Hey guys, Maybe you were noticing that lately I am not so active on SN. As you may know in the summer I am quite busy with building a small citadel (see first 2 parts here) in the middle of nowhere, deep into a mountain forest.
I am posting here some interesting updates and numbers about this (experimental) construction. Just for fun and for those interested into knowing more about this kind of construction. This is an exclusive content only for SN.

Recap

(if you do not want to read the whole story - see link above):
  • is done by myself, alone, with my own hands, no heavy machinery, just basic tools (shovel + axe + bucket) and with basic materials that are plenty on site (wood, dirt, rocks) and earthbags.
  • I want to see how far I can go with human effort, real PoW and using only my brain and imagination for the plans and construction method. I learn myself with "trial and error" method until I find the best solution. Not all those YT videos are true and not suitable for all types of environment. So please do not come with comments like "did you saw X and Y video on YT how they've done it?" because IT DOESN'T WORK! My situation is totally different than theirs and my plans are different.
  • the construction was done during several years, hard fucking work, starting as a fun summer project but end up in a serious thing, with larger implications. This year I had also an accident with my finger and I couldn't work until July. Now I have plans to finish this small earthbags house, to be a place where to stay in good conditions a longer period of the year, and be able to start building the second house, bigger and better. But again with almost the same method, with earthbags. So all the knowledge I accumulated from this 1st house, will be used to make a 2nd one, much better.
This is the last picture taken of the construction site:
My plan was to have 21 earthbags rows on each wall, but because I have to put the roof with some lean inclination to the right side, for the water and snow to fall down, I will have to put 23 rows on the left wall and 20 rows on the right one. The roof will be fixed the left stonewall, pushing all those rocks and the gap between the house wall and the stonewall will be filled with more rocks and dirt. The whole roof (isolated against water leaks) will be covered with dirt for flowers (especially species anti-mosquitoes) and nice green grass.
What you see in this picture is only half of the house, the back side. The front side will be continued when I finish the roof on this backside part and will be done with a big nice window on the right side (where the sun enter all day long), a fireplace on the left side (is already started) and a nice stonewall in front with 2 windows and the door. The right side (where you see those rocks sitting in the grass) will be a nice parcel for strawberries and flowers, continuing up until on the roof.

Interesting numbers and fun facts:

  • I dug the dirt, full of rocks and boulders, during 4 years (only few months in the summer)
  • I used only a bucket to carry the dirt, like 10 m away and pilled up building a huge hill, separating the small/medium rocks from it and making a separate pile of rocks.
  • see on the right side the pile of rocks and on the left side the dirt hill
  • just imagine that each rock was extracted by hand, one by one from the dirt I dug and carried to this pile. Was a hell of work done!
  • all these boulders you see here were dug up from that hill, by hand, no machinery
  • each earthbag was filled up with filtered dirt from rocks, using an empirical filter :). Again the remaining dirt with rocks was carried back and used to reinforce and isolate the walls from the back of the bags, but most of it was pilled up in another place (for later use). A lot of moving dirt around. Actually my whole activity was moving dirt LOL πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
  • The house in total will be 7m by 3.5m and 2.5m height. The 1st part is 3.1m x 3.5m. Will have also a small porch at the entrance to sit on a big boulder / bench and watch the rain in the summer :)
  • I calculated that I dug up like 15 tons of dirt and 5 tons of rocks. Like 2 big trucks.
  • In the first 2 years I was counting (just for fun) how many rocks I extracted. At rock number 1523 I stopped counting because was insane... :)
  • Each earth bag contain aprox 30kg of dirt
  • Until now I piled up 298 earthbags, that means 8940 kg (almost 9 tons!!!) of dirt filtered and carried around
  • I estimate to have like 15 000 rocks piled up, later to be used as pavement and walls.
  • I still have to put like 100 earthbags on the right wall (under the windows) and a small part on the left wall next to the chimney.
  • I still have to add like 3-4 tons of dirt+rocks around the house and on top, to isolate it nicely and make a rounded shape.
  • Still remain to build the front wall with those big boulders. Will be a hell of job and I have no idea (yet) how will be done. But I think will be next year. I do not have time this year for the 2nd part of the house. I am in a hurry to put the half of the roof first, winter is coming and the earthbags must be covered and prepared for the winter and sun.
I hope you enjoy these facts and updates about my "little" project. In the end will be a nice and cozy hobbit house. Just need more patience and a lot of energy and effort to finish it.
I'm wondering about the roof. How are you going to support it?
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With something like this: Strong large wood beams fixed to the 4 vertical pylons, then covered with pallet plates (dismembered pallets already in place) Then the plates will be covered with a special impermeable membrane (water resistant) and then on top a level of small rocks, then dirt, then flowers.
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Neat! I was wondering the same thing. In high school, I built a small house in the woods with some friends, but we couldn't figure out a functional roof.
