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Affordable Housing from Scratch
May 7th, 2009
The property is raw. There is nothing there but trees and moss. The land is very dry and there is no obvious water source. There is no power. The terrain is extremely rough with loose sandstone boulders, and undulating ridges. There are no clearings and there is no access road.
In order to comply with my local government a few key things need to be in place. Is it easy to become overwhelmed with the bureacracy if this is something that you have never done before. There are a couple of important things that ecclipse others in terms of legalities.
Firstly, goverment officials will insist that there needs to be a human-waste management system that is approved by the ministry of health. In rural areas not connected to the sewer, this means a septic tank. There are endless ways to set up a wastewater management system, depending on the terrain, materials available and the needs of your household.
Secondly, there needs to be a potable water-supply. (Oh, that silly government! requiring you to have drinking water on your property!) In the case of my place. I would probably need to get in a professional dowser to find a promising drilling spot and drill as deep as 300 feet to reach the possible groundwater. Living near water has always been a human trend that is starting to make extreme sense.
To get power to the site, Several power poles are going to need to be added from the main road. Small-scale alternative energy is a bit prohibitive on the site that I am building on. There is no sustained sunshine, very little wind, and no creek or stream. The only way to have self-sustaining abundant power would be to set up something such as a geo-thermal system.
So far, Just having site amenities may put me in the position of later living in a tent. So, I am going to be using recycled housing. This means an old-unwanted mobile home or similar set-up. And I am finding there are many many opportunites to recycle housing and this is a very viable option. Check this website out for example, nickelbros.com. These houses are being saved from demolishment. A bit out of my price range but regardless, less than a quarter of my budget will be spent on the actual shelter.
Not including time spent researching or having insomnia. I have a timeframe of one month to make this happen. You laugh! (So do I sometimes, but I am very determined.) This will include time spent on site clearing and removing trees, having a septic system installed. Developing a water storage system and source. Arranging to have power to the site as well as filing permits, and finally, finding a starter building and having it located there.
It looks as though I will be able to use a mix of natural building methods and conventional methods to achieve my recycled housing project. Stay-tuned!
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Garden Series Cob Workshop. June 6-7
April 1st, 2009
Learn to build a Cob Garden Wall and Bench
In Nanaimo this spring, The mudgirls will be teaching the first of a series of natural building workshops at the Nanaimo comunity gardens. We saw this space as somewhere that could use a little fun and artistic cob, and rather than work on private property we wanted to do a project that was accessible to the community as well as bringing some traffic and energy to a public space.During the weekend we will be going through the steps of building a cob garden wall and bench with most of the time dedicated to hands-on building. This is a great opportunity to really get your hands into the project and leave your creative mark. The focus will really be on the artistic possibilities of cob. Participants will explore scupture, mosaic, bottle designs and other fun and sculptural elements.
This is a workshop for adults but mudgirls continue to make their workshops parent accessible by offering full childcare for the entire workshop at no extra cost.
Registration fee for the weekend is $175 per individual. Group rates are also available. We are also offering two free bartering spaces for those who are financially challenged. To register for the workshop please contact me at chelseybraham@hotmail.com.
you can check out the mudgirls website at www.mudgirls.ca
Nanaimo is an easy journey from Vancouver. an hour and 35 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe bay brings you here.
Next Weekend Workshops take place May 23/24, and June 6/7
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The 3 Day Foundation
March 28th, 2009
I just got back from Salt Spring island where we built the foundation for a camp kitchen. Three of us moved all the rock to the site and built the foundation by hand in just over 3 days. The stones are all dry stacked without mortar and rely on purely a proper fit to keep them in place. The wall may look chaotic but you can jump and dance around on the wall and the stones won’t budge. That is the essence of a dry stack stone wall.
The foundation for bench seating and cob table is also built into the foundation. The walls start at 18″ and taper to a 12″ at the top of the wall. Cob walls will be built next at a width of 12″. Posts rest on concrete piers set into the ground for this structure and the stones are stacked around them . The foundation will be pointed later with cob to fill in any cracks and reduce drafts. This structure will serve as a kitchen and eating area for researchers staying at this camp on Salt Spring island.
If you are interested in hiring the mudgirls please visit www.mudgirls.ca We are well organized and available for jobs on and around vancouver island. You can also contact me with any questions about our building methods or designs.
the mudgirls rockin the rocks
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Living without a Fridge in the City
February 20th, 2009
The urban environment is especially suited to living with either no refrigerator or a scale-downed cooling system. With population density comes easy access to fresh foods at most times of the day, and it can become a real pleasure to shop for fresh food daily.
I undertook my fridge-less experiment two years ago, and I have never regretted it! also, i’m still alive!! and I have been learning some extremely interesting things about food and storage techniques.
Refrigeration certainly will prolong the life of foods, it is however, entirely dependent on a stable electricity supply and this weakness quickly becomes clear in a power failure.
