WORKSHOP SCHEDULE + DESCRIPTIONS

Transcription

1 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE + DESCRIPTIONS

2 SMALL HOUSE CONVERGENCE: workshop SCHEDULE Small House Convergence 2014: Workshop Descriptions [5 August 2014] Saturday, September 20 9:00-10:30 11:00-12:30 Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Rain Water Management Tim Watson How to Build a Small House Otis Johnson Easy Small House Construction Using Conventional Construction Materials Harvey Harman 12:30-2:00 2:00-3:30 4:00-5:30 Energy Systems for Small Structures Whitney Schmidt & Greg Schmidt LUNCH Sawmill Demonstration Logan Parker Moveable Tiny Houses (Panel TBD) Building with Compressed Earth Block (CEB) Mustapha Barry and Jeff Gannon Timber Framing Mike Yaker Sunday, September 21 9:00-10:30 Design Patterns for Small House Living Laura Cole Zoning and Permitting issues for Small Houses Harvey Harman 11:00-12:30 Small Houses and Community: How Living in a Small Houses leaves room for a larger life (Panel TBD) Creative Financing and Mortgage Free options (Panel TBD) Note: Friday, September 19 is the day for small home tours, see our website for more information. 2 P age

3 SMALL HOUSE CONVERGENCE: WORKSHOPS Workshop descriptions in alphabetical order by session title Building with Compressed Earth Block (CEB)... 4 Design Patterns for Small House Living... 5 Easy Small House Construction Using Conventional Construction Materials... 5 Energy Systems for Small Structures... 6 How to Build a Small House... 6 Rain Water Management... 7 Sawmill Demonstration... 7 Timber Framing... 8 Zoning and Permitting issues for Small Houses P age

4 BUILDING WITH COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK (CEB) In this seminar, participants will get a hands-on experience working with Compressed Earth Block (CEB). We will give an overview on the history of CEB, make CEBs with both a manual and automatic press, and construct a small shed. Learning Objectives: Participants will gain the knowledge how to work with CEBs and adobe. Students will learn the difference between stabilized and unstabilized block as well as slurry and mortar techniques. We will also present on using CEB to build arches. Hands-on: During this workshop, we will erect walls and an arch for a small shed. Participants should be prepared to get dirty as we work with CEBs. Participants will gain hands-on experience laying block and making slurry and mud mortar. His passion of ecological design, food production and transformation led him to study under world renown teachers like Jerome Osentowski (Permaculture -CRMPI) Satprem Maini (Compressed Earth Block Arches, Vaults and Domes Auroville Earth Institute, India), Will Allen (Urban Intensive Food Production Growing Power, USA) and Sandor Katz (Food Fermentation USA). With a Non Profit Organization he is developing (Moose Ecological Design Solutions), he is working on giving back to people of West Africa by sharing skills in Earth building and Permaculture. He co-taught the first Permaculture course in Senegal during the Third International Eco-City Conference held in Dakar-Yoff, in He believes in simple and low-tech solutions to our shelter, food and energy challenges. MUSTAPHA BARRY & JEFF GANNON Jeff Gannon is the owner and founder of both Green Door Design/Build, a sustainable building company based in Pittsboro, NC, and DIG southeast, a compressed earth block (CEB) manufacturer in Chatham County, NC. Jeff is a NC general contractor, arborist, and visual artist. He is interested in small building design and consulting with homeowners interested in mortgage free building. Moose, as most people call him, is a passionate advocate of Ecological Design and Building. Moose grew up with earth dwellings and thatch roofs in his native village in Casamance, Senegal, West Africa. In 1985, his cousin, a Senegalese architect, introduced him to the concept of Compressed Earth Blocks. He fell in love with the technology. 4 P age

5 DESIGN PATTERNS FOR SMALL HOUSE LIVING In this workshop, we will use Christopher Alexander s A Pattern Language to learn ways to enhance small house designs. This classic volume by Alexander is a treasure trove of ideas for creating living spaces that are psychologically pleasing and socially connected. Laura will offer a short introduction to the language and show examples of small natural homes that have employed design patterns. We will then use Alexander s book to workshop small house designs. Participants are encouraged to bring their own small house design plans (if applicable). Otherwise, Laura will provide small house plans for practicing use of the pattern language. Learning Objectives: Participants will gain knowledge of Christopher Alexander s A Pattern Language and gain confidence in the use of the pattern language in their own house designs. Hands-on: Participants will practice applying the language to small house floor plans (either participant s own or plans provided by the instructor). LAURA COLE, PH.D., UNC-GREENSBORO Laura is an interior designer with a Ph.D. in architecture and environmental psychology. She currently teaches design studio in the Department of Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Laura has been working on, teaching about, and researching green buildings for over ten years. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, with a particular focus on building interiors and the psychological and social dimensions of green buildings. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, canning, and spinning wool. EASY SMALL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION USING CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Using Standard 2" x 4" stud construction, we will frame in a small house. We will cover basic frame construction techniques, advanced framing options for increased energy-efficiency, and ways to be an owner-builder. Learning Objectives: Basic framing techniques, advanced framing techniques for greater energy efficiency, where and how to learn more, and how to be an owner-builder. Hands-on: We will frame in a small house including exterior walls, interior walls, and set roof trusses if we have enough time. HARVEY HARMAN, SMALL HOUSE INSTITUTE Harvey is a licensed building and plumbing contractor with a passion for empowering people to build their own shelters. He writes and publishes the "Small House Institute Newsletter" and is a cofounder of Living Well Community and Living Well Earth Stewards. Harvey works as the Construction Director for Chatham Habitat for Humanity and in his spare time farms and designs small houses. 5 P age

