New house design : 3/24/08 (UPDATED 9 TIMES)

Ignore all of the previous posts about "house designs", for now. Because I'm starting to rethink my design. And I found this professional adobe video

• Cold climate version:
• Materials: The only bad building material up north is adobe by itself. But log homes and spray foam or spray foam along with adobe together, should all work up north. As long as you include reinforcement to the spray foam so that a heavy snow fall doesn't collapse the roof. The material of spray foam is better than camp tents because of insulation qualities and also is 100% water proof and can be reinforced with a geodesic dome to make the sturdiest structure possible. Also it's easy to work with, and can be added onto late and easily cut for new doorways or new wiring, and it lasts forever.
  
• Heating: And to best heat a house up north is with a "rocket stove" inside the house with a duct going out the roof(Look at this picture of one). Because there isn't reliable solar power for electric heating. And I would add spray foam insulation in the interior for extreme cold.
  
• Shower: Use a rag and warm soapy water. Imagine not having any water bill from taking showers. And use dollar store shampoo and dollar store soap(Which are the exact same chemical formula as the name brands).
• Safety:If you make a spray foam house, have a smaller opening for a door, and a steep berm of dirt put over the dome of the house, to keep bears out. And always have an AR-15 or comparable gun. Pepper spray cannot stop an angry person so it definitely cannot stop an angry bear. Also you may incorporate extra reinforcement, of wood or metal, into the spray foam.
  
• Warm climate version:
• Materials: The same as the materials used up north, except there may not be any need for reinforcement because of no heavy snowfall or animals ever being on the roof.
• Heating and Cooling: Is all solar powered electric heating and air conditioning. I plan on making a solid state air conditioner some day.
  
• Foundation: For an adobe house, the perfect foundation or just floor would be soaked adobe bricks that then dries as the foundation. If a foundation is needed. Because you may only need retaining walls for the sides of the hole in the ground even when the dome is built. And the spray foam should act as retaining walls. And the spray foam doesn't weigh enough to need a foundation.
  
• Shape of structure: A perfect hemisphere shaped structure above ground and the other half of house being below ground is the best structure, because of there being even weight distribution along the dome, and the walls of the underground portion act as buttresses for the dome, as the weight is spread outward into the ground walls. Make spray foam dome form and spray from the inside of the structure to have a completely solid encapsulated spray foam structure.
  
• Insulation: This is the best house structure because of the extreme heat retention/ temperature moderation qualities of the below ground part of house. Both made out of spray foam and adobe. The spray foam may even perform better than carpeting as flooring. Otherwise just have a hard adobe and plaster floor, or wood floor over that.
  
• Material cost: The only costs incurred are buying the land(?$/acre), and metal rods(thrift store tent rods/50$), and spray foam(7$/can x 40= 280$/or x 1,000 cans=7,000$which is even then a very inexpensive house)and thrift store extension cords(5$/each) and garbage bags over the dome structure, as the form for the spray foam to go under, which are later removed(5$), and misc. chemicals for daily life(CLR=5$) (Bleach=5$)(Chlorine pool tablets=10$/mo) (Alcohol=3$/quarter gallon). The excavated ground is used for making adobe to put around the spray foam for extra heat retention. And you would just pile it around the outside of the hole as you dig it to make the house the high point on the property for water drainage purposes. And for less digging. from the excavated dirt becoming higher around sides to make a wall. Now just dig the size of hole you want.
• Making adobe: First you dig a hole, then you fill it with water, then you fill the hole back in with dirt, and then mix it up. What you will end up with once the hole dries up in 1 day, is clay that has settled at the top and sand that has settled at the bottom of the hole. Now you just skim the clay off of the top, and mix it with sand in the proper portions to make adobe. This is useful for a structural and heat retentive component of a house. You can also include hay mixed in with it, acting as a binding material, for structural adobe. Adobe is also useful when making a rocket stove.
  
