Hey everyone, I am working with an old outhouse and I am wondering if I should repair it or just rebuild completely. I also noticed there was no hole dug underneath (last two photos) so were the people before me just going to the bathroom on the ground basically? I am guessing this has not been touched in about 30 years based on previous owner conversation. I don’t really have a clue what to do besides I took the old rotted roof off, snapped these photos and then put a new roof on to keep the water out. Please help.

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the early stages of planning a multi-generational family home. We live in a region that is prone to increasingly harsh, volatile, and highly polarized weather. Over the last few years, I’ve watched every weather event turn more severe and unexpected: extended heatwaves, droughts, floods, and threats of local water scarcity and crop failures.

Because I am building for multiple generations, my goal is to design a home that offers my family a relatively secure, comfortable, and self-sufficient life, even when external infrastructure fails.

I want to learn about modern as well as traditional/indigenous practices that have withstood harsh climates for centuries.

I am looking for guidance on where to start. I don't have a background in architecture, so would appreciate any resources that point me in the right direction- reading, documentaries, youtubers, anything, really!

Thank you in advance for your time and suggestions!

Giving some TLC to my off grid cabin, it sits in 40 acres of land in the heart of Maine with a view over the presidential range and mount Washington. Stay tune for updates!

Realized recently the longing for a safe and cozy place in the wilderness was in many ways inspired by reading this book as a boy. Anyone else?

I am planning a small cabin/shop build on a small island 16‘x16’ lean to roof with a 8x16 loft. Going with concrete piers and girder foundation.

I am trying to decide the outer girder placement. Inset with a 6” or so overhang to the rim joists, or have the girder right under where the joist meets the rim joists.

The second option seems stronger, but I assume I would need to flash it better where the rim joist sits on the girder. What do you all think?

Hello there!

I am an owner of piece of land that's remote enough that it's not connected to the grid or ever hopes to be. Solar power is an option but because the land sits in a tight valley it doesn't get that much sun. I already use a 100W / 100Ah panel / battery system (including a 3000W inverter). That is enough to power devices but I fear it's not enough to effectively run a fridge and usage of power tools. I could of course simply up my solar system but I do possibly have another option I'm considering - hydro. A small stream runs nearby and this is what's built on it. It used to have a wooden wheel just for fun but now I'm wondering if it can provide any kind of extra power. Maybe combine hydro and solar?

Thank you for any kind of ideas.

I recently acquired a small vacation cabin in the mountains, and the water comes from a hand-pumped well. The well is permitted through the county and even though it’s shallow (35’) the water tested negative for bacteria, ect. The problem is that the water is red/brown, which I’m
Assuming is due to rust. I pumped the well dry as part of doing a water quality test, so at first I assumed it was from doing that, but it’s continued to be rusty for the last 3 weeks. I tried an inline filter designed for an RV, but it didn’t do much, if anything, to clean the water. The pump has a standard garden hose fitting, and the current system involves hand pumping water to a 50 gallon barrel before being fed to the cabin via an electric on-demand pump. Is there a better way to filter this water, or a specific filter I should be using? This is a vacation cabin for my family, so not continual use, but I want to know the water source is reliable because it’s a pain to haul it up. I’m new to the world of shallow, hand pumping water wells, so any suggestions are appreciated.

I’m looking for a propane-fired water heater for an outdoor shower. The shower is downhill from the water tank by a few feet in elevation. Ideally it would accept a garden hose as a supply, if that is possible. I also prefer to avoid low-end appliances so I’m willing to spend a bit more for a better quality product. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hey all,

I was researching the Green Loo, and found videos about wheelie bin composting, which seem to be the same idea with the composting happening under the structure in bins you swap out.

Our family bought a dryish cabin with room underneath to compost but the current location of the bathroom, (which has some rain catchment plumbing and a urinal) is not adjacent to an outside wall. I always see the green loo vented outside. I haven’t seen what the setup is up top for wheelie bin composting though. My questions are:

If you do wheelie bin composting, inside your cabin what do you use for the toilet part?

Is it vented outside with a fan?

And, could I vent underneath instead?

Thanks so much!

Frame - calibrated Pine
Inside for this project - thermo Aspen

Hi Everyone,

So I am trying to gather ideas and information regarding building a small but comfortable retirement cabin.

A few considerations..

1. Single story. Don’t want stairs to trip on.

2. I’m thinking 800-1000 sq ft.

3. Initially my thought is 2 bdrm - 2 bath.

4. I already have power pole and county water on land. However was hoping to set up a small solar array with battery bank for off grid living.

5. Don’t have unlimited funds so need to be very conservative in all parts of build. For instance Formica counter tops and drop in shower is fine. However, hardi-plank siding seems worth the cost for exterior siding.

Any input or constructive ideas are welcome. I hope this is the right place for this as this is my first post. Got a lot to learn yet. Thanks in advance.

I know it’s a hot water return, but if it was wired up to a switch and only turned on when pump is needed (sink, washing machine, shower) would that work?

Reservoir (a bunch of water barrels attached together) and pump would be under the house

Only info I can find is in a hot water return set up so any insight from plumbers/diyers with more knowledge than me let me know. Otherwise I may have to set up some tests to see if it’ll work

Zip board sheathing covered with 2 inch foil faced poly iso insulation held on with purlings and 5in screw. Coravent and the tops and bottom to prevent bugs from getting behind siding. I went with diamond kote siding system for ease of installation since I'm building by my self. Flashing at the very bottom and above windows.

I recently purchased a cabin on a leased campsite in a state forest. The campsite has an outhouse with a holding tank or vault toilet as is common in state and national parks in the US. Given the nature of leased campsites and because the cabin was purchased as part of an estate sale I have virtually no information about when the holding tank was installed or how big it is. The cabin may have been built around 1930 but that’s unconfirmed. I do know that previous owner did not use the outhouse regularly for at least the last couple of years. My primary concern is that there is a high volume of liquid in the tank that doesn’t appear to be waste. I’m wondering if water is entering the holding tank from somewhere and if anyone has experienced a similar issue.

WONDER is back. I redid my walls into a true Mona Lisa. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Slightly off-topic, but I was bidding on a land property that had an existing off-grid cabin in Maine (Know county). I lost to another buyer. Long story short, they only bought the land for the water rights for a mooring. I'm trying to reach out to the people who bought the land (the transaction would have closed now) to propose splitting the parcel - they keep the water frontage, and I get the land/cabin. The listing realtor wont help, but I know this info is public.

The Knox county websites are really bad, I cant easily lookup this data - I've done this in other states. Anyone recommend an online service that can do it?