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Wait for it... I am still testing various ways to put together the beams and learning the best way. If I fail, will try another one :) I am not afraid of failures. For me failures are a way of learning. Will keep you updated with the things going on.
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See how the bags in the first photo are offset in each layer, so a bag overlaps the gap in the layer below it?
Why are yours in straight columns? That’s far more likely to collapse.
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That’s far more likely to collapse.
You are right. I had a collapse. As I said, I learn from my own mistakes. I know, many people told me to put them overlapped, but I wanted to experience something else and I did it in straight columns. I wanted to have certain amount of columns with a certain amount of levels (21).
Yes, during the winter I had a collapse, a huge step back for me, almost half of the bags were fallen and I had to to put them back, some of them even re-make them entirely because the bags were exposed to sun too much and were damaged.
Now I stuck a long metal bare through all the bags and fixed to the pylons and between the walls. Will never fall down again, not even if somebody will try to make it happen.
No worry the next house will be built with overlapped bags. But I am still not so convinced about its efficiency.
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Aha! Very impressive
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I'm glad you dig by hand, Darth. I dig by hand. Lots of people say kubota this or excavator that. I say: wrecking bar and a shovel (okay, I'll admit I use a wheelbarrow, too...but only sometimes). Keep up the good work.
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86 sats \ 1 reply \ @nichro 29 Aug
I knew you were a savage but I didn't know you were such a savage
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hahahaha few people really understand DarthCoin, but once they understand it, they are seeing the true love and power inside that brutal toxic sarcasm (see @siggy47 "darthcoin translation guide" - #147162)
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How many people work with you?
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NONE. Only me. Did you read the post?
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This is really very interesting! I wish I could do something like this! Bookmarked and subscribed to you.
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This is Epic.
Please be safe.
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Hell yeah it is!
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Why I would not be safe?
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Here in the US, that is a saying that means β€œI hope you will be ok.”
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Dear, what you are doing is admirable. I don't know if you have ever been called crazy, but if so, bless your madness. How interesting. When someone does Proof of Work, in any field, I admire that person. SUCCESS
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We were too busy with our keyboard warrior role playing exercises while you were building your Citadel with your own two hands. We were sweating from typing our sentence construction while you were sweating from building a sturdy structure, at the same time you were structuring this expository material for us. This "little" project of yours is a product of your very own blood, sweat and tears.
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This "little" project of yours is a product of your very own blood, sweat and tears.
you are very right: I was sweating a lot but also was a good thing for my health: I usually lose between 5 and 10 kilos per summer when I work there. A lot of sweat. The bad thing is that between october and may I sit down in front of my PC and write a lot on SN posts.
But once I finish this 1st house, will spend more time on that place building more things on site and getting rid of sedentary life.
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Good thing that we can see more of your off the grid place since you are so health conscious. I hope I can muster the strength to emulate 10% of what you have done.
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I am not so young anymore and I realize that is not so easy after 50 yrs. I am over 50 years old but I hope that this project will prolong my life with another 50 years. That's why I take it slowly with patience. I still have 50 years more to enjoy all the experience :)
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Are you going to setup a node that uses an old satellite dish? I made one with an old dish network dish with blockstreams code. It only receives and doesn’t broadcast though…
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Freaking awesome and amazing man! You are giving me inspiration!!
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Indeed, nice words. Thanks.
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63 sats \ 1 reply \ @notgeld 29 Aug
Guys literally live like this
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hahaha yes and I wanted too. Later will have a nice vegetables garden and some chickens too
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Wen webcam?
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hehehe long way till there... The webcam is coming in the last phase, after:
  • I finish the house
  • I setup the mini-hydro generator from the river, to have 24/7 electricity
  • setup an internet connection. I am still not so sure if I want to be connected :)
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @aoeu 29 Aug
I'm wondering about the hydro generator. Building from scratch or something purchased commercially? My uncle has been entirely on solar panels for about the last 10 years or so. That and wood heater.
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Maybe I will add some solar panels, I have sun at least 6h/day but I do not want to depend only on solar and I already have a continuous source of running water 365days / year so why not using it. I was thinking to use something like this that is small and suitable for the water debit I have on site: https://www.powerspout.com/
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52 sats \ 2 replies \ @OT 29 Aug
Will you put electricity?
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yes, a mini-hydro using the small river I have at 20m from the parcel.
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Hell yeah!!!!
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42 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 29 Aug
I was listening to Nicole Shanahan on Adam Carolla's podcast and he had some rant about how people don't do normal things for themselves anymore, like painting a room or washing their car, and it's helping make them unhinged.
Your citadel project looks very zen Darth. I'd be very proud if I were you.
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I'd be very proud if I were you.
I do not want to be proud of myself... I want more people to think about doing the (almost) same thing, like you said, something for themselves. I like to lead by example, to give people some hope in this fucked up world.
This "citadel" (if you can name it like that) is just a testing ground to show other people that human effort and dedication is not so impossible if you really want it.
