Rainy Day (Pioneer) Women

As the 40° rain comes down outside, I sit here warm and cozy, catching my breath and reflecting upon recent events as Dubs concocts his next masterpiece. 

 

He's working on designing a large kennel for the dogs, complete with its own heating system.  But what is really special about this kennel will be the choice of building materials.  He explained to me that he plans to build the kennels with walls made from concrete and repurposed aluminum beverage cans.  He built a small test wall using plain mud and cans at our previous residence as "proof of concept".  People familiar with "Earthship" building techniques will have heard of this method of wall construction.  This method also saves a ton of money on concrete!  From an engineering standpoint, these walls are both strong, owing to the "honeycomb" of concrete created by placing the cans in it before the concrete hardens, and energy efficient, due to the dead air space created by the cans inside the wall.  A standard 8" thick concrete wall only has an insulating value of ~R4, while the use of this building technique can raise this number into the R20 range!

 

An aluminum can and concrete wall

Once the walls have been built up to the desired height, another layer of concrete will be "smeared" over each side to create a wall that is strong, energy-efficient, and aesthetically pleasing.

Dubs showed me his sketches, but he wouldn't let me publish them yet.  He says he's still got some "adjustments" to make to the design.  I can tell you that there will be another wood stove constructed from a repurposed propane tank to keep the kennels heated on the long cold winter nights.  Dubs also incorporated some "passive" heating techniques to distribute the heat from the wood stove throughout the individual spaces for the dogs.  There is also a solarium on the south side of the structure, to get maximum solar gain, and use yet more passive solar heating during daylight hours.  Stay tuned as this concept develops.

 

As the rain continues to pour from the sky, I find myself wishing there was a "legal" way we could use all this "free" water!  While it is illegal in Colorado to catch rainwater, without an "augmented" well permit, a little bit of it gets caught in our large stock tank anyway. Every little bit helps. Every drop is precious.

Till next time, Horsey Dreams and Chardonnay Kisses!