The "Structure"

So, Taylor tacked this link with a video of a geodesic dome onto the end of another thread and since the structure (be it cabin or what not) is pretty important, I thought it would be a good idea to give it its own thread.

(By the way, the link he included was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoYo3Lpqgsw&feature=related)

Especially considering the squatting aspect and the fact that the more likely places for you to find wilderness may not necessarily have a lot of trees, or at least not a lot of trees that would be good for cabin building, have you guys thought of alternative structures at all? Geodesic domes are supposedly the strongest structures in the world for their size (or something like that) and are said to be very easy to heat because of the innate air circulation. Building something like a geodesic dome or a yurt (which the mongolian nomads live in) or even a classic wall tent would give you a safe, solid, warm structure, but would also give you the option of packing up and moving somewhere else if the need arose.

It would also give you more flexibility in where you ultimately end up since you won't have to base that exclusively on whether or not there are trees available. I think it would also prove to be less drafty, unless you're planning on bringing an awful lot of expandable foam with you.

Another "bush structure" I've seen built is one that utilizes one of the most annoying Alaskan features god ever created -- Alders. Alders are a kind of willowy/brushy tree that grow out in every which direction from a common root source and form thick, nearly impenetrable barriers. (You better add a machete to that packing list, BTW.)

What people do is pull the alders together in a kind of living teepee, tying them with a heavy cord when needed, but mostly just intertwining them. I don't know what you would use to cover them, perhaps spruce boughs or something. It could be leaky, but I imagine whatever roof you came up with for a cabin would be no better.

I would seriously think about learning how to build a yurt or geodesic dome out of on site materials and covering it with tarp or plastic which you bring with you and then having the option to cover THAT with other on site materials.

Also, what are you going to do about heat? Stoves are so much more efficient that an open fire, any ideas on how to get a stove out with you?

Well as for the Geodesic domes they do seem like a good strtucture but maybie only for temperary use depending on the terrain and conditions ( that is just by watching the youtube video) it seems kinda of flimsy.

I would still go with a cabin, simply because you can almost be certain it will last through almost any condition. Heres some links of a basic cabin blue print, just a simple structure but you can see how easy it realy is and how much we could improve it with the right man and/or women power and the right resorces.

http://www.2020site.org/cabin/firststeps.html
http://www.2020site.org/cabin/roof.html
http://www.2020site.org/cabin/roof.html

I forget what it all mentions in the links so just to make sure, I believe someone asked about being able to keep wind, rain and whatever else out of a cabin. Simply mixing mud and small grains of sand together makes a pretty strong ciment, good enough to keep wind from coming through walls. As for keeping rain out im pretty sure using grass, leaves, branches etc could do pretty well considering. I've also seen on a sight that I found a while ago that you can actualy dig out blocks of grass including dirt and roots (about 1' x 1' and about 2"-3" down) and use as a kind of green house shingles. kinda of interesting ;p....

I have thought about this one long and hard. Being a carpenter, I kept thinking there must be a way to build a solid, leak-proof roof. Finally it dawned on me. Using pine sap, make pitch.

Here is a link to the world of wonders of pitch:

http://dynamiteskills.blogspot.com/2008/04/pitch-survival-epoxy.html

This stuff is everything... a glue, insulator, and a leak-proof caulking. If we could tap plenty of pine trees (which can't be all that hard), we could make pitch and then chop shingles off logs in some fashion. If we coated them with the pitch, it would have to make a leak-proof shingle, I'm sure of it. If not that exact idea, then I'm sure something closely related would work.

As for heat, Rachel... I have had a plan in mind to build a fireplace inside the cabin. Not just a typical fireplace connected to an outside wall, but one that sits in the middle of the room, radiating heat from all directions, not just one. Those are the most efficient heating fireplaces.

Building a fireplace is not that hard, with rock and clay (or mud). Fluing it up will be a bit of a challenge, but completely do-able. As long as the chimney sticks up out of the roof for 3 1/2 feet or more, it will vent out the smoke properly. With no cement to use, I'm sure the clay or mud mortar would wear out periodically. It may be an annual or bi-annual event to have to re-mortar the rock.

While I'm sure the Geodesic Dome is incredibly strong for what you'd expect from such a flimsy looking structure, I don't think I'd care to entrust my survival to it. And even if you did, where would you get the wood, which looks to be planks of 2x2's? If you had 2x4's with you, ripping them in half on a tablesaw is enough of a chore itself (if you've ever done that), let alone if you had to hand rip them with an axe or hatchet from a log. It's a nifty idea... but I would personally feel more comfortable with a sturdy cabin!

I'd completely forgotten about the "green roof" idea. It's actually very traditional in this climate zone. Definitely keep referencing traditional building methods for the area, because I'm not completely sure that the chinking you're referring to is feasible for this area. Most areas has a low availability of clay, a lot of glacier silt in some areas, and mostly I just question the constitution of most soils for that kind of thing. (Are you familiar with cob building? It's something I've looked into and I'm not sure it's possible here.)

Also, we don't have pine trees here. We have a lot of spruce and alder and birch and willow and such, but no pine, strictly speaking. Is spruce pitch a possible alternative?

As for the geodesic dome, what appealed to me most for your situation is the temporary nature of it. You could strip down small sapling sized trees for the frame work and tie it together with green bark strips or cord or something. Like I said, very strong structure, but if someone showed up and told you to get lost you could easily tear it down and move the necessary items, leaving the heavy wood part behind because you could find them on the new site.

It seems much more sustainable to me.

anarchyintheak wrote:
As for the geodesic dome, what appealed to me most for your situation is the temporary nature of it. You could strip down small sapling sized trees for the frame work and tie it together with green bark strips or cord or something. Like I said, very strong structure, but if someone showed up and told you to get lost you could easily tear it down and move the necessary items, leaving the heavy wood part behind because you could find them on the new site.

It seems much more sustainable to me.

I agree.

Spruce sap (pitch) would work. Spruce is a pine, so it would sap well.

Thinking about the Geodesic Dome, I would still feel better building a cabin, but then build the dome as a back up. If kicked off the land, then you could drag the dome out and live in it, until you could rebuild. I guess I can't see how you'd insulate the thing, without permanent additions which would make it immobile anyway.

Interesting though!

John