And, of course, the other reason for rethinking the refrigerator is the use of Freon, a nasty ozone-depleting gas. Although honestly, my main reason for rejecting the refrigerator was the horrible background noise it produces, not to mention the distint click-click-gurgle my particular beast had developed.
Food Storage Tips:
Below are some tips to storing food for longer than a day. My ease of adapting to life without a fridge is helped by the fact that I don’t drink milk, so I can’t comment on an alternative way to store milk.
Fruits and vegetables: buy fresh daily, store in a cool dry place
Greens: greens, and chives can be stored like cut flowers, in a container with a bit of water at the bottom.
Eggs: eggs last a very long time if rotated every few days
Yogurt and Cheeses: Last just fine for several days, In fact this is how alternatives to dairy products came into being, to extend the shelf-life of fresh milk.
Sauces, and condiments: most commercial condiments are so full of preservatives and do not actually require refrigeration. Most can be stored for 6 months after opening. Any degradation that may occur can be seen or smelt. Sauces that are going to be boiled or cooked are fine to store in a pantry, as well. However it is very convenient to buy in small quantities and eat within a few days
Fresh Meat: buy daily. wrap in paper to keep cool until ready to eat, cook thoroughly.
Sausages, preserved meats: It is easy to find sausages and jerkys that do not require refrigeration. wrap in paper and store in the pantry. A local butcher shop may have air-dried sausages. (In Nanaimo, you can find them at Nesvog’s)
Homemade soups: Large soups can be left on top of the stove in the pot they were cooked in for 24 hours. Put the lid on to maintain sterile conditions and bring to boiling again when ready to eat the next day.
Alternatives to the conventional fridge:
Evaporation coolers: a basic design consists of a porous clay pot placed inside a larger clay pot. The space between is filled with sand and kept moist. The evaporation produces a cooling effect.
Thermoelectric cooling: this is what I use at home if I really need to cool something. The premise simplified is that an electric current is run through a series of plates. One side gets hot, and one side gets cold. the current can be reversed to produce either a cooling or a heating effect. Peltier coolers are easy to get and completely functional, they are compact, quiet and contain no mysterious gasses or chemicals.
Outside: It’s winter, you are heating your home, yet cooling a small portion again. hmmm…
If you are wanting to get back in touch with your food, consume more fresh foods. rethinking the way you store food is in order. It could mean switching to a smaller under the counter fridge or a very desirable (but more expensive) refridgerated drawer system (so nice). Search for peltier coolers and you will find a suprising choice of nifty little machines!
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Mudgirls tour Eco-sense house and O.U.R Ecovillage
February 15th, 2009
Vancouver Island has some inspiring sites for those interested in Alternative construction. I recently went on a tour with some Vancouver Island builders of two very interesting examples of sustainable architecture.
We visited the Eco-sense house located in the highlands just north of Victoria, BC, and I have to say it was the most fascinating cob home that I have seen and a great example of a fully functional and code approved cob dwelling. It was beautifully finished and contained endless examples of sustainable design.
The house was built completely of cob (sand, clay and straw), mixed by roto-tiller, and is an amazing example of an engineered loadbearing earthen structure. The walls rest on a concrete foundation, which in itself was innovative design. The house is powered by solar panels which draw power from the city grid during the winter months and give power back in the summertime! The property contained so many examples of great design that it was almost impossible to take them all in. ( It was the Disneyland of natural building!) The specs on the house were incredible. check it out at www.eco-sense.ca
The other stop on our tour was O.U.R. Ecovillage in Shawnigan Lake. We learned the fascinating history of the Ecovillage which is a sustainable learning centre and demonstration site. The property was originally a farm with a single house but was able to be rezoned through a long and transformative process which resulted in the inspiring place it is now. The Ecovillage contains great examples of permaculture design, and beautiful architecture incorporating recycled building materials and inspires and teached thousands of people annually. Visit them at www.ourecovillage.org
The folks at both Eco-sense and O.U.R. Ecovillage have worked tirelessly with building professionals and city officials to begin to revolutionalize the building code in BC. It was wonderful to see how this type of building can change hearts and minds!
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All Woman Building Crew Show Off Their Skills!
December 2nd, 2008
The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective may be best known for taking natural building to an extreme with their commitment to local materials. They have been building homes and studios using a building material called cob. Cob is a sculptable mix of sand, clay, straw and water, and creates strong and charming buildings.
The Mudgirls have been building with cob and other alternative building materials on the gulf islands and remote areas of Vancouver Island for the past three years, including building walls with Wattle and Daub, an ancient building practice that is currently being revived.
They have been exploring the world of natural building and have been travelling all over western BC to work on some very unique properties. Some of the properties they have travelled to to build on include farms, quirky restaurants, people living off the grid, retreat centres and b&bs. Some of these clients have been building small cabins in order to rent out and gain income from their property.
