6/29/26:
Yours truly has a life-long habit of biting off more than I can chew. A project like this back in 2019 would've have been too much for me. A project like this now would be insane.
This idea was far too late in coming. Way too old for this stuff.
Shoot, the dude talks all about how you need to know what you're doing for a project like this. Indeed, I did something like this once with my brother who builds houses. Or he DID build houses. He is sorta retired now.
So I KNOW what he's talking about here. No, I need to stick to something more realistic for me. This ain't it.
9/11/19: The original post is below:
Comment:
This is more or less the fine points of a big pour.
Showing posts with label Off grid post --- Construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Off grid post --- Construction. Show all posts
Monday, June 29, 2026
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Amazing video
There's a scene in the spaghetti Western called "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, which features an adobe home. I've wondered about that. It seemed to be rather airy and open.
Also, I've experimented with the soil out there. I don't think that it is necessarily as easy as this video suggests. Nevertheless, this is an amazing video.
Also, I've experimented with the soil out there. I don't think that it is necessarily as easy as this video suggests. Nevertheless, this is an amazing video.
Friday, March 13, 2026
Man builds cabin in the woods
Compare and contrast this with the quonset concept. This looks like a lot of heavy duty work. Not bad if you want the exercise. But for me, not a chance. Not that I'm afraid of getting my hands dirty. Nope. This is for younger dudes with a lot of strength and endurance. I'm just an old fart now.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Quonset huts
Yep. That's what I wanted to emulate. Instead of corrugated steel, I used plastic tarps.
Good idea, but bad execution.
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Construction ideas
2/8/26:
There seems to be some interest in this post... I watched the video again, and yes, it is indeed interesting.
In particular, the ideas that make the structure weigh a lot less; are of particular interest to me. The reason is that the more stuff you have to haul around, the bigger the machinery that you have to bring along in order to do the construction work. Out there in the desert, where facilities are not yet available; this could be a real help.
That's true especially for me right now. I cannot move around like I used to.
There seems to be some interest in this post... I watched the video again, and yes, it is indeed interesting.
In particular, the ideas that make the structure weigh a lot less; are of particular interest to me. The reason is that the more stuff you have to haul around, the bigger the machinery that you have to bring along in order to do the construction work. Out there in the desert, where facilities are not yet available; this could be a real help.
That's true especially for me right now. I cannot move around like I used to.
5/3/25:
Monday, June 2, 2025
Sunday, February 16, 2020
off-grid post 2.16.20
|
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Quonset idea being reconsidered
Updated,
1.9.20:
5.27.19:
This idea will be shelved as well. It may be useful for utility buildings, but not as a dwelling. The ergonomics would not favor it. Not to mention that it would take a long time to construct something of any size at all.
Although it is shelved, it is not completely abandoned. Not yet, at least.
The most efficient solution is to take the trailer out there. It will need a septic tank installed. I would also need electricity generation capability. But all that planning can wait awhile longer.
5.26.19:
Just realized an error in yesterday's write-up. Besides, upon further review, the digging option has been ruled out. Why? Too big of a risk of something unexpected. For example, there could be solid rock in an inconvenient place. I don't know how far the sand goes down. It may go down hundreds of feet, or just a few. Without any information about what is below the surface, it is too big of a risk to undertake.
Instead of doing that, I can scrape off the top layer of sand, and push it against the quonset. This will shield the quonset from the elements. That much is possible.
The quonset structure will be above ground. That is, if it ever gets built.
One thing that I have determined so far is that it is possible to build a small one. It may take a couple weeks, but it could be done. The sand can be piled on later.
5.25.19:
Here is an amended plan, which would include a new idea:
Concrete covered cattle panel constructed as an arch for the quonset concept.
Moving the dirt, and constructing the structure.
Use bobcat in order to move enough dirt for a 3 ft deep trench. It would be 8 feet wide at
the bottom. At a 45 degree angle, the entire width should be about 16.5 feet. That is because
You'd need about 1.414*3 feet for the hypotenuse of an isoceles right triangle. It is isoceles
because it is as wide as deep, so the lengths of two sides are equal. Therefore, the math
yields about 16.5 feet in width, which would angle down at a 45 degree angle to the 3 foot
level, where I would stop digging.
