As you (old stackers) may know I am building a small house for my homestead place. Yes, is a big project that goes slow because I am building it myself without machinery and professional tools. For those that don't know the story here you can read about it https://darthcoincitadel.substack.com
But now with this post, I only want to show you some latest updates and an example of how I literally stack sats with this house.
Earthbags - bought with sats (direct payment to provider) Beers - bought with sats (direct payment to provider)
Each beer can is recycled into... a protection wall. If I already paid those beers with sats, it means that each can can represent 1 sat (is just an example not sure if is literally 1 sat) that is stacked now into a wall.
Each earthbag also can represent 21 sats, stacked into a wall.
Stacking also means spending wisely your sats, only when is really needed. Yes, I am a "beer man", every day drinking beer. So I thought it would be a real waste of sats if I throw away those beer cans. And also I realized (after some tests) that the wall built with cans is very efficient and strong protection level for the earthbags wall.
Yes, this is not finalized wall, it will come another fine cover (plaster) for that "cans wall" and then painted.
Here is latest update: I started to fix in place the first beams for the roof.
Using a simple technique to combine their weight and also pushing each others to form a natural force. Some will say that doesn't even need nails/screws, but I will put some just for the sake of having them.
On top of these beams will come the wooden plates from some pallets, then a rubber insulator carpet and then a small rocks level, then dirt and grass level. Yes, will be a GREEN roof with grass and flowers, as a very good insulator for cold and hot and water.
This is only the half of the house and only the first house that I am building. More will come later, once this small one is ready.
Is hard damn work, because I am alone, into the wilderness, far from any car accessible road and all necessary must be carried on my backpack.
So... stackers, this summer you will not see me too much online on SN. I am really busy and I hope will have a very fruitful building season if the weather is favorable. Will keep you posted here on SN and at the end of season on my dedicated substack with more details: https://darthcoincitadel.substack.com
So, will we know it’s you, if there’s an obituary about a man living in a house made of beer cans in the middle of the woods?
Definitely once is finished the whole homestead, you will read more about in the news, even that I want to keep it more private for the moment. I do not like people around and "to be famous". I just want to live in peace, alone.
It sounds like you're trying to build a real life Hobbiton.
Yes indeed. Is my whole plan.
Isn’t that house a bit too warm for a region I imagine gets pretty hot in the summer? What are you thinking of doing for temperature control—assuming you’re not going with AC or something like that?
You don't think it's sufficiently underground for the earth to absorb the heat?
I’m not very knowledgeable about physics and engineering, so that’s why I’m asking. But it makes sense. It’s just that I always imagined that somewhat underground structures would be warmer. I’m also thinking about air circulation, which I guess is important for temperature regulation too.
I know our basement stays cool all summer, because of the cool dirt surrounding it.
Good air flow is still a concern, though.
Yes, good thinking. That's why I made a small window
I was also thinking to use the chimney as an air conditioner tool. There's a way to use it in the summer to bring fresh air (especially in the night) inside.
THIS. The underground houses, always will have a constant temperature.
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/efficient-earth-sheltered-homes
Wow don't see Darth referencing the federal government very often
amazing what one can do with nothing but beers, the internet, and a few sats;
if only DarthCoin had a donkey, there wud also be a brick watchtower, maybe a cathedral;
If those ancestors could build cathedrals with some donkeys, why Darthcoin can't build a simple house with his own hands and back?
How I was carrying the big logs, alone... for quite some distance because is not easy to find a good straight logs and the right diameter.
A 4-5m log of 15-20cm diameter is fucking heavy, especially for a single man!
Those earth bags look like they could fall. Why didn't you cross them over each other like bricks?
Are fixed with a metal rod plunged in the middle of all from top to bottom, that is also fixed to the 4 vertical posts. Also the weight of the beams on top are pressing a lot downward and will never let them move. Is rock solid.
I was waiting for this year's first update! I hope the weather cooperates.