We depend too much about others "services" nowadays and we are forgetting to do things by himself. Stupid simple things. yes, this house is not some simple stupid thing, is quite complicated if you look deep inside. Is not a joke, it started like a joke, but is getting really serious in the end.
I really hope this project will be a good example for others, to look deep into their heart and soul and start something like that by their own. Is an amazing experience. Think about that I was almost my entire life a fucking IT guy, submerged into servers, cables, hardware, software and shit like that. Then suddenly I decided to go nuts and build a earthbags house by my own in the middle of nowhere, with no route access and materials... really nuts!
bookmarked that podcast
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winter is coming
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Well, I'm a huge fan of DIY citadels. I watch people create some of the best small houses in the woods all by themselves. You're doing exactly the same and it's so far looking incredible! From my library of such citadel videos, here's one. May be it can give you something more about it.
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Impressive task! Just thinking the job it is to keep a garden tidy, I can imagine how hard it must have been to do this!! Amazing!
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42 sats \ 4 replies \ @aoeu 29 Aug
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. There is some true proof of work going on there. Mind sharing how you will stay on the grid? It looks pretty remote. Cellular, satellite?
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It is really remote. The nearest "civilization" place is at 10 km and no signal reach there. I wanted to be like that, far from crazy dudes. FUCK THE CIVILIZATION! Internet is not my priority. Also I am not sure I want to be connected to internet there. Electricity will come... but not so sure I want internet.
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @aoeu 29 Aug
Very cool. Maybe there will be some capability for LoRa for your communication needs.
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Yes, I was thinking about using LoRa but is not my priority now.
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What about lightning force closures? Lol
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I start this project with ZERO knowledge in building a house and construction methods. Amazing how many new things you can learn just by doing, testing, errors, re-doing etc. And a lot of beers and thinking...
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I think humans are capable of learning anything by doing, and never let anyone tell you what you can and can't do!
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This is the way!
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Great post Darth. Nice to have an update on your citadel project. Was wondering when we were going to get one.
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This is unexpected. How can I emulate your project. This is pure hard work. Nah, I surrender.
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start here https://darthcoincitadel.substack.com/ Please improve it if you have better ideas! But do not expect to be easy work. Is a hell of a work!
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That's so awesome. I am working on something similar in southern AZ. Keep it up!!!
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Nice work! Hard core proof of work. How does the land ownership part of it work? Water supply?
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How does the land ownership part of it work?
Private property = private contract
water supply
2 small rivers at not more than 20 m colluding together in front of my land. I am blessed having a continuous source of water. Water is crucial for self-sustainability.
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Well played and well planned!
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Nothing but utmost respect. This is what makes a truly great nemesis.
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Love to see someone doing their thing. Do you thing man.
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One of the most purest forms of PoW. Love it.
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Keep us updated!
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This is interesting but very tasking, more energy to you
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Awesome, how's the finger?
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100% cured
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Fantastic, sir! Real proof of work!
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This is crazy I salute your work Keep going
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @drlh 30 Aug
I know you're not overworking, but still your spine doesn't ache by carrying all that dirt with your back? It seems you don't use wheelbarrow.
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I finished the digging. Now is just stacking earthbags. Yes, I didn't used a wheelbarrow, just a 30L bucket. Indeed was really hard work.
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Wow!
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Don't forget the gun ports ala The Mad Trapper of Rat River.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Golu 30 Aug
You definitely got so much time! If it's worth doing, do it. Looks a lot of work still needs to be done.
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It's very interesting your approach and to see your time preference.
Just wandering when do you expect to finish it up?
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Next year.
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You are a Beast!πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€
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Woah. You did this yourself. You really are Darth Vader. The Stacker News Father. The one and only. This is something that I watch from afar. Manual labor is not my thing because I know how hard it is. Kudos to your efforts.
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2121 sats \ 1 reply \ @anon 30 Aug
hahahahahaha
dude who claims to be in bitcoin for decades
is constantly yelling at people for doing bitcoin wrong and that he knows how to do bitcoin right
is building a "citadel" that will be 7m x 3.5m out of bags of dirt using shovels and buckets
dude thats not a citadel, that's a hovel.
you're an absolute clown.
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Show me you can do what I've done and then you can talk. Until then, STFU loser.
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7m by 3.5m and 2.5m height
is that right? 24.5 m^2 is ~265 sqft.
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I have missed you my friend </3 glad to hear you recovered and were able to get back to your project!
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sheesh
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Awesome!
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @anon 30 Aug
How are you going to get permits and regulations on this? Are you certified?
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LoL permits on private property? Regulation for what? Wow people nowadays beg to be slaves and governed
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Really cool! Did you research what is the jurisdictional situation like? What if someone unwanted finds and reports you? Will they leave you alone?
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Know your audience :)
You're talking to the most sovereign individual of all here...
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Is a private property. Private contract. Nobody else business.
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deleted by author
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hahahaha good analogy!
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