In order to make it wider at quonset floor level, make it wider at the bottom. Add another
2 feet to each side making it 20.5 feet wide. Length wise? Depends upon how many concrete
"bunkers" I would want to make. If only one, it would be 16.5 feet in the original
config above, plus any length desired. Eight more feet would yield 24.5 feet in order to
allow a steep grade down below.
This layout may have to rendered to paper, by the way...
Getting into details...
A much narrower trench would be dug here on each side. This is to set the cattle panel into
place using concrete. Place each end of the cattle panel into the trench on each side. The
panel will be bent into semicircular shape that would be about 6 feet tall.
Fill in the narrow trench with concrete. This will set into cattle panel into position.
Place forms on each side of the cattle panel. These forms will be about 4 inches deep, and
about 6 inches wide. Pour concrete into the forms, and continue doing so until ground level.
That would require 48 pours of 4 inches apiece in order to cover the 16 feet of cattle panel.
Refill the empty trench with dirt, but not all the way up at one time. Put the forms in to
prevent dirt from getting to the boundaries of the cattle panel. The dirt is used in order
to support the wet concrete until it can set.
Finish out the concrete pours until all of the cattle panel is covered in concrete up to 6
inches thick. Remove the dirt and leave an empty space inside that should be six feet tall.
That height would be sufficient to walk under it.
It will be necessary to remove the last 6 inches or so of dirt at the bottom in order to
have more headroom. After all the pours, the arch will be hardened, and therefore, does
not need the support of that dirt.
Concrete bags could be placed at each end so that it would be enclosed. The dirt would then
be pushed up against the bags forming a berm at each end. If concrete bags aren't desired,
then metal or perhaps wood could be used for the three feet or so of the berm.
Each section would require 48 pours of concrete. After some thought, it may not be necessary
to fill in the dirt as the concrete is poured. Instead, just 4" sections could be poured at
a time. Two by fours eight feet long could be used for forms.
Each pour would take 1.65 60 pound bags. That means for each 8 foot section would require
nearly 80 bags of concrete! Yikes! The calculate allows for 6" width, and 4" deep.
It is 8 feet long, yielding 8*.5*.33 cubic feet, or 1.32 cu ft. An 80 pound bag is
.6 cubic feet. A 60 pound bag is .75 times that or, 1.65. There are 48 pours of 4 inch
each, which yields 16 feet.
But it would not be impossible, as I could haul the concrete a bit at a time. In order
to haul 80 bags of 60 pound concrete, I could divide it up into 5 loads. Each load
would be about a thousand pounds. My van can handle that. Could I handle this much
physical labor? Only at a slow pace.
5.24.19:
It seemed that in the recent past, this matter was settled. Now it isn't. Just goes to show you that final isn't final. At least not in this neck of the woods.
A quonset holds many advantages. Unfortunately, there are disadvantages.
As written earlier, going underground is an attractive option for this project. The advantage of a quonset is that it won''t require much construction in terms of a roof.
But the quonset hut built before didn't hold up. However, if it were to be built underground, then the wind cannot blow the tarp to smithereens.
Another idea is to use concrete bags without mixing the concrete. Just leave the concrete in the bag, and let the rain seep in and harden it. Stack the bags up about 3 feet high, while starting in the ground 3 more feet, and you have six feet of head room.
Pile that dirt from the hole back on top of the concrete. Then all you have is a big mound, but underneath you have a livable area that is out of the elements.
Of course, you still need to cover the roof. The cattle panels will just outline the inner ceiling. Perhaps some insulation can go between roof and ceiling.
A bit more thought yields the thought that animals may find their way into the structure. It would have to be fenced in, and screened. Access could come from a ground-floor type arrangement.
The ground floor will be a fenced in area, with a ladder that would allow access to the lower floor.
Post holes would be dug in at the lower floor, and rise 8 feet about ground level. The roof would be placed on top of this. The dirt berm would rise 3 feet, and backed by the concrete bags. At the top of this, cattle panels would go all around.
This plan is incomplete. More thought is necessary, as the idea is new.
1.9.20:
The latest iteration of this concept is to use the cattle panels as usual but put in a metal sheet to attach to the panel. Then pour some concrete to cover the metal. It would be a thin layer of concrete alright, because of the extreme weight that a thick layer would entail.
No tarp this time.
A composting toilet would be used as opposed to a septic tank. That would save money.