• Safety: The low profile dome structure is a natural bomb shelter(if you have no certainty about future wars). And it cannot hurt you if it was even possible to cave in, because the only ceiling is composed of 1 ft. spray foam(which is also a structural component). And an inner layer of plaster and an outer thin layer of dirt.
  
• Skills needed: It requires no skill, other than proper research and preparation(which is written here) and common sense.
  
• Plumbing: This house design requires no plumbing, when you use a bucket with a seat over it, which has chlorine and CLR septic system and water in it, and the waste is dumped out in a safe place after the chlorine has evaporated. May not use the bucket inside of your house, because of chlorine off gassing, because it may give off toxic amounts chlorine gas; which by the way, may not be true because indoor pools do it all the time. So just have an outhouse where you keep the bucket of CLR and Chlorine for a toilet. To be later disposed of in a dug out, safe area. Also CLR septic system liquid which breaks up the solids, is neutralized upon contact with any water. And the chlorine always just eventually evaporates. But instead of bleach you may use chlorine pool tablets for constant chlorine saturation and not being able to waste unneeded chlorine. And just have a cover over the bucket if you need to transport it. And because all of the bacteria is now dead in the sewage, there is no bad smell being produced. And Chlorine may have to be added sometime after the CLR if the active ingredients in CLR are neutralized by the bleach.(This is easily tested by just seeing if the sewage solids are liquified fully when both the bleach and CLR are added at the same time).
  

  Frequently Asked Questions CLR® Septic System: (See: This link)

  WHAT IS A SEPTIC SYSTEM?
  A Septic System is a self contained Underground wastewater treatment system.The Septic System is composed of a septic tank and a leach/absorption area.

  WHAT IS A SEPTIC SYSTEM'S PURPOSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD?
  The purpose of the tank is to treat household wastes. The tank treats the waste by the water falling to the bottom, the solids that are lighter float to the top and the heavier waste/sludge goes to the bottom.The sludge/solids that fall to the bottom must be treated with a Septic System treatment to convert these materials into liquids which then will flow to the drain field.

• 2nd way of plumbing: Is to use an Ozone generator, that pumps waste water from a container, through an Ozone bubbling chamber, and then back into the waste water container. With an added filter to prevent the pump from getting clogged, and manual agitation of the sewage and extra water mixture to liquefy it for the pump. (This has since been revised, as there is no way to know for certain if the water is actually disinfected, because there is no detector for the saturation of ozone in the water, and the bigger the vat of water to be disinfected the more uncertain it becomes as to the % of water that has been disinfected by the ozone) A better way to disinfect water that Ozone, would be a section of pipe with UV bulb that shines through the pipe disinfecting any water that passes by that section of pipe. But the bulb does have a life expectancy, and will need to be replaced eventually, maybe someday a solid state UV bulb will be invented that won't break. And can be solar powered. We have infinite clean water that comes from the sky, and for the desert we have atmospheric condensers, or underground water. So there never was and never will be any shortage of water. Just a shortage of utilizing what we have.
• 3rd way of plumbing: Just have a garbage bag in a bucket for a toilet and take it out when full, and then put it into an incinerator oven that disintegrates the waste. But make sure that it's far away from the house or neighbors, to not smell the smoke.
  
• Dome shaped form: You may put arch shaped metal rods(camping tent poles attached together) along the inside of the hole, and a screen of some kind over that (Plastic garbage bags will work). And then put the spray foam insulation layer as a moisture barrier, and as a structural substrate, for putting dirt on top of. Which would then not even need water proofing on top of. Research : polyurethane foam properties(follow link) But if it turns out that the spray foam isn't 100% water proof like it should be, then just put a second waterproof paint coating over that.
  
