The Log house Project begins........

[dave1949]

You said you were considering Solar.. I am a green nut, but I also love my wallet. The general consensus with the people I know is that Solar is the future, but the future is not quite yet here. 25 to 30 K is not an abnormal price, and maybe in 5 years with more manufacturing you are going to see a 20 to 30% drop in price. But the general consensus is you will not see the profit back from this system before the system wears out.

You get a bigger bang from your buck by pursuing systems that help in heating and cooling (the large energy user in a home). Insulation, Geothermal, wood (grumble), solar smarts when building the home (Position of windows, use of natural breezes).

You said you are near a stream, any chance of using it instead (we cannot up in WA due to the environmental issues).

I agree off-grid solar only makes economic sense where power is not available or only available at a high price. About the time you get close to breaking even, it's time for a new set of batteries. An inverter repair or two can put you even further behind.

Grid-tied can make economic sense if you have reasonable amounts of unobstructed sunlight and your local power company provides net metering.

Most states have tax credits too for either off-grid or grid-tied. Conservation is the key, as you said.
Dave.

 

[MotorSeven]

I am ditching the solar for now..can't afford it. I will continue to work on the hydro angle.
I will have a 16' or so deck out over the bank. I haven't decided on cantalever or just reg posts.
Sorry JD3720, I did run those 55 gal drums up the hill in my bucket & didn't get a pic. I cracked a rib falling off a roof(only 8' up) this week, so it has kinda effected my concentration. I will try for some on Mon when the block guys return.\
Eddie, block basements are very common here, most use a rolled on tar gunk that has a limited success. I am going with a seamless membrane, and aperimeter drain. There really is no water issues up on this ridge(yet).

RD

 

[MotorSeven]

I am looking at these two products to seal the wall:

DELTA®-MS - Effective Dampproofing and Wall Waterproofing Membrane for Foundation Walls

SUPERSEAL Dimpled Membrane - the best basement waterproofing method

 

[dave1949]

Ouch, sorry about the rib. Those take a long while to totally heal. Just hope you don't catch a cold for the next couple weeks. The coughing and sneezing can be murder.

I think you are on the right track with the block wall sealing membrane. The roll on tar will not bridge cracks over time IMO. I figure if plastics will last a couple hundred years in a landfill, they will last a long time buried next to a wall too.

Dave.

 

[EddieWalker]

I am going with a seamless membrane, and aperimeter drain. There really is no water issues up on this ridge(yet).

RD

I like the seamless membrane part of it, I just don't understand how you seal it agains the block? Somewho, it has to be glued to the block to make it waterproof. How do you do that with such a small space between the dirt and the block wall?

Eddie

 

[scoutcub]

RD;

Thanks for the info regarding the block vs poured, think I might go block as well. I've been clearing out the homesite for the last several days now, but broke the dozer....Eddie was right, they are a big money pit.
I've been debating the power as well.....my homesite is just about exact middle of 62 acres. To run power in from the road will be $$$, haven't even checked yet. I do have a continual stream below me, but it is 2-3 times further away than yours, so I'm assuming increased energy loss with the distance.....
The one good thing I have is 2 oil wells on the property with a provision for free gas.....so that should heat/cool the shop/house....and possibly a big LP generator?
With my luck, I'll get it all installed and run out of gas....

Great thread, I'm/we're learning a lot, particularly interested in the hydro power project! Thanks for sharing and keep it coming!

 

[ruralruss]

I am ditching the solar for now..can't afford it. I will continue to work on the hydro angle.
I will have a 16' or so deck out over the bank. I haven't decided on cantalever or just reg posts.
Sorry JD3720, I did run those 55 gal drums up the hill in my bucket & didn't get a pic. I cracked a rib falling off a roof(only 8' up) this week, so it has kinda effected my concentration. I will try for some on Mon when the block guys return.\
Eddie, block basements are very common here, most use a rolled on tar gunk that has a limited success. I am going with a seamless membrane, and aperimeter drain. There really is no water issues up on this ridge(yet).

RD

When my pop decided to add on to the house he did a basement (5 ft) and a upper level. He used blocks and then he used that tar gunk and then stuck thick plastic to that, repeated 3 times. That was 38 years ago and no leaks. When we built our Georgia home into the side of a mountain the basement is open to the front but 9 ft under in the back. I used the gunk and black plastic as well. That has been 13 years and no leaks. Now this was dug out of undisturbed forever, GA clay with good footers so we have no cracks I am sure. My brother did a similar thing but stuck 3 in. foam insulating foam board on the outside, of course he was up in Indiana where the winters are too nasty for me anymore.

Russ

 

[tommu56]

I like the seamless membrane part of it, I just don't understand how you seal it agains the block? Somewho, it has to be glued to the block to make it waterproof. How do you do that with such a small space between the dirt and the block wall?

Eddie

Most block and poured basements up here are coated with a material like roof cement troweled, brushed, or sprayed on.
then with the parameter drain and stone back fill water has a pathe to get away from the foundation.

example http://www.henry.com/fileadmin/pdf/datasheets/HE785_techdata.pdf

For some of the membranes you don't actually seal membrane against the block it provides the barrier for water not to get through you have to provide a good drainage path at the bottom for the water that hits it and runs down it flows away.

tom

 

[MotorSeven]

Eddie, it does not have to be glued to the wall. It can hang like a curtain, attached at the top. The bottom will run to the edge of the footer, then the drain pipe, a backfull with #57 gravel for a few feet, then slate/dirt.
Keep in mind that I will have a min of 6' porches all the way around the house, gutters(eaves troughs for you northern folks) & piping to move the water away & into a tank. My wife will use that reserve to water the plants/garden.

Scout, if you can swing it, poured is the way to go. A week after I started the block, the third company I called left a message, "I was on vacation, & can give you a quote now." Now keep in mind I talked to a rep for their company who never mentioned that the "estimate" guy was out for the week.....heck of a way to run a business. Poured I am sure would have run over $5K more....couldn't swing it.
If you stream has good flow & head(if it drops over a few feet in a short distance), then you can put a micro hydro unit on it. The further away the bigger the gauge of wire needed & it can get expensive, but it's a one time thing. Its is worth looking into.
Free natural gas??? wow, the possibilities are endless.

Oh and I just sold my dozer....lost a couple of K on it, but considering the current miserable heavy equipment market...I did ok. I learned the hard way that a 550 or better is needed in these rocky hills....and a big bank account to fix 'em after basing into rock after rock.

RD

 

[MotorSeven]

Finally....TRACTOR pic's:

Haulin water for the block layers

Fixing to set the 12' load rated Lintel

And it's set