I'm thinking that a roof above the Quonset would help with the sun.
No tarp this time.
A composting toilet would be used as opposed to a septic tank. That would save money.
I'm thinking that a roof above the Quonset would help with the sun.
5.27.19:
This idea will be shelved as well. It may be useful for utility buildings, but not as a dwelling. The ergonomics would not favor it. Not to mention that it would take a long time to construct something of any size at all.
Although it is shelved, it is not completely abandoned. Not yet, at least.
The most efficient solution is to take the trailer out there. It will need a septic tank installed. I would also need electricity generation capability. But all that planning can wait awhile longer.
5.26.19:
Just realized an error in yesterday's write-up. Besides, upon further review, the digging option has been ruled out. Why? Too big of a risk of something unexpected. For example, there could be solid rock in an inconvenient place. I don't know how far the sand goes down. It may go down hundreds of feet, or just a few. Without any information about what is below the surface, it is too big of a risk to undertake.
Instead of doing that, I can scrape off the top layer of sand, and push it against the quonset. This will shield the quonset from the elements. That much is possible.
The quonset structure will be above ground. That is, if it ever gets built.
One thing that I have determined so far is that it is possible to build a small one. It may take a couple weeks, but it could be done. The sand can be piled on later.
5.25.19:
Here is an amended plan, which would include a new idea:
Concrete covered cattle panel constructed as an arch for the quonset concept.
Moving the dirt, and constructing the structure.
Use bobcat in order to move enough dirt for a 3 ft deep trench. It would be 8 feet wide at
the bottom. At a 45 degree angle, the entire width should be about 16.5 feet. That is because
You'd need about 1.414*3 feet for the hypotenuse of an isoceles right triangle. It is isoceles
because it is as wide as deep, so the lengths of two sides are equal. Therefore, the math
yields about 16.5 feet in width, which would angle down at a 45 degree angle to the 3 foot
level, where I would stop digging.
In order to make it wider at quonset floor level, make it wider at the bottom. Add another
2 feet to each side making it 20.5 feet wide. Length wise? Depends upon how many concrete
"bunkers" I would want to make. If only one, it would be 16.5 feet in the original
config above, plus any length desired. Eight more feet would yield 24.5 feet in order to
allow a steep grade down below.
This layout may have to rendered to paper, by the way...
Getting into details...
A much narrower trench would be dug here on each side. This is to set the cattle panel into
place using concrete. Place each end of the cattle panel into the trench on each side. The
panel will be bent into semicircular shape that would be about 6 feet tall.
Fill in the narrow trench with concrete. This will set into cattle panel into position.
Place forms on each side of the cattle panel. These forms will be about 4 inches deep, and
about 6 inches wide. Pour concrete into the forms, and continue doing so until ground level.
That would require 48 pours of 4 inches apiece in order to cover the 16 feet of cattle panel.
Refill the empty trench with dirt, but not all the way up at one time. Put the forms in to
prevent dirt from getting to the boundaries of the cattle panel. The dirt is used in order
to support the wet concrete until it can set.
Finish out the concrete pours until all of the cattle panel is covered in concrete up to 6
inches thick. Remove the dirt and leave an empty space inside that should be six feet tall.
That height would be sufficient to walk under it.
It will be necessary to remove the last 6 inches or so of dirt at the bottom in order to
have more headroom. After all the pours, the arch will be hardened, and therefore, does
not need the support of that dirt.
Concrete bags could be placed at each end so that it would be enclosed. The dirt would then
be pushed up against the bags forming a berm at each end. If concrete bags aren't desired,
then metal or perhaps wood could be used for the three feet or so of the berm.
Each section would require 48 pours of concrete. After some thought, it may not be necessary
to fill in the dirt as the concrete is poured. Instead, just 4" sections could be poured at
a time. Two by fours eight feet long could be used for forms.
Each pour would take 1.65 60 pound bags. That means for each 8 foot section would require
nearly 80 bags of concrete! Yikes! The calculate allows for 6" width, and 4" deep.
It is 8 feet long, yielding 8*.5*.33 cubic feet, or 1.32 cu ft. An 80 pound bag is
.6 cubic feet. A 60 pound bag is .75 times that or, 1.65. There are 48 pours of 4 inch
each, which yields 16 feet.