• Need to test: So I need to test the strength of polyurethane spray foam with reinforcement incorporated into it. Also the moisture barrier qualities of the foam. And how big of a dome that has 12 inches thick of adobe, that the metal rods and foam would support. And how fire proof it actually is. LATER ADDED: I tested the structural integrity of spray foam and it has the same weight and strength of material as "styrofoam" or a really hard "nerf ball". It does rip and compresses when you stand on it. So don't stand on your house once it's built. LATER ADDED: I tested it's water proof qualities and it passed with flying colors. I made a bowl out of spray foam, and filled it with water, and the water just sat on top for hours and hours, and the bottom was completely dry afterward also. LATER ADDED: I also tested how fire retardant spray foam is by using a lighter on it. And it failed that test. So since spray foam is not fire proof, your best bet to fireproofing it is to put a thin layer of adobe or plaster on the inside of the house. And a thin layer of dirt on top of the outside dome of the house. This way the heat doesn't get through to the spray foam. And may need an emergency exit like a window if the door is blocked. And in case of a brush fire I would cut down all of the tall foliage that may be surrounding the house.
  
• Reinforcement: Is not needed if the dirt layer on top of the spray foam is thin enough. But if used, the reinforcement could be bent metal rods in the shape of the house. Made out of any metal that doesn't corrode(my choice is flexible tent poles). Or electrical conduit as structure. And encapsulate them in spray foam. Which also fills in the gaps between the metal rods. If you make the dome of the house into a metal geodesic dome then you have the strongest structure possible. See: This video on making geodesic domes. Another option is just have translucent (not transparent) tarps over the geodesic dome, shingled over the dome with "grip clips", that retain heat when the sun is out. Just like a green house, which would only be used in a temperate climate.
  
• Fire/Lightning/Flood/Tornado/Wind: The spray foam is not fire proof, so cover the inside of it with adobe, that is the consistancy of mayonaise, and then put paint over that. Then cover the outside with a layer of dirt. Lightning should be conducted away with a lightning rod. Flood? Don't live in a flood prone area. Tornadoes cannot even dent this house. Also don't live too close to a group of trees which may fall on the house during a storm. Or that can catch fire during a brush fire. And have an emergency exit also.
  
• Doorway/windows: Make sure to leave holes for a door and small south facing(in cold climate) windows. For air flow and accessability. Or have sections cut out of spray foam that take out or put back in as portholes, that can open or close depending on the weather, that also have a screen over to keep the bugs out.
• Airflow: You may need air flow that does not let light in, when the portholes are closed. Even though people do completely seal their houses anyway all over the place if the weather is too cold or too hot. You don't want the house to be so perfectly air tight and water tight and insulated, that it's like in the movies where you only have 2 hours worth of oxygen left inside the house every time that you close the door.
  
• Entryway: This has recently been revised to have a 1 hinge "basement door" attached at an angle over a ramp into going down into the house, instead of an arched entryway.
  
• Waterproofing: Make sure that the front of the entryway is above ground level in a way that will not let water down the ramp, into the house. And the spray foam provides water proofing.
  
• Lighting: Have LED replacement bulbs for florescent light fixtures. Or when it's available within the next 5 years get a sheet of flat white OLED's that you put on your ceiling. Ones that require only a battery and a solar panel and just the Led's without an added high voltage inverter, would be best.
  
• Electric: Have extension cords built into the walls coming from solar panels and new non- lead acid batteries or sealed lead acid batteries that are low maintenance, and an inverter just in case needed. And all of your devices then just need their own transformer to get the right amount of energy. But have a separate low power usage device system that is not reliant on an inverter. Because with the right technology high power may never be needed. The only power consumption is from a laptop computer, house lighting, and maybe a TV/DVD player depending on the need for one. Anything else is just extra depending on your personal tastes for the lifestyle you want. But remember, more complication means more things to hassle with when they break. Use this simple equation to figure out how much power you need. Watts= Amps(x) Volts (fill in the data to get the size of solar panels needed to power the sum of all devices, day and night. And the size of battery bank needed.). In a real utopia you would have super capacitors that stored the solar or wind energy that powered the home.
• Water: Have an artificial pond dug out nearby. That will gradually fill itself with water. Or all at once after a storm. Then filter and chlorinate some of it, when some is needed for use. For drinking water use "Chlor. floc.". Or boil it. Or distill the water with the simple distiller Shown here. Imagine never paying a water bill.
• Shower: Use alcohol soaked rags(Which is the same thing as "wet wipes"). Or warm soapy water, and rag. You make the same movements and exert the same energy by using a rag, as by taking a shower.
• Clothes Washing: Have non water absorbent materials such as 100% nylon or acrylic. And clean them on a frame with an alcohol soaked rag. Alcohol works as a solvent and is antibacterial, and with lemon extract added, it will smell good. Or for conventionally washed cotton, have a bucket of soapy water that you agitate with a clean plunger. But if you wash conventionally you have to pay for cleaning fluid.
  
