Ferrocement can come in handy around the cabin.
Here is a little project with instructions. Read the comments to get more info. I would use cement with sand but not rocks -maybe 3 or 4 sand to one cement- plastic cement works easier when plastering. It's like stucco with more wire. The navy used to make ships out of it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/EITH5TOFDNEP287SW5/?ALLSTEPS
Want to know how this applies to building --check this link out referenced from the above site.
http://www.monolithic.com/
(http://static2.instructables.com/pub/FPN/TS8I/FPNTS8IMO6EP28163E.medium.jpg)
Oh, cute.
And it looks a whole lot less intimidating than starting out with a multi-thousand gallon water tank, where the booklet that Charmaine Taylor sells says something like--first gather five or six really handy people who can work with you for most of a week.
One friend of mine made a ferrocement cover over his pump controls- looks and works great and fits into his landscaping. Another friend made a tank for her effluent pump as they had to pump up hill to the drain field. It was about 400 gallon capacity made per my instructions about 2 feet past the septic tank. She did a great job on it. It was the first ferrocement she had ever made -- even impressed herself and it passed health department inspection. It cost her around $40 and time - buying one was around $500 as I recall.
So....that's a dog house or a boulder or an earthen oven???? :-?
Judy
Edit: Sorry, now I clicked on the link which explained things fully. No I'm up to speed but it does look like an earthen oven.
The dog would probably appreciate it if you didn't fire it up while he was in it, Judy. :-/ :)