I am surprised that now in may - june (as usual) is not raining so much. So I take advantage of it and do as much as I can now.
I need to finish ASAP this roof, at least in a more advanced form that could be used to sleep inside. Right now I have to sleep outside in a hammock and is not so well. But it is what it is, I suffer until is ready.
Once the roof is ready, I can do easily more things. Hopefully end of June the roof will be 100% finished and covered. Then July - oct I can focus on the 2nd part (the front part of the house).
You definitely need a roof. Letting the sun shine directly on the beer cans should be a crime 🤣 (cans are probably still better than the glass bottles though)
is the choice to build with sandbags because of lack of ability to get mortar and bricks or for some other reason?
i'll follow a long, I like seeing stuff like this
Interesting! This reminds me of this post (#922070) I saw in ~Construction_and_Engineering.
Do you fill the cans with something?
Yes, I refill them with dirt. LOL one day was really funny. Was quite hot day and just sit in the shadow and refilling the cans in the afternoon. Drinking beers and refilling the cans in the same time 😂😂😂😂 quite funny moment testing to see if I can refill the can before I drink another one.
For better durability, you need to peel the bark off those logs.
I know. I let them be there now to not get too much sun exposure, until will cover them with a special resin for protection. This is not finished work.
This is very impressive Darth, and has come a long way in 2 years. The foundation looks way smoother then I remember? Is that just from walking on it?
In fact I started to dig the hill in 2021... here you can see a timelapse gif. It was hell of a job digging up all that dirt and big boulders.
No. What you see in this post picture is only the back part of the entire house. Is just half of the house that I am covering the roof now. Later will finish the front part (another half). The whole house will have 7x3m. On the back will be 2 beds in L shape. In front, watching from front on the right side will come a large 2m long window with a large cozy couch, to watch how it snow outside, relaxing. On the left side, a stove with a wrought iron plate and small kitchen.
View from front now
View from rear top now
As you can see the front side is full of big boulders that will be used for the front wall with the door. On the right side you see the chimney already start building it (will continue more later).
Nice! Coming together really nice. You can really start picturing it now, it’s been great to watch the progress of this.
What do you plan for inside walls? Are you worried about humidity?
Good question.
The whole house is actually a small hill so the surroundings is dirt that will suck all the water from rain.
But when I dug it, I let also a small space with a layer of small rocks between the sirt and the earthbags. That rocks layer act like a siphon letting all the rain water to flow faster down below all those bags. Very small quantity of water will come over them.
Yes, there is humidity, especially during nov - april when is raining and snowing heavily. But the earthbags are a very good barrier. I've tested all these years building the walls with them and observing closely how the water is "not) dripping inside.
Also as you can see on top of those earthbags walls, I start to make the cans-walls, that are also another layer of protection.
On top of the can-walls is coming the plaster, the last level of protection. And then a smooth thin layer of impermeable paint.
The roof will be GREEN - the strong beams will sustain 3 levels of coverage:
The roof also have a small inclination to let the water flow out.
That sounds like a good plan. And do you have window/door just in the front or are there other "vents". My main questions are around the inner home humidity and the roof beams eventually rotting. It will still outlive you, I'm just asking by how many years 😅
The closer you get to your Citadel, the scarier it becomes for me. Once your Citadel is built, you'll probably retire and never be here again 🥺
That's the plan. Last 2 years I had some small accidents that delayed quite a lot to finish this 1st house. I hope this summer nothing will stop me to finish. Only weather is "my enemy". Right now I had to cancel another work session due to heavy rains.
I wish you all the best, and I'm sure you'll be able to build your Citadel the way you want. I saw that because of the weather, you have to stop your work for months. I also know that you could hire people to get the job done, but you chose to do everything yourself. I just hope you'll be here for a while longer, or at least don't leave without making an announcement post
I’m going to ask a question that I assume you won’t be able to answer, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m thinking about taking similar steps in the future—getting an off-grid place for myself. Considering your whole background of valuing sovereignty and rejecting the state, how did the acquisition of that place go? Did you buy directly from the owner? Did you pay the documentation fees? Do you pay property taxes (we have that in my country)? I know each territory has its own laws, and theoretically, land in your possession shouldn’t be part of the state anymore, but we know the state mafia doesn’t care about that and can use violence to take it from you.