There is definitely room for natural building to find a place in the urban environment as well with eco- renovations being the newest techniques the mudgirls are exploring.
“There is definitely some confusion in the world regarding the popular term green . Our goal is to strip away some of the green washing out there and show people what they can do with the materials in their own backyards.” says one fiesty mudgirl.
The Mudgirls, are hosting a project showcase on Dec. 6 at the & Loan Gallery. The public is invited to come and check out samples of the types of natural finishes that can be applied to drywall, or other common wall surfaces.
The Dec. 6th event will showcase a variety of natural plasters and paints. Expect to see examples of the creative side of these practical plasters, whose consistency lends itself to sculptural raised-releif. There will also be samples of clay-based natural pigment paint, which can be applied directly to natural or conventional walls for a finished but earthy look with no volatile organic compounds.
Also on display will be samples of the building technique known as wattle and daub, and a some fresh cob for visitors to see and feel. The event will be open between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., and the & Loan Gallery is located at 33 Victoria Crescent in downtown Nanaimo.
check us out at www.mudgirls.ca
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Energy Management, Indoor Environmental Quality and LEED
December 2nd, 2008
I had a friend of mine who is a renovations carpenter recently say to me that green builders really annoy them. The special materials are all over-priced, and require special ways of installing. Green building is currently in the process of being defined (please see the canadian green building council website www.cagbc.org ), but it generally does use some new engineered technologies and innovations that old school carpenters may not be familiar with, making it more expensive and more difficult to do. This raises the question of whether or not it is worth the added cost and trouble, that is if you can find someone who really knows how to do it.
Doing it properly is the key. Green building is meant to address all parts of the building simultaneously, creating a system that works together as healthfully and harmoniously as possible. Energy use, water use, and air quality are all important design elements, and all need to work together. This really requires a whole new way of designing buildings, and raises the question of how the new “green” building products can really integrate themselves into the old way of doing things. Using just one or two green building products to raise your buildings profile may be a hazardous proposal, and not to your benefit. Here is a story that may illustrate my point.
I went to a new “urban eclectic” condo development recently to look around. The units were well-priced, not too expensive at all, and modern looking. The sales person told me that they could not create affordable units using green building, but that they did go as far as to have triple paned LEED quality windows. (tapping the glass) As I walked around I noticed the new carpet, linoleum, adhesive attached plastic tub surround, mdf mouldings. Pretty much everything else in the building was as gluey and manufactured as you can get. I could smell the formaldehyde from the carpet. Suddenly the triple-paned barely-openable green windows made the condo seem like a death trap! Holy Shit! Get some fresh air in here people! I’m not a crazy person! Am I really the only one who can smell this?!
Green building, with LEED as its forerunner, is primarily concerned with efficient energy management. LEED stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Using Energy efficiently is in itself is a noble cause, however the energy that it is using efficiently is often the same old fossil fuels. This is a recognized drawback to believing in LEED being the future of sustainable design. Sealing the building completely so that you can utilize every square inch of hot air your gas furnace or geothermal heating system pumps out seems to make sense to conserve energy but the danger is there, especially if you go halfway like the condo developers did, of trapping dangerous fumes inside your house with you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at green building products:
How is this made? What sort of chemicals does it contain? What sort of processing does it undergo?
Where is this made? How far did each component travel before getting here?
How is this really going to benefit me? and most importantly, How will this work with the rest of my building? -
Outdoor Kitchen
October 1st, 2008
Imagine cooking outside for half the year. It doesn’t need to be on a open fire under a dripping tarp. This plan for a cob outdoor kitchen features 3/4 height walls with undulating built in seating. Simple post and beam construction supports a metal roof. A cob pizza oven is built into the design.
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Small-scale living at its finest.
October 1st, 2008
I just got back from the Courtenay area where myself and two other women did a rough coat of finishing plaster on small cob and strawbale cottage.
The building itself was lovely and an excellent example of small scale living arrangements designed in a very thoughtful way. The cottage has a lower floor built from stone and cob and is just over 100 square feet. The structure was built with round posts and beams and counters and granite shelving and benches were beautifully sculpted into the cob walls, maximizing the use of space in such a small area.
The second floor is the exciting part. The structure cantilevers several feet over the first floor walls to create a spacious sleeping area. The second floor walls were constructed of lighter wood and recycled windows. The north wall is built entirely of straw bales, providing excellent insulation.
The owner built in a wood stove, counters and even a cooling cupboard. screened to outside to bring cool outside air into her pantry. The floor was built up with large pieces of slate. The cottage was built with materials from the property, waste from local building sites and recycled materials from the ReStore.
The cottage is an excellent example of small living areas at its finest. It is wonderful to see every detail thought out in every corner of a building, providing something simple and beautiful to look at wherever the eye travels. The cottage is also proof that a small building, which falls below the square footage requiring building permits, can function as a wonderful living space.
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