• Alcohol: Make your own by fermenting any fruit. And then distilling it in one hot container, for the original alcohol to be in, and one cold container for the condensation, which are both connected and sealed by tubing. Or use the distiller shown here. Imagine never paying for cleaning chemicals. And you just leave it for a year and it makes itself.
• Furniture: Have inflatable bed and maybe even furniture, to keep down dust mites, and to produce less dust to clean. And make your own wood furniture, because it's simple enough. Carpet is the weirdest invention that humans have ever come up with. they need replacement frequently, cause dust, offgas fumes from the glues in them, and need a vacuum cleaner for the soul purpose of carpets. Just have solid floors with spray foam insulation under them and use a "swivel sweeper" to sweep them, or just a broom and dust pan.
  
• Vehicle: Use the same technology that everyone else does. I did some research on making biodiesel that you can see here. But I may make my own electric charging stations in the future, by buying small pieces of land all around the state and putting a solar panels on them to stop at with my electrical vehicle of choice. All with the money I save by not paying a mortgage each month. Electric will easily outsell internal combustion cars when the gas prices are 6$/gallon. So our society will never have to revert to living without vehicles.
  
• Heating: Use an electric heater, because solar power is reliable in temperate climates.
• Air conditioning: Some kind of solid state cooling that doesn't break and is energy efficient. There are "wick fans" that cool a water soaked wick by evaporation and are energy efficient, and don't break. But that produces humid air. A sterling engine is nice to have. Being in the below ground portion of house is cooler, if you don't let sunlight in. Just conventional air conditioners work fine but I thought of a solid state version that will work in the future see it here.
  
• Refrigerator: May not be needed if you smoke your hunted meat(See: This diagram of a smoker), and otherwise eat fruit and vegetables. See Smoked meat on Wiki. But if it's needed then just use the conventional fridge, or a new solid state energy efficient version, if there is one. As in sterling engine. But for infinite energy to power the fridge you should definitely invest in a solar panel and batteries to power it forever, without paying a monthly energy bill forever.
  
• Cooking: Is done on a "Rocket stove"(See: This picture of one), and if you need an oven then use a large box with a chimney as a wood burning oven, or just a dutch oven. Otherwise use a grill or a pan or a hand held flipping grill or a pot. Which all can be sanitized over the fire after rinsing and scraping the dirt off of.
  
• Dishes/Utensils: Wash by hand in warm soapy water.
• Fruit/Vegetables/Spices: Grow year round crops in cold and hot weather outside and in a greenhouse with growlights. Or freeze crop overruns if you live up north.
  
• Meat/Eggs: Catch it, or hunt it, or farm it. Then smoke it. Having chickens can be like having any other pet, if you only ate their eggs. Buy traps, or make one out if some cord. Go spear fishing with a homemade bow and arrow(See how to make them here)
  
• Sweets/Dairy/Baked Goods/Nuts/Oil/Specialty: Buy from store if needed.
  
• Entertainment: Is needed because going on nature walks can only entertain you for so long before you want to watch TV, but then again that's way more fun to some people. So may buy TV shows on DVD or watch TV shows on youtube, If you can find a way to get satellite internet on your property.