Project Solaria

14/03/2024

08/05/2023

https://instagram.com/stories/rammed_earth_architecture/3097554951303574265?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

02/10/2022

02/02/2022

Looks like the moon.

02/02/2022

My roommate scored me an upgraded computer. Taking Sketchup class. My Oculus Quest 2 works really good with Sketchup. Oculus Pro comes out later this year.

26/01/2022

Getting the home office set up.

13/01/2022

While I'm not entirely sold on full on Aquaponics for my build due to the fact that I won't be at the ranch( I looked up the definition and I can classify as a ranch even at 2.5 acres) all the time due to the fact that I work and will continue to live in Lake Tahoe, I am using certain aspects of it.
I have started entertaining the idea of making the shipping container into a pond style rather than a pool style allowing me to incoorperate not only fish but fresh water prawns, crayfish and algae eaters. Types of fish I'm thinking of are catfish, perch, blue gill, bass. A basic breeding package is around $1400. Tilapia would be a good choice but I found out I will need permits and inspections as they are an invasive species.
Makes sense in a way as it will let me harvest different fish at different times making processing a lot easier and no need for pumps or filters. Or I could just throw a pole in and go fishing 😆 being 9 feet deep winter time shouldn't be a problem.

13/01/2022

As my hope to not have a single pice of drywall on the property, utilizing techniques as this will still allows styling changes between the rooms

Marmorino tools Giancarlo sagasti

13/01/2022

So the plan of attack for building this project is as follows:
Most of the appliances and house infrastructure will be obtained second hand at little to no cost from my construction business. Most likely all the flooring and cabinets will be milled from pine trees from last year's fires. The trussing will be bought from a truss company.
The shop will be built first. Initially it will start as a 20x40 but will eventually be as big as 40x60 or 80. The shop will be buried at 7 feet with a 2' thick wooden floor. Flat roofs will be on the shop where grains will be grown on the roof
The guest house will be 800 sq ft on paper bit will be more like 1800 sq ft. It will be a 20x20 tower with a height of 35' which is maximum for the county. It will be designed with the night sky and moon in mind. It will have a 360° deck at 30" inches and will be cantilevered over a subterranean 360° deck which will have a view of the desert at eye level. Will be a three bedroom 3 bath house.
The swimming pool will be between the guest house and the main house and will be a full 40' container with a 6 person whirlpool bath at the front
Now for the main house. Square footage on paper will be around 2100 sq ft but will be closer to 3500 actual square footage. Having 3 bedrooms, 3 bath, den and full garden with 4 fruiting trees with around 2400 sq ft of growing area, a root cellar, wine cellar, and a room dedicated to fungiculture. The upstairs will be at minimum 900 sq ft open floor plan with one bedroom(master) with a master bath, a second full bathroom that opens to the outside deck and into the kitchen area.
The kitchen will be roughly 250 square feet and will be purpose built with a pizza oven, smoker, 6 burner stove, restaurant style sink with an open plan. There will also be walking refrigerator and freezer to allow for storage of the meat and vegetable the farms raise. The kitchen will have a unique feature that will allow it to swivel entirely to the outside deck making the floor inside to almost 1100 sq ft.
Now when I say on paper, there is a rule that anything below grade doesn't count toward square footage the same as above grade but I haven't gotten the exact number yet. I will be designing everything with Autocad and will start posting pictures as I get them designed.

13/01/2022

Excellent video about Aquaponics. It's gaining traction everywhere. Small footprint for good quality fish and vegetables. Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish that taste phenomenal and nutritious if fed good food.

Aquaponics combines two growing methods, aquaculture and hydroponics, to create a self-contained, well-balanced ecosystem. Fish are fed and raised in a tank ...

13/01/2022

Paul Wheatton is is good source for living off the grid. There will be a number of these around the property not only inside the houses and shop but out on the decks and community areas outside. As I will have a pellet maker to make animal food it can also make fuel pellets from all the inedible vegetable scraps as well as wood scraps from the workshop.

Paul Wheaton gives a brief tour of the famed Wheaton labs where we see two functional and highly efficient rocket mass heaters. PLUS, we see two very eco fri...

13/01/2022

This one I heard about as a kid. I am utilizing this concept for my entire house. As it is being built in the high desert, zone 7a, temperature swings of 115°f down to 10°f this type of passive heating will allow me to maintain a constant temperature of around 65°feet year round with nothing but a small dedicated solar panel and 2) 6 inch computer fans. Will require a fair amount of initial investment and time but generations of free air managent. The bottom floor will be 15 feet below grade.

Winter temperatures in Alliance, Nebraska can drop to -20°F (the record low is -40°F/C), but retired mailman Russ Finch grows oranges in his backyard greenho...