Selfsufficientish.com

These are pretty common in the US as workshops and storage sheds, but I have never seen a house with my own eyes. Here is a nicely done house but it doesn't look like it follows too many green building practices. Yes, insulation is a must - I would recommend a spray foam insulation for the exterior ...

BYW if you google 'charcoal water retention' you get a lot of sites about bloated stomachs and ankles. :lol: Need to add the word gardening! Ha! :lol: you may do better to search for "biochar". I visited Ghana last summer where people made charcoal by the "burn and bury" method....

Yeah, looks like some kind of watering system is the way to go. I could go the hosepipe route, but I have had too many bad experiences of breaking water lines with my hoe! I will probably dig a trench and bury a cheap irrigation line with a faucet back there. It seems like there will be digging no m...

Thanks for the ideas. It is good to get some feedback on my garden scheming. To answer your question about the site, it is roughly triangular - 100' x 50' x 110' and about 100' from the back of my house, so as seasidegirl suggests it needs to be considered zone 3 or 4 in permaculture-speak. Here is ...

Hello all, I am cultivating a new area of my garden this year that is very far from any easy water source. This area will have to rely on rain and what my poor back can carry in. We typically have about 2.5 months in the summer with almost no rain. The area is on a slight hill, so I am digging a ser...

Google Maps will now show bike routes. It doesn't help me much since we don't have any bike paths, but those in more progressive areas may find it useful.

Hi gaia,

Build it Solar has some good information about water heating with wood. There is some good safety information there so that your woodstove doesn't do this.
-Memphis Slim

Hi there Dave, The battery backup system is a good idea if you experience frequent blackouts. You could go even further and replace much of your wiring with 12volt to increase the amount of usable electricity you can get out of it. This would be particularly good in a third world situation where pow...

Yeah, I see what you mean, I just thought that the average in the UK or in any country is kind of irrelevent to the average "ish" energy consumption. At least that is my experience in the USA, we (in the USA) are energy wasters, a few talk the talk, BUT very few walk the walk, and I'm not...

I hope you are enjoying those double glazed windows, Helsbells. I looked into replacing my 80 year old single paned windows but found that it is not at all cost justified. My current windows are in good shape and with care will probably last another 80 years. Instead of replacing, I have installed g...

Hello everyone, I am a longtime reader who has finally decided to come out of the shadows. I have followed the exploits of Nev, Muddypawse, MillyMollyMandy, et al for years now and your collective knowledge and wisdom has been a great source of pleasure and inspiration. I am not much of a "join...