudy for an adoption. I need a house constructed quickly. So, with that, maybe I'll build an earthbag home that I can use while I'm building an earth bermed home? I haven't bought property yet but I'm looking on the outskirts of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. One that has a few hills would be ideal for drainage. Have you heard or seen examples of these homes in NM?

Mark

glenn kangiser

I was thinking, Windpower, that there would still be some old timers around that had actually been there.  Very interesting.  I'll bet there were some hair raising experiences there. [ouch]


Hi Mark and welcome to the forum.   I haven't heard of any of the PSP structures in NM but there may be.  I personally think the PSP would be as fast or faster than an earthbag home.  Rammed earth may give it good competition but all of that ramming takes time and strong forms too.  An air rammer can greatly increase the speed you can ram in.  See my low cost garage topic for info an rammed earth, but switching to hydraulic lime would be a good move on that rather than cement.

Security.... I think it could be made as secure as any other home if desired.  I could put bars or boards across the doors with metal brackets to the frame then exit out a keyed door the same as a regular house if need be.

Also most of it is earth covered, so many times not spotted immediately to start with, though mine has a lot of popouts.  Looking forward to hearing more of your ideas and discussing it more here with you.  Thanks for your input.   w*

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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yidmark

So Glenn, forgive me if this has been discussed but what is the size of your home in SF? Also, did you use straw bale in the walls? If so, did you compress the straw bales before setting them in? Or is this something you can skip because it's an earth bermed home?

Lastly, I want to say, I really like what I've seen of your home. I'm all about creating a home for what we need. I've been watching the World's Greenest Homes and some of these people have ridiculous homes. I watched one ep. the other day and it was a 3,000 sf home with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. I'm planning on building a 5 bedroom home with a rec room and maybe a small, film screening room and can easily keep this home withing a 2100 sf figure and no one's tripping over the other. I don't see myself living in a tiny home. If you are single and don't mind tripping over your partner then by all means, go for it. I think a tiny home on a trailer is perfect for a college student and I may undertake a project with one or all of my boys to build them tiny home trailers if they want to avoid the dorms.

Yes, I agree with you about hydraulics. If I go rammed earth I would contract it out through Sirewall. They have a unique system that is proprietary. One of the bandmembers from Bachman, Turner Overdrive lives in a Sirewall Rammed Earth home that David Suzuki did a feature on. It's available on youtube.

[embed=425,349]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RnJZq9rbL8[/embed]

Oh and finally. How long did your project take and how many bedrooms do you have? I think I read of someone building a 5,000 sf earth bermed home back in the 80's for 20k. I'd love to know how long that home took to build? Oh, and one more question. How large is your bedroom? I hope I'm not asking too many questions. I just ordered the complete shabang from Mike and will be excited to receive it.

glenn kangiser

Not a problem, Mark.  I'm happy to go over things again if necessary and that is why I keep this running as a bit of a blog now.  :)

It is approximately 2200 SF, plus or minus depending on how you look at it.  Included is 2 bedrooms and a kind of a studio apartment area we use most of the time.  One bedroom is not finished but the master bedroom is finished... again - depends on how you look at it... if it passes for functional rustic early day American Settler, then I kind of consider it finished.  [noidea'

In reality there is a lot of it that is not finished but is functional.  I believe in the old Chinese proverb that says "The man who finishes his house dies.... " so I'm not in any hurry..... [waiting]


We currently have 2 finished bathrooms and one plumbed for the future if I get around to finishing it.... I also live on Mariposa time... I might do it tomorrow, or next week, or next month or maybe next year.... heh

The bedroom is about 12x18 feet.

I have been working on the cabin off and on for about 10 years.  I'm not in a hurry and things evolve and change sometimes before I finish but it seems to end up more interesting if you don't get in a hurry.  You think of more things you can do or different ways to do them.

Start with a plan and you will end up with exactly what you planned with little variation.  For me I prefer the evolving plan in my head.... [ouch]

Let's see... did I miss anything? ???

A serious small house could be built in a month or less with equipment then you could go from there.  Just because I haven't finished mine doesn't mean it takes this long.  I work, fish, prospect and do other things after the essentials are done.

To get the first part liveable in a crude fashion took less than 3 months but I was working full time back then.







"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

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glenn kangiser

Oh yeah... strawbales...

I used some to insulate the bedroom popout  - say about 14 feet long and 8 feet high... and the greenhouse above ground about 30 feet long and 12 feet high - all stacked loose with wood supports as needed. d*

The entire Oehler PSP system is post and beam construction so walls can be anything you like as they are all infill.  Underground portions need to be strong enough to support the pressure of the earth as retaining walls.  Mike does not give a lot of info on that - basically just the Post and Beam part of the structure.  For my soil conditions I found I could use 2x material to span 8' wall spaces and 1x material for 4' spaces between posts.  Your soil conditions may be different.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

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