Daniel Ray

Love seeing this. I offer a dorodango class at the library every year and it is a huge hit!

Hi everyone, we have a number of workshops now open for registration on our website. Visit https://www.spiritwoodnaturalbuilding.com/workshops to check out the details!

There are a few threads that discuss using sand as a battery. It probably is as effective as the pebble style, but an 800 cubic foot mass would have a time warming up to past 200 without a monster stove. My 8" batch rocket runs through a cob mass of 2x4x8 (64 cubic feet) and heats up to 115 max when burned once per day. I suppose you could burn throughout the day, but I think the heat might not be able to transmit quick enough to allow adequate storage without a huge loss of efficiency going out the chimney.

Possibly overkill on size: If warmed up to max temp, my stove will keep my 900 square feet quite warm for over a week in sub zero temps. Plus, being partially bermed, your geothermal gain might prevent freezing.

Hello, could I get some clarification about the size of the system? 16.5 to 17 square? What measurements are you using "inches, millimeter, etc."? Is it a 12" batch box or am I completely lost?

What is your current sidewinder size and bell sizes as well?

The feed tunnel (A) is approx 5"x 5". The burn tunnel (B) is approximately 5" x 9" and the riser is 20" x 5"

Yes, try to keep it consistent throughout.  Once the gases get to the riser they are moving too slow. It should speed up and rocket much more once the burn tunnel and riser are down to 5x5"--or better yet--get it all to 8" and you'll have no issues boiling the water.

It will be hard to get good temps when there isn't any insulation. I'm not sure what those bricks you used are made from but they will grab a lot of the heat from the burn without insulation. They also look to be quite thick and will take up even more heat. 5" is also quite small.

Lastly, the measurements seem odd, what are your measurements of the lengths of each area and what is the cross sectional area  of each area?

Seems your schedule is filling quickly Paul, but if next spring you want a Bitterroot visit, we would be glad to host in Victor--give a tour of the property and the builds/growies here.

Doesn't sound like a mistake to me. You've made a rubble trench foundation which is a very effective foundation method. My cob house has a lot of water around the house which is also on a hill, so I have a rubble trench foundation that drains further below the property as well as a "french drain, curtain drain, rubble drain, etc." protecting the upper elevation side of the house. You could always add an extra drain as suggested by Glenn.

Sounds like the earthen floor didn't get a moisture barrier beneath it, the mold is common for earth floors that are built allowing vapor migration from below grade up onto the surface.

Hi everyone,
Happy 2025 and we hope to see you this summer for our natural building workshops in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana.
2025 Workshops

Hello everyone,

Looking to just connect with permies in the Puna District of Hawaii. I'm looking to purchase one of the three acre lots around Hawaiian Acres this fall as a longer term investment (permaculture not monetary). I've spent time on the island and am going back in October hopefully to view a few of the listings--not looking to clear and build right away, but i've outlined a few goals below.

1. clear pockets of the property to plant food forests to establish long term food production (1-5 years)
2. hand clear a small driveway for future build (3-5 years)
3.  Build outbuildings such as composting toilet, shower, kitchen (3--5 years)
4. Continue to interplant food systems (5-10 years)
5.  Build small home and live seasonally (10-15 years).

I'm knowledgeable of most of the hardships of this area, but the greatest issue I see is the lack of any sort of community in the area. Are there other permies living in the area willing to connect?