But it would not be impossible, as I could haul the concrete a bit at a time. In order
to haul 80 bags of 60 pound concrete, I could divide it up into 5 loads. Each load
would be about a thousand pounds. My van can handle that. Could I handle this much
physical labor? Only at a slow pace.
5.24.19:
It seemed that in the recent past, this matter was settled. Now it isn't. Just goes to show you that final isn't final. At least not in this neck of the woods.
A quonset holds many advantages. Unfortunately, there are disadvantages.
As written earlier, going underground is an attractive option for this project. The advantage of a quonset is that it won''t require much construction in terms of a roof.
But the quonset hut built before didn't hold up. However, if it were to be built underground, then the wind cannot blow the tarp to smithereens.
Another idea is to use concrete bags without mixing the concrete. Just leave the concrete in the bag, and let the rain seep in and harden it. Stack the bags up about 3 feet high, while starting in the ground 3 more feet, and you have six feet of head room.
Pile that dirt from the hole back on top of the concrete. Then all you have is a big mound, but underneath you have a livable area that is out of the elements.
Of course, you still need to cover the roof. The cattle panels will just outline the inner ceiling. Perhaps some insulation can go between roof and ceiling.
A bit more thought yields the thought that animals may find their way into the structure. It would have to be fenced in, and screened. Access could come from a ground-floor type arrangement.
The ground floor will be a fenced in area, with a ladder that would allow access to the lower floor.
Post holes would be dug in at the lower floor, and rise 8 feet about ground level. The roof would be placed on top of this. The dirt berm would rise 3 feet, and backed by the concrete bags. At the top of this, cattle panels would go all around.
This plan is incomplete. More thought is necessary, as the idea is new.
Boots and Oil Blog: Building advice from an old pro https://t.co/3iUCSg5hgg— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) May 24, 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Framing square tips
Comment:
This is a lot bigger than I imagined. It is a big project, I mean. But I've been working on it for over five years now, so it has to be a bit big. For me, that is.
This is a lot bigger than I imagined. It is a big project, I mean. But I've been working on it for over five years now, so it has to be a bit big. For me, that is.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Monday, September 2, 2019
Building roof truss systems for shed, barn, or tiny house
Comment:
One of these days I will finalize a plan for building out there. One of these days.
One of these days I will finalize a plan for building out there. One of these days.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Footings, beams, and floors
How to pour concrete footings
How to attach a beam to a post
How to level a shed floor
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Screens for windows, doors
I'll want doors and windows on my buildings. To allow free exchange of fresh air without the annoyance of flying insects, some screens will be desirable. Here's how to make them.
It appears easy enough.
It appears easy enough.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Wood Stud Wall Framing
Another set of pointers on how to do this stuff.
no windows or doors:
window or door:
no windows or doors:
window or door:
Six part video series: Building a shed
The shed he builds here looks very nice. The instructions are quite detailed, so even a not so hot carpenter could put it together.
I'll refer to it in the future. Best to have it up here and now.
Part 1: The floor:
Part 2: The walls
Part 3 : Building and installing rafters
Part 4: Installing sheet metal roof
Part 5: Installing a metal roll-up door
Part 6: Installing vinyl siding
I'll refer to it in the future. Best to have it up here and now.
Part 1: The floor:
Part 2: The walls
Part 3 : Building and installing rafters
Part 4: Installing sheet metal roof
Part 5: Installing a metal roll-up door
Part 6: Installing vinyl siding
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Woodworking tips for ....
dummies? No, beginners. Same thing, huh?
Some of these may be useful. Maybe they all will be useful, what the heck. Worth reviewing again sometime in the future, so I'm putting it up.
Some of these may be useful. Maybe they all will be useful, what the heck. Worth reviewing again sometime in the future, so I'm putting it up.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
DOZR
Well, this is a tweet embedded here to remind me to look into this one of these days. It is supposed to be like Uber for heavy equipment, like bulldozers ---- get it?
In other words, rent the big equipment for a reasonable price.
Worth checking out.
In other words, rent the big equipment for a reasonable price.
Worth checking out.
Earthworks nation.#Construction #Earthmoving #HeavyEquipment #ConstructionLifestyle #ConstructingHistory #mgicorp pic.twitter.com/aEy9QnvZeY— MGI Construction (@mgicorp_) May 1, 2019
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