I could buy the whole mountain if I want... but I don't. Yes, is a private property, part from a whole mountain (privately owned), but I preferred a 100 years lease for a meaningless price and full rights to use it and do whatever I want on it.
To who? To myself? What have to be so hard to write a simple contract between 2 intelligent capable individuals, then just put some simple conditions on a paper and having 2 witnesses also to sign? Why would I need somebody else to write it for me?
There's only ONE single LAW: Natural Law. All the rest are rules and regulations that are not part of your living man life, only if you want to put yourself under them.
They could try but they already lost in front of DarthCoin...
If you start from this premise and fear... you already lost. You better just be a slave. The sovereign mindset must be strong if you want to be sovereign. There's no "I could try..." is only "I will always win".
LIVE FREE... OR DIE TRYING.
Thank you for your response. I understand the concept of leasing and the fact that there’s no need to pay taxes when it’s just a contract between two parties. My question is mostly based on what I know about the country I live in, where everything—even what lies beneath the ground—is claimed by the “union” (the state). Over here, there are indeed a lot of private contracts, and I asked just to understand what options I might have, since you all have much more experience walking this path.
this is fucking awesome. keep it up, you'll be missed this summer
you are too good with constructions
I've started from 0 knowledge. I am an old IT guy that never did something like that. Just trial and error, learning by doing myself. And nobody helped me with anything, not even with plans or advice.
Wow well done so far.
I must say the rooftop garden bed causes me a little anxiety from a waterproofing and weight point.
weight point - there are 7 strong beams distributing the charge very well, tested by my own weight. Also will not be too much rocks and dirt on top, just let's say max 30-40cm thickness waterproof - as I said, it will have a rubber mat keeping the water out. I've saw it used on another cabin with very good results.
Amazing! Thanks for posting the progress.
Open a kratom juice shop
Amazing!
I think you could gather all the cans and then sell them for their aluminum material and with that Fiat change again and recover some Sats after having drunk the beers.
Wrong. The whole point is to recycle in a practical way all the cans from the beer I drink anyways, that are already paid with sats. If I sell them with what I am going to build the walls? I can do it with small rocks (as you can see in the image) but is a hell of a work to select the right rocks. With cans work is done in few minutes.
Okay, I understand. Perfect. Then let's build with the cans. Great work you're doing. Awesome.
Will you let us enter your hobbit hole once you complete it? :) We would like to post a review or two and spend a day there :)
nope. Once is ready, I will disappear from online. Maybe I will broadcast some images from a webcam but nobody (from online) will know where is it. I do not want any visitors.
Ok, for a self sustaining life I hope you plan to grow barley and build a brewery.
Beer is the thing I cannot produce there and I have to buy it. The local water is not proper for beer fermentation and also not a good place to grow beer ingredients to be sustainable. And I do not want to drink piss beer.
And I like to pay for my beers with sats.
That was a joke of course. If your citadel is not far from a supermarket and you like spending sats, why to grow anything at all?
Is not so close to a shop. It is deep into a high mountains valley. Maybe someday with a drone I could receive a "beer order" 😂😂😂
Growing your own food is another story. That way I do not have to depend on any supermarket to eat my own food whenever I want. For what I need as food, I have plenty of garden place, But for growing beer stuff you need special conditions. And buying the ingredients also is not ok. Water is the most important thing for beer, if you want a good beer. And my water is good to drink but not good to make beer.
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Switch beer to water and stack what you save on it ;-)
Nope, will never leave beer. Telling to a beer man to let the beer... is blasphemy ! And all my remaining sats after I finish this homestead, will be spent on beers. For the rest of my life.