John C Daley

OK, some its unimproved and some are improved, but a coat of paint would not send you broke!

It looks like a 'broom' finish which is non slip.
That slab may have been poured for a patio and then had a shed built over it!
Sanding may be possible, as may a skim coat as suggested, and an epoxy paint that has some thickness may work as well.
I have seen old carpet or a thick vinyl laid.
floor squares
PS car is an Aussie muscle car Ford Falcon GTS HO - homelgated for racing

This shouldn't impact taxes unless we go with using a pool for water storage.  That COULD impact both our taxes and property insurance.

I am stunned to read this comment.
What size of change in tax would you believe would happen if you created an improvement in the water supplY?
How would anybody know what you had done?
Is any potential change in tax be worth while preventing the improvement.
I have 'herd' of people not painting their house for for of a tax increase?
Is that possible?

I got lost somewhere in this article.
I have to ask, did the picnikers have cold coffee by the time they understood what they were demonstrating?
I understand the lever principles, I use them a lot.
I understand Thermodynamics and its laws,
I know about British Thermal Units [ BTU ]
I have a solar absorber.
I have some questions;
- what is the distance between the fridge and the cool stream?
- will the picnikers sit near the stream with the mosquitos or in the sun 100ft away?
- what device will exiting between the stream and the fridge?
How many picnikers are there so I can replicate the experiment?
regards

I have one of those and the Video will be interesting to watch and learn from.
I purchased mine in Australia from a bloke who modified them first before selling them.
Very clever on his part.

Sometimes cooperatives or associations have deals with insurance.

After the roof extensions I would a lime plaster thinly to the patches that require attention, and build up the thickness as required.
People forget that earth buildings need regular inspection and maintenance.
Looks great anyway.
PS when you extend the roof, install a gutter to catch water so it does not splash against the wall and use that water.

You are located on what may be known as an 'ephemeral' wetland, meaning lasting for a short time.

I live in Bendigo Australia which has very hot summers.
I work in the area of making small homes liveable.
From the photo I notice a few extra things that may help you;
- catch the water out of the spouting in the front in a 5000 gal water tank located somewhere. My signature has a link.
- Cover the skylights and relevant windows on the inside with a reflective film like this one renshade-reflective-rolls-for-hot-skylights
- install a 'safari' roof or wall panel to reduce the penetration of heat from direct sunlight, I will explain that.
- install a temperature controlled exhaust fan high in the roof space or the loft or both. Power operated are better because they work when its dark and still hot.
power operated roof vent
 https://www.ecohome.net/guides/3630/why-roofs-need-to-be-ventilated-how-to-install-roof-ventilation-vents-fans-methods-building-code-us-canada/
- Do you have a flat plate solar water heating system? They would work well there .

Safari roof design.
This is a system I created after observing similar systems on homes in the tropics, and on some vehicles.
It is a secondary roof or wall panel which is not weatherproof and fits over existing weatherproof surfaces.
There are two varieties;
- single layer no insulation
- double layer with reflective insulation.
It could be described as a shade panel for a surface.
They are constructed to shade an existing roof or wall and have air flowing between the two.
1 Fit 50mm metal battens running up the roof or wall to the surface.2
2  Install a good quality reflecting insulating material to the battens
3 Attach a second lot of 50mm steel battens at right angles to the first layer, IE horizontally
4 Attach the new roof or wall sheeting to second lot of battens.

I would not encourage the use of hand tools for what you are planning.
There is much written about construction techniques, if you cannot find something let us know?
Well built swales do not need silt, they maybe wide and need to have the volume to hold runoff water.
If you have too many, only the top one may fill.
What is your rainfall and how big is the paddock?