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Building a modern home in the woods

johnnyrodgers.is

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Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#171

Post by mwest217 »

dboat wrote: post #121
germinalphrase wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Were you concerned about fire?

Yes, everyone in the region was (I live near Kelowna). BC Wildfires last year were apocalyptic.

Pemberton (where this home is located) is much wetter than Kelowna, so I think it's less of an issue. It's similar to the difference in Washington between the west slope of the North Cascades (such as Mt Baker, which holds the worldwide single season snowfall record) and the east slope of the North Cascades, which are dry and have large wildfire seasons.

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#172

Post by qbasic_forever »

jannyfer wrote: post #54
milesvp wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I saw those flat roofs, and talk of whistler, and thought what a nightmare. Peaked roofs exist for a reason. I wonder what their snow strategy is? Because one day of rain on top of several feet of snow causes severe structural strain if it can’t just slide down.

The last photo is in snow... I wonder if they actively melt snow on the roof?!

Would help explain the 400+ amps of electricity they pull from the grid.

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#173

Post by adamcharnock »

georgeoliver wrote: post #150
adamcharnock wrote: post #122

I've done this in Portugal, but on a smaller scale and pretty much with only my own labor. I purchased 6 hectares (15 acres) for mid-5-figures. I've built an A-frame studio house for around €10k (excl tools), and installed a 5kw solar system for about another €10k. The house has air conditioning and underfloor heating (water-based, heated using wood from the land). I've also brought a 50-year-old tractor and started…

Cool! Do you have some references/links for the floor heat system? How big is the house? I'm mostly curious about the cycle time. We install floor heat in our homes, typically with a gas-fired boiler.

So the floor heat system is somewhat unusual. Details are:

- The house is 5x7m. The heated area is about 2.5x7m

- There is no concrete base. The system [1] I used was designed to receive concrete, but I decided against it.

- The floor heats up in about 30 minutes, but the water temperature is substantially higher than normal (because lack of thermal conductivity due to lack of concrete)

- The flooring is large plywood sheets[2]. Surface temperature is variable, 23-26deg.

- The heating is provided by a wood-burning 'bailarina' [3] [4] [5]

- There is no heat exchanger. The hot water that goes under the floor is the same as the hot water that comes out the tap. Not drinking the hot water is kinda normal for europeans though. The pipes may clog up with sediment in 5-10 years, but they are not concreted in so I'm not too bothered.

It may seem like there are some odd choices there. My priority was simplicity and being able to easily change things in the future.

Edit: clarity

Edit 2: If I was to do it again with more time and patience, I would pour in sand. It has about the same thermal properties of concrete, and is way less permanent.

[1]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yisemvup42cd86l/IMG_20190917_16511...

[2]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yjmqarrgqcnnzto/IMG_20190918_15193...

[3]: https://b-shop.pt/en/fire-wood-water-heater/1018-bailarina-i...

[4]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfttkuqqxzapwff/IMG_20191211_16325...

[5]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g57ytyvi7c31w3o/IMG_20190317_16555...

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#174

Post by adamcharnock »

starik36 wrote: post #148
adamcharnock wrote: post #122

I've done this in Portugal, but on a smaller scale and pretty much with only my own labor. I purchased 6 hectares (15 acres) for mid-5-figures. I've built an A-frame studio house for around €10k (excl tools), and installed a 5kw solar system for about another €10k. The house has air conditioning and underfloor heating (water-based, heated using wood from the land). I've also brought a 50-year-old tractor and started…

Very cool. Are there curtains on the window to prevent people from seeing where you are sleeping?

Hehe, no. There is no-one to see in. It is because I made a miscalculation in the house design. I was hoping that the awning would prevent the worst of the summer sun from hitting the windows, but it did not. So I got some custom canvas made up which I can use to keep the sun out. [1]

[1]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bbe9z3risocrl5e/IMG_20190909_12531...

Edit: Clarity

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#175

Post by adamcharnock »

steelstraw wrote: post #143
adamcharnock wrote: post #122

I've done this in Portugal, but on a smaller scale and pretty much with only my own labor. I purchased 6 hectares (15 acres) for mid-5-figures. I've built an A-frame studio house for around €10k (excl tools), and installed a 5kw solar system for about another €10k. The house has air conditioning and underfloor heating (water-based, heated using wood from the land). I've also brought a 50-year-old tractor and started…

That looks really nice. Does the ISP cover your expenses or is it supplemental?

It does not, but it has only been about 8 months. Break-even is in sight though. Then I can decide if I want to just let it bring in some money, of it I want to 'Bezos' it and expand coverage instead.

PS. And thank you :-)

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#176

Post by greedo »

asjldkfin wrote: post #131
Splendor wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that they can afford to build a second mansion while millions are homeless. It's a pretty simple equation.

I don't see anything in OP's comment about second mansions or the homeless.

If you read TFA, you'll see that they own a townhome in Vancouver. This is a second home...

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#177

Post by 83 »

MezzoDelCammin wrote: post #50

"The bigger issue was that the energy demands for the house, which included hot water heating for the pool and hot tub, outstripped the electrical supply we could get on a rural residential build: 400A" Am I the only one who almost spit out his coffee when reading this paragraph? I mean, building a remote home in the middle of a forest is a cool idea, sure. But then end up feeding the whole thing with 400A worth of e…

You aren't missing anything, that's pretty ludicrous. My (midwest USA) house has 100A service, and I weld for fun and run a rack with servers. The welder can make the lights dim which makes me want 200A, but 400A is just insane.

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#178

Post by standeven »

nickhalfasleep wrote: post #6

0 words about forest fires or preparing a defensible boundary and setback. Their insurance is going to be fierce .

Pemberton is quite rainy, so forest fires aren't a huge concern. Once you get to the other side of the Coastal mountains (the interior), fire is a much bigger concern.

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#179

Post by newby »

adamcharnock wrote: post #155
newby wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does one start a rural ISP? Would you mind sharing a bit about that?

Sure! I saw startyourownisp.com on HN years ago, and once I moved here I remembered that starting an ISP was actually a thing. I started a wireless ISP (WISP). The rough process is: - Find the customers* - Find somewhere to broadcast from* - Find a wholesale fibre provider* - Register with your country's regulator & read a bunch of laws - While you are doing the above, learn about networking. Get this right before yo…

Thank you so much! Another question if you don't mind - how difficult was the bureaucratic aspect? Registering with regulator etc... what would you consider the biggest hurdle?

Re: Building a modern home in the woods

#180

Post by 83 »

lambdasquirrel wrote: post #112
lstodd wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Top-to-bottom windows all over and narrow spaces .. it's actually amazing they fit it in 100KVA. This thing in winter would need about twice that just to not freeze. Hence the propane, and forget the tub and the pool.

There are probably other ways to build a modern-style home that don't involve this, but they currently aren't in vogue. To which end, I wonder how long such a home would last, given the upkeep. The bling times come and go. Just look at history.

They might not have to worry about longevity, having built a home densely surrounded by trees in a wildfire prone area.
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