Building Science and Off-Grid Living
I’m in the process of framing a house using 2×6 studs. If you’ve discovered this post through a search engine, I’m going to assume you just realized how heavy a 2×6 wall frame is – or even worse, a 2×8 – and you’re looking for a way to make it easier to erect. If, like…
I’m in the process of building a new house, so my wife and I have been taking a lot of trips to Lowe’s lately. Whenever we’re there, we always spend some time window shopping grills, as well as other appliances, fantasizing about what we’re going to get for our new house. The last time we…
Eight months ago I started building a new house on my off-grid property. By the end of this month I’ll be finished with the exterior walls, so I thought now would be a good time for a video update. Check out the progress below…
I have been living off the grid in Arizona for exactly four years at the time of writing this, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about my experience, since I now have a lot of it. How Difficult Is it to Live Off the Grid in Arizona? This is sort…
There’s a debate that’s been raging for decades, with no signs of slowing down: Should metal roofing screws go through the valleys of the corrugated metal or through the peaks? I’ve noticed those who prefer going through the peaks are vehement in their position. They insist there is no better way to do it, and…
Over the years, I’ve noticed myself getting more and more away from miter joints. In fact, just before writing this point, I was contemplating using a miter joint for a detail on our new house, but quickly rejected the thought. In this post, I’ll go in depth on why I think a simple butt joint…
I’m currently in the process of building a new off-grid house, and I often find myself wondering: What kind of house am I building, exactly? It’s too big to be a tiny house; it’s too small and boxy to be a ranch-style house; it’s too lo-fi and lacking amenities, mechanicals, etcetera… to be a modern…
The Internet is full of people demonstrating how to make a smokeless fire pit. The problem is: they’re all using the same design. It’s a good design, but it’s a bit pricey and not exactly the easiest thing to make. Firstly, you need a lot of pavers or solid concrete blocks. At a price of…
A few months ago I built a slab on grade foundation for our new house, so I thought it would be interesting to write an article comparing slab on grade to another common type of foundation: pier on beam. I considered several types of foundations for our new home, including pier on beam, so this…
The last time I bought a bunch of 2×6 studs, I noticed a few studs in my trailer that looked quite a bit shorter than the others. The guy helping load up, quickly snatched them out of the trailer and said, “Oh sorry, I guess some 92s slipped in the pile.” He was referring to…
