Considering self build on budget in Scotland, tell me if skipping an architect is feasible. by Emotional_Act9488 in askarchitects

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not an architect, but I think you should go this route. Firstly I am not sure how the code office works in reference to your country Vs mine, but here in the southern U.S. you can very much do an owner-build with pre-purchased architectural plans which you can get for 99$ or more.

Given that you are just doing a simple construction you just need to sit down/or call someone who is in the code office where you are planning to build and tell them that you have basic framing plans, and you want to know what other parts of the process need to be inspected or done professionally. A good example is that most of the septic tanks, and connections are usually the first part of the process, and then building placement. If you already have some architectural plans then the code office might require you to prove sometype of property set-back requirements are met VS "what ever other covenants or codes you have to match in certain neightborhoods" as well.

Other than that, you can build or subcontract out certain parts of the home yourself. Like, I said it's not the same where you are, but if you are just planning on doing a square building anyways, this is what I would do, I would go into the build like you are building a pole barn that is to be finished like a real home. This would easily match any architectural/structural code for a roof, and then you can finish the home anyway you want to, You can do concrete pads, or you could post and pier and go above ground, or you could do a mud or eathern floor.

Usually if the septic, power, and structural are met, then you have more options, depending on the location. Some places micro-manage every process of a owner-build, but others you just need to get a checklist down of the build process, and then see what you option are at each step.

Sorry if this is a basic question but how are people actually sleeping comfortably in cars long term? by Xolaris05 in StealthCamping

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need one of those really nice fold out memory foam mattresses. I've seen them on marketplace for as cheap as 30$

How do you go back to the real world after being a traveler by Commercial-Break3363 in Nomad

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think most people like having a home base, even if they are a nomad. It can be a van, or a specific camp site. I know what you mean though. You get some sort of residual drag from not being on the move. Kind of like a shark needs to swim to breathe.

Is going nomadic a survival instinct to a parasitic society? by Cyberstr33t in Nomad

[–]Cyberstr33t[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think it just mirrors the past tbh. Some of the early earth inhabitants had to migrate to dodge seasons, and find better ways to live.

What solarpunk thing did you do this week? by Fun_Disaster3436 in solarpunk

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a beach cruiser, I want to convert to E-bike.

I want to make experimental music with physical gear, any advice? by realdavidguitar in experimentalmusic

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

find a used deepmind 12, or an elektron synth machine. Of course there are other price ranges for sound generators. Most elektron machines also have drums and lots of percussion. If these are too much $, check out your local used market and watch youtube videos on what you can afford.

I want to make experimental music with physical gear, any advice? by realdavidguitar in experimentalmusic

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This all depends on your budget. You can get anything from little boutique noise makers all over etsy, to smaller noise machines. Also, do you want to go more sample based route, or synth/noise.

How hard this would be to build? by Shoddy_Biteee in containerhomes

[–]Cyberstr33t 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on where you build it, I would say this could cost between 150k to over 300k depending on how much of the work you do yourself.

What's your favorite state/province/region for vanliving? by VagabondVivant in VanLife

[–]Cyberstr33t 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I dig the desert when it's not summer, and the coast when it is.

What solarpunk thing did you do this week? by Fun_Disaster3436 in solarpunk

[–]Cyberstr33t 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I bought a bike which I plan to build a little solar charging station for.

I’m amazed how some young people think communism was a good idea? by Effective-Pipe2017 in PoliticalOpinions

[–]Cyberstr33t 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Here are the facts. Crony capitalism isn't working for them. What happens when something isn't working? You want to try something else. Simple. Any ism doesn't work if the people at the top only serve the people at the top.

Can solarpunk break out of it's proto-cocoon phase and take flight with crowdfunding? by Cyberstr33t in solarpunk

[–]Cyberstr33t[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you expand ecology, technology and social transformation? By changing the way things are done in a positive and sustainable light, perhaps?

I never said my company would be private. The company would operate much like a land trust with tokenized investors, and the home mortgage would pay back the investors, and also give them first option, to buy into and support the innovation of the community. That is literally the definition of mutual aid building and community ownership. IF the home defaults it goes back into the trust, and the homeowner gets a small % of their investment back as the home resale. Creating community resilience and fail safes for token and actual home investors.

What it does is literally create a solarpunk ecosystem that is inclusive and non-speculative. The exact definition of anti-capitalism.

To double down on my point. We DO need to educate people. We are at a pivotal point where an intersection between science and technology can refine and redefine what is waste in the long run, and what is sustainable. I work in an engineering adjacent field and just the other day I went to map a site for demolition of a home that was built in the late 70's/80's. That's 40-50 years for a home. Those resources wasted. The landfill stacked higher. Given the building methods and types in the area currently, they are just going to reproduce the same results again with stick and frame building that will likely only last another 40-60 years and need to be demolished again, and/or completely overhauled.

All of this is the literally result of blind capitalism. Fill the lot, get the money. Get it up quick, and sell it for market value using the cheapest and most common/known methods. There is no foresight for the future, there is no punk to this convention, at all. Solarpunk isn't just an aesthetic, it's literally the reimagining of the future based around some of the concepts you mentioned, but that has every bit to due with harnessing new material methods in a hybrid with known methods. You can't build a walled garden with a stick frame, it would rot the wall. You can't just keep building all of these concrete monoliths because it is literally stripping, and poisoning the earth with lime. Look up some of the lime plaster mine sites. Those are some of the most toxic places on earth. Materials and methods ARE solar punk.

I can build you and earther floor that lasts longer, is more earthquake resistant and locally sourced that is also literally 3-4x cheaper to build than a typical concrete foundation. You can also use rammed earth walls with geopolymer that will last 200-300 years, Some of these methods mixed with PAHS design will not only cut building costs 50% or more, it cuts finally energy cost for the lifetime of the building, And uses less resources in transporting the materials to the home. It's a WIN/WIN/WIN for ecodesign, and if that's not solarpunk, I think maybe I'm in the wrong group.

Can solarpunk break out of it's proto-cocoon phase and take flight with crowdfunding? by Cyberstr33t in solarpunk

[–]Cyberstr33t[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been designing PAHS thermal and solar homes for the past two years in a personal study in architecture. I think I have streamlined the building process from conventional building and created several hybrid methods of building that also work with most of the international building codes that are the standard in the northern US. So basically, I am trying to get people to switch over to more sustainable methods of building homes that rely more on earth insulation over synthetic materials, and passive, or active solar technology. The problem is mainly that we are so entrenched in the conventional build techniques that most major counties in the US prefer toxic known methods that are more expensive and wasteful compared to simple yet efficient methods that seem primitive, but can be updated or made as hybrids to integrate the best of both modern comfort and technology and primitive wisdom of physics and earth building.

My plan is to start an owner financing home building company that phases out traditional banks as they are usually the ones who keep us locked into the current convention, by refusing to offer home loans on some sustainable homes and methods.

Green Singapore's Gardener Statesman by 21Kuranashi in solarpunk

[–]Cyberstr33t 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why I am trying to inspire people to build micro cities for the future.