Tom Connolly

Maybe a little complicated.  If I have as earthbag house that is mostly underground - roof is covered with soil also....inside, before covering the earth bags...would it be efficient to make a rmh on the floor, right up against the earth bags....with a long flu (if that is what the exhaust tube is called) that is placed at a slight incline?  The earth bags would probably be covered with some kind of mass to protect the bags...the rmh would be 6" wide...and maybe put papercrete on the walls above the rmh against the earth bags.

I recently saw an article about a 3d printer that made a 1911 pistol.  They fired 5,000 bullets through it, no problem.  The problem is, the machine costs $250,000 and it cost them about $6,000 in materials to make it!

Plans for a 3D printer windmill :)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2060281

Tony Hawkins wrote:Tom, I'm in western Nevada. Not sure of the nearest city and your budget, but you can rent a truck, trailer, and skidsteer from Reno for ~$2K for about a week which is probably way more than you need. I'll dig small holes with hand tools but anything resembling real work (trenching, grading, road building, etc) I'll call in the little-big-guns like a skidsteer or mini excavator. If you have any friends in construction they very well might own one. I paid a friend for gas, bought food for the weekend, and gave him $100/day. He brought a skidsteer out and did some work, showed me how to use it, watched me from a lawn chair while he drank a beer and yelled instructions at me, etc.

Thanks - that is helpful information!  Yes, I am hoping to do some research, make some measurements (property dimensions, wind, etc) and make a plan for the use of the whole lot.  At that point, I can rent some heavy equipment - especially with a hole digger - and get my $$$ worth!

John C Daley wrote:Is it practical in that area to collect rainwater off the roof and store it in tanks.
If you have 20,000L tanks no treatment will be needed.
Its something I deal with all the time in Australia, but I am not familiar with your geography and its weather.

I notice East Nevada may get 10 inches of rain a year.
If you had a roof of 100m2, that would give you 20,000L per annum.
Would that be enough?

Thanks for your thoughts.  If I were building a free standing home, that would not be a problem for living purposes.  I hope (dream) to have a green house growing veggies hydroponically, so that will up the H20 requirements a bit.  Also, one of the reason why I am looking for hilly land is to be able to build a house into the side of the hill and take advantage of the thermal mass that offers....I still may need a utility building, which might fulfill the need...and the greenhouse also.

I am looking at some land in the desert that is very hilly.  It is about 6,000 feet up, so high to begin with.  Out of 10 acres, there is probably 3 that are reasonably flat.  If I buy land like this, I was thinking I could use some of the inclines, hills and small valleys as natural collection "panels" and aquifers to direct water to where I want it for household use.  My first thought would be to try to develop some really healthy ground cover on the slopes to hold the soil in place.  Any thoughts about doing this?

I am looking at some land in the desert that is very hilly.  It is about 6,000 feet up, so high to begin with.  Out of 10 acres, there is probably 3 that are reasonably flat.  If I buy land like this, I was thinking I could use some of the inclines, hills and small valleys as natural collection "panels" and aquifers to direct water to where I want it for household use.  My first thought would be to try to develop some really healthy ground cover on the slopes to hold the soil in place.  Any thoughts about doing this?

Interesting topic.  I may have missed this...but what kind of rainfall do you have in Greece?  and in other places mentioned?  I get about 10" a year, sprinkled throughout the year, plus snow in the winter.  Topsoil?  There is a bit...I was thinking of renting a backhoe with an auger to dig holes down through the hard pan in hopes that at some point there is moisture potential...than backfilling the holes with crushed soil and something to keep it a bit loose - not totally compost.

I will go home this summer and will be able to take some better pics to show you - I will also look at the property a little differently, after getting your advice.
Thanks!

I have property in the NE corner of Nevada...the actual location depends on which way the wind is blowing ;)  There are dirt roods to access the lots in that area but they are very rough.  4x4's, AWD and even 2x4 can do it but they take a beating.  The ground is really hard.  After you get below an inch or so, you need a pick to keep on digging.  I am looking for options to smooth things out a bit that are both relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly.  Not using heavy equipment is not likely to be an option.  It is about a half mile of dirt road. I have thought about accumulating compost over a year and then bringing in a bulldozer with a "plow type" attachment at the back to break up the soil, then adding compost to it and possibly gravel or sand, and planting some kind of local ground cover to keep the soil in place.  This is probably a poor idea, but I have spent the past years studying ways to build houses and not roads.