Shelter
Anything related to shelter. Buildings, homes, tents, makeshift shelters, caves, etc. Includes innovative architecture, new and traditional building techniques, hiding from tornadoes, etc…
By Ben on June 1, 2010
Posted in Featured Posts, Food, Gear, Shelter, Tools, Water | Tagged backpacking, Bob, camping, clothing, fire, hiking, off-grid, sleeping gear, stoves, survival, tents, TEOTWAWKI, water purification, wilderness |
This is another great set of tips from my online buddy, Bob. He is a genuinely self-sufficient soul, living off the grid somewhere on the North American continent.
This time around, Bob discusses the optimal backpacking setup.
——————–
My standard list of backpacking gear has changed very little in the past twenty years.
I favor fairly heavy leather boots [...]
By Ben on May 20, 2010
Posted in DIY, Featured Posts, MacGyver, Shelter | Tagged Bob, camping, glue, instructional, makeshift shelter, rope, tarp, teepee, tipi, wilderness |
This is another great how-to from my online buddy, Bob. He is a genuinely self-sufficient soul, living off the grid somewhere on the North American continent.
This time around, Bob breaks down the art and science of building a quick-and-easy teepee (tipi).
—————–
A few days before Christmas I had a sudden hankering for a Teepee. Don’t ask [...]
By Harold on May 12, 2010
Posted in DIY, Featured Posts, Shelter | Tagged architecture, beer bottle uses, documentary, earthships, off-grid, rainwater, reuse, self-sufficiency, solar power, tire uses, unusual houses, video |
This inspiring documentary is about Michael Reynolds quest to build self-sustaining homes, using trash gathered from the local environment. Called Earthships, he uses tires, dirt, plastic and glass bottles as building materials to craft these uniquely designed houses. Earthships have the ability to stay at 70 degrees ambient temperature, even in freezing weather without gas [...]
By Ben on May 7, 2010
Posted in Shelter | Tagged architecture, green building, railroad, recycling, renovation, reuse, unusual houses |
WebUrbanist posted this fantastic compilation of old railroad cars turned into living and working spaces.
With the mortgage industry in trouble and more people making the shift toward green housing, reusing train cars as homes is a logical step. Like shipping containers, it’s relatively easy to do the conversion yourself, provided you have the resources to [...]
By Ben on April 25, 2010
Posted in News and Views, Shelter, Technology | Tagged anarchist societies, Cato Institute, debate, homesteading, lecture, Patri Friedman, seasteading, video |
This is a video from a Cato Institute talk (and debate) on the subject of seasteading. The pros and cons are discussed, the talk provides a very informative look into the concept. The points and rebuttals made shed light on some of the contingencies that must be accounted for with this type of theoretical venture. [...]
By Harold on April 18, 2010
Posted in Featured Posts, Shelter | Tagged architecture, beer bottle uses, off-grid, sustainable living, unusual houses |
Uniquely designed, self-sustaining, and made of recycled or natural materials, these homes are the brainchild of renegade bioarchitect Michael Reynolds. Based in New Mexico, his goal is to create self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. He uses discarded modern by-products found locally, and integrates them into construction materials that can be [...]
By Ben on April 14, 2010
Posted in Shelter | Tagged building methods, climate, green building, passive solar, Sustainable Sources |
Sustainable Sources provides a fantastic overview for anyone considering building a passive solar home.
They cover not only the various design types, but also ways to choose the right one for your particular climate, tips on financing these homes, and a variety of other useful information.
Be sure to check out Build It Solar’s handy list of [...]
By Ben on April 10, 2010
Posted in Shelter, Transportation | Tagged 4x4, bug-out, camper, camping, off-road, recreation, Sportsmobile, van |
Got $60,000-$90,000 lying around? You might want to consider decking out your Ford van in style. Sportsmobile West is offering this conversion for “Ford E350 Regular/Extended Body Vans.” It looks like the total package: Camper, off-road-vehicle, heavy-duty transportation — the ultimate bug-out HQ!
The Sportsmobile 4WD Vehicle is for the most discerning of off-road enthusiasts. Only the [...]
By Ben on April 3, 2010
Posted in Physical, Shelter | Tagged architecture, beer bottle uses, Buddhist, construction methods, small buildings, unusual houses |
About a year ago, a group of resourceful Buddhist monks completed an ambitious “recycling” project: Constructing a temple using over a million beer bottles. Their work included some pretty serious pattern work and color coordination. They did not simply throw bottles around willy-nilly! Check out more photos of the complex at Treehugger.
The Buddhist monks began [...]
By Ben on March 19, 2010
Posted in Physical, Shelter | Tagged camper, car living, Gypsy, LA, off-grid, van |
LA Weekly has posted a vivid, 5-page article about five modern-day Gypsies living in North America. Their stories are varied, but each — in his or her own way — has a desire to live outside the bounds of convention.
Some found their way to this mobile life by accident. Others, like Easy (person number five in [...]
By Ben on March 5, 2010
Posted in Featured Posts, Physical, Shelter | Tagged architecture, mountain, Switzerland, unusual houses |
I love this type of architecture. Clean, simple, unique. Sadly, there’s not too much information I can find about the thinking behind this design; but to my imagination it is one that could take advantage from natural light and passive solar heating, based on its orientation. More photos and a little more information can be [...]
By Ben on March 4, 2010
Posted in Featured Posts, Mental, News and Views, Physical, Shelter | Tagged anarchism, builders, energy-efficiency, fake anarchy, milwaukee |
A builder in Milwaukee is constructing two very efficient homes that are said to have “monthly utility bills less than $30 combined.”
Apparently some folks in the neighborhood don’t like the relatively pricy real-estate’s arrival, and so decided to make a statement to that effect:
The words “Die yuppie scum” were scrawled across the project sign… That [...]
