How literally do I stack sats building a house \ stacker news ~DIY

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How literally do I stack sats building a house

4734 sats \ 49 comments \ @DarthCoin 28 May DIY

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

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42 sats \ 10 replies \ @Undisciplined 28 May

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?

65 sats \ 9 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

21 sats \ 8 replies \ @Undisciplined 28 May

It sounds like you're trying to build a real life Hobbiton.

32 sats \ 7 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

Yes indeed. Is my whole plan.

36 sats \ 6 replies \ @LibertasBR 11h

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?

40 sats \ 5 replies \ @Undisciplined 11h

You don't think it's sufficiently underground for the earth to absorb the heat?

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26 sats \ 2 replies \ @zapsammy 28 May

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;

(My Lunch Break reference)

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

If those ancestors could build cathedrals with some donkeys, why Darthcoin can't build a simple house with his own hands and back?

107 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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!

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @OT 28 May

Those earth bags look like they could fall. Why didn't you cross them over each other like bricks?

29 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

21 sats \ 2 replies \ @siggy47 28 May

I was waiting for this year's first update! I hope the weather cooperates.

72 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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).

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @oliverweiss 28 May

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)

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @stack_harder 28 May

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

37 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

Main reason is that I want to use what I have on-site: dirt, rocks, wood. Our ancestors built houses like that for centuries. I even see around on those mountains cabins and terracing levels and paths built with rocks and dirt. Amazing hard work they've done hundreds of years ago and that work is still in place !
Yes, is hard to bring mortar and bricks there. The shortest trails through forest until a near forestall road (really bad and hard accessible road) is around 1km on a steep rocky trail. I barely carried some materials (wooden plates from pallets and some chairs and tables, mattresses etc). No way I will carry construction materials like bricks ! LOL I have plenty of rocks that I could use them. fuck bricks. When you start building a house, you must adapt to the environment not to what youtube video you watch.
Sandbags are very good as isolation level and on-site material. Also the place I choose to build the house was a small hill, that I dug up the dirt and rocks (see the 3 episodes described on substack) and the only best way was to use earthbags for the walls.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @unschooled 28 May

Interesting! This reminds me of this post (#922070) I saw in ~Construction_and_Engineering.

Do you fill the cans with something?

67 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @jakoyoh629 28 May

For better durability, you need to peel the bark off those logs.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

50 sats \ 2 replies \ @Car 17h

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?

250 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin OP 3h

has come a long way in 2 years

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.

Is that just from walking on it?

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).

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Car 13m

Nice! Coming together really nice. You can really start picturing it now, it’s been great to watch the progress of this.

42 sats \ 1 reply \ @nout 28 May

What do you plan for inside walls? Are you worried about humidity?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 3h

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:

a level of woodplates from pallets
on top of the wooden plates will come a 3mm rubber carpet isolating perfectly from water
on top of the rubber carpet is coming a small level of small rocks, to let the water flow smoothly underneath the dirt
on top of the rocks is coming a 20-30cm of dirt
on top of the dirt will bring some patches with grass and flowers.

The roof also have a small inclination to let the water flow out.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @LibertasBR 11h

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.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 2h

Did you buy directly from the owner?

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.

Did you pay the documentation fees?

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?

Do you pay property taxes ?

Is a lease - less complications
If is property why do you have to involve a 3rd party in your own contract, that is not part of the contract?

I know each territory has its own laws,

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.

the state mafia doesn’t care about that and can use violence to take it from you.

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.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @itsrealfake 29 May

this is fucking awesome. keep it up, you'll be missed this summer

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @Gekido 28 May

you are too good with constructions

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 3h

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.

5 sats \ 1 reply \ @anon 28 May

Wow well done so far.

I must say the rooftop garden bed causes me a little anxiety from a waterproofing and weight point.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Grateful 29 May

Amazing!

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @flat24 29 May

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.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 3h

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.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @istealkids 28 May

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 :)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 3h

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.

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @SwapMarket 28 May

Ok, for a self sustaining life I hope you plan to grow barley and build a brewery.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

21 sats \ 2 replies \ @SwapMarket 28 May

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?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @NakamotoArchives 28 May

What if, in your old age, you become too debilitated to to go the mountain peaks to retrieve your seed phrases? Will it become a donation to the rest of the world?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Silent_Hodler 28 May

Switch beer to water and stack what you save on it ;-)

77 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin OP 28 May

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.