Indigenous Housing

[Amanda_931]

Glen wrote:

I read somewhere about soil stabilization where they drill holes into the slope and pump in concrete or something- maybe with fiber mesh.  I don't remember the whole process.  It was supposed to be relatively cost effective compared to other methods.


I'm adding:

Might be quieter than pile drivers.  Familiar sounds a couple of areas I've lived.

[glenn-k]

Description of Native American dwelling in 1769 before European colonization near Monterey, CA.

Historical accounts of the natives before European colonization show that they were happy and well-adapted to their home. In October 1769, Father Juan Crespi was on a Spanish expedition to Alta California in the vicinity of Monterey Bay:

        "Here we stopped close to a large village of very well-behaved good heathens, who greeted us with loud cheers and rejoiced greatly at our coming. At this village was a very large grass-roofed house, round like a half-orange, which, by what we saw of it inside, could hold everyone in the whole village. Around the big house they had many little houses of split sticks set upright. The village lay within the little valley, all surrounded by grassy hills (nothing but soil and tall grass), a place well-sheltered from all quarters, and near the shore. ...They have a very dense little grove of nut-bearing pine trees dropping down some hills from the mountains running in back, which are grown over with these pines.

        ...We went in view of the shore, over high, big hills all covered with good soil and grass--though almost all the grasses had been burned--and all very bare of trees."

Read more here:
http://www.ecomafia.com/indigenous.html
Would they have cheered if they had known what was to come

[borgdog]

I wonder why the back of your napkins look better than the back of my napkins after the sketching is done

It is a talent architects learn in school, 1st year course, Napkin Drawing 101.  My brother-in-law, also has this ability, having an architecture degree.  He is also a pretty darn talented artist, which I think many architects are as well, it definitely helps.

[glenn-k]

Thinking about the quote above from October, 1769 the burning of the grass would have been a controlled burn by the indigenous Americans as part of their natural farming operation.  They burned off the small grass, weeds and seedlings to allow their crop of food producing trees to do better without competition from the small stuff.  This was common in the oak trees in my area.  They actually farmed the oak trees as acorns were their main source of food.  The burning also helped the wildflowers to come back in the spring.

The round house mentioned above with the split stick houses attached would also indicate this was an at least semi-permanent home for them thereby requiring them to be self sufficient.

More information on native American shelter and excerpt from their site:

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/settlements/regions/great_basin_and_west_coast.html
Great Basin and West Coast

Many types of shelters were used by the native cultures of the Great Basin. One of the most common shelters made by these cultures were Conical dwellings. These shelters were used in a wide variety of environments. The Conical dwellings were made from a framework of tree poles bound together with vine stalks and covered with either brush, grass, or tule. This type of shelter is also known as a type of tipi. These shelters were fairly warm and safe. They held up under many of the weather conditions in which they were placed.

The Mogollon pit house was built partly underground. These shelters were widely used on the western coast of present day California all the way up to the edge of the northwest area. Mogollon shelters had mud plastered roofs supported by a frame work of tree saplings. The partly underground shelter constructions were great for all kinds of climate. These shelters provided excellent insulation against the harshest elements of nature. Mogollon shelters could protect people from a range of 100 degrees F to about the freezing point at night. The cultures who lived in these Mogollon shelters rarely had more than 30 in a village. This was because the Mogollon shelters were not specifically created to support large settlements.

[jraabe]

Most interesting thread, Glenn. Thanks for your research.

The Mogollon pit house is easy to understand as a model for low cost housing with the materials and technology of the time. It was probably adaptable to all but the wettest soils of the Northwest coast.

When you think to yourself, "What would we take out of modern technology to improve on this design for today's simple heathen?", I come up with two things: plastic membrane waterproofing, and windows.

Used windows and poly were what Mike Oehler used for his $50 house project. It also allowed him to build comfortable dry housing in Northern Idaho - an area that is probably too damp for the Mogollon pit house.

I've been recently corresponding with Mike (we're exchanging books - he's quite a good writer and story teller). It is interesting to read his update of his building system and the information on what buildings have lasted and which have turned organic.

In short, those where the wood members are inside a well heated and ventilated space are lasting very well. Those buildings that are not lived in, and where moisture and humidity are allowed to rise, these will deteriorate in as little as a few years. Mike also found that the poly barrier in the floor (he put his under carpet) helped a great deal in keeping moisture levels down.

Use it or lose it is the short lesson.

If I wanted to build a comfortable year-round shelter for the absolute lowest cost, I would salvage lumber, windows and used carpet and then go buy several rolls of good quality cross laminated poly for waterproofing. That and a wood stove to keep it warm.

If I were an artist, in a few years it might look something like Glenn's "palace of cob"

"Think like a heathen" — John  

[glenn-k]

Thanks for those observations, John. I really enjoyed them..

To add a little to yours and Mikes observations, I have one corner that has a moisture problem - first small section of experimental floor.  No vapor barrier in that section under the floor with soil cement floor.  A Royer Foyer or wrap around as Mike suggested would cure the moisture problem and give me more light in that corner.  May have to get the backhoe out and remodel.  The adobe floor is fairly easily repaired once I get to it.  Fortunately with this kind of building repairs are fairly quick and cheap.  Just have to take the time.

[glenn-k]

I just ordered American Shelter and a ton of other books related to it and world vernacular building from John's Amazon link -now that I have learned that the Amazon link from here helps this site without costing extra.  They kept suggesting books that were relevant  and I kept buying

Here is a link to John's book page and the Amazon link is at the bottom.  Note that when at Amazon, they offer used books also, many like new for a fraction of the cost sometimes.

http://www.countryplans.com/books.html

[glenn kangiser]

More interesting indigenous housing from Iran.  This was brought to my attention from a picture in the book "Built By Hand".  

Here is an excerpt from the National Geosciences Database of Iran and a link to their site below the picture.

Kandovan and Maymand villages

The Kandovan and Maymand villages,one in the foot of Sahand in Osku district of eastern Azarbajan and the other in the foot of Mozahem mount in Shahr-e-Babak of Kerman are symbols of man and nature coexistence.  The houses and generally villages have build in pyroclastic sediments and Lahars.  There are school, mosque, bath, attic and stables which all of them have made into deposits.  They have characteristics such as air circulation against outside so that in summers are cooler and in winters are warmer. In Kandovan,there are water plumbing,power wiring and even sewage system in the houses.
  


Link to site for tons of interesting photos and information.

http://www.ngdir.ir/PhotoGallery/PhotoAlbums.asp?PCategoryCode=4&PID=33
Used with permission
Copyright Ã,© 2004 National Geoscience Database of Iran
All Rights Reserved.

[John Raabe]

Here is an interesting page from Lloyd Kahn's "Home Work" book. It is from a two page spread called "Perpetual Camping" and shows some very basic living structures made of the simplest of materials.

This is very basic shelter and makes Mike Oehler's low-cost underground houses seem almost palatial!


http://tinypic.com/2nq15s