6 ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR SMALL STRUCTURES HOW TO BUILD A SMALL HOUSE Small structures have characteristics that make them more easily energy efficient than larger buildings. That being so, they are also taken more easily off the grid and powered by alternative energy sources. Join us as we explore planning for off grid solar PV, solar thermal, and super efficient appliance profiles. We will pay special attention to the implications energy harvesting has on structural design. Learning Objectives: Knowledge of appropriate structural elements of design to accommodate certain energy systems (solar, solar thermal, water harvesting, etc) Consumption vs. production: how to balance levels so that needs are met How to reduce the energy profile of the home with appliance choices Hands-on: We will have systems available and working for inspection and learning. WHITNEY & GREG SCHMIDT, SOLAR PANELS PLUS This session will explain how to build a Small (DIY) House, with/without a Full-wrap Porch, on/off the Grid, from 144 sq-ft to 1200 sq-ft. Learning objectives: How to Plan, Organize and Execute a Small House building project: How to evaluate a potential location or community How to select your building site How to actually build a Small House and pass inspection. OTIS JOHNSON, GREEN SHELTERS, LLC The Green Shelters presentation will be given by Otis Johnson, a retired Systems Engineer and Management Accountant who several years ago, attended a Small House Workshop at The Shelters Institute outside Bath, Maine. This became a life-altering experience for him and he returned to North Carolina and began to design and build Small Houses. He believes in the Small House Movement and would like to contribute whatever skills and talent he may have to seeing it become an economic and social success. Whitney Schmidt is the Regional Manager for Solar Panels Plus, a national residential and commercial solar manufacturer and installer. Whitney handles design and installation for the Carolinas. Greg Schmidt is a Solar Electrician for Grid Free!, a nonprofit operating internationally installing solar arrays on low and zero income establishments. Greg is also a builder with Carolina House Company, a custom Tiny Home builder in Chatham County. He lives in an off grid 392 square foot tiny house built by the company. 6 P age

7 RAIN WATER MANAGEMENT SAWMILL DEMONSTRATION Water is a precious resource. Do you remember not having enough water, or maybe thinking you could surely use more than what a rain barrel can hold? This session introduces you to two truly innovative ways of storing rain water collected from roofs. One method is designed to store a minimum of seven gallons per square foot of collection surface while providing a foundation support system for your home. The other produces a gravity pressure system costing $.50 per stored gallon without needing any moving parts or electric power. Learning Objectives: Participants will learn about these innovative systems, how they work, and how they can design them for their own use. Participants will learn how to incorporate these systems into their homes using new construction techniques which will be explained in this session. Participants will acquire a clearer understanding about the importance of combining water conservation with soil and micro biological management thus helping make our planet greener. TIM WATSON, ARCHITECT Tim Watson specializes in "Eco-restorative Design" meant to wed people places with nature's places in mutually beneficial ways. He has been developing micro house plans that incorporate water management technology into his designs. Tim teaches a sustainable architectural technology course at Central Carolina Community College in which people learn about water flows and how to draw their own designs using simple drawing tools. For more information visit Tim Watson's web site at: We will be demonstrating the use of a portable sawmill to cut lumber from logs on site. Those timbers will then be used for the Timber Framing workshop. Participants will learn about useful tree species in the Piedmont, how to determine the usability of fallen trees as lumber, and how to saw lumber to maximize yield and quality. We will also discuss and demonstrate the purpose of sticker-stacking lumber for air-drying and general safety guidelines when sawing. Learning objectives: knowledge of sawing techniques, stacking techniques, and safety. Hands-on: We will be moving logs onto the mill, where I will demonstrate different techniques of sawing (plain sawing vs. quartersawing). Participants will also help to properly prepare and stack lumber to maximize the quality of finished/air-dried lumber. LOGAN PARKER HEIRLOOM BUILDERS, INC. Owner of Heirloom Builders, Inc. and carpenter for 10 years. We build custom cabinetry and furniture with our locally sourced lumber, as well as small structures and frames for natural homes. I live completely off the grid, in a 680 sq ft strawbale home in Silk Hope, NC. I am building a homestead based on the principles of permaculture. 7 P age

8 TIMBER FRAMING This Timber Framing Workshop will cover history and design. From material selection through conversion, there will be a strong focus on fundamental wood working. Timber layout methods will be discussed and we will layout and execute the joinery on a simple structure. Learning Objectives: Fundamental woodworking skills enabled through positive encouragement and thorough planning. Hands-on: Cutting mortise and tenon joinery on timbers to create structure; creating space using simple tools. MICHAEL YAKER, PROFESSIONAL TIMBER FRAMER, WOOD JOINERS Mike Yaker is a Timber Framer from De Forest, WI. Practicing Craft and honing his skills since 1990, Mike s building experience includes the preservation and restoration of timber frame barns, historic structure, and many completed timber structures. Mike s teaching focus is to create a foundation of wood working skills in hand tool use and care. Mike has a belief that Timber Frame Construction is an ideal medium to learn and develop fundamental woodworking skills and is accessible to all. The timber frame workshop will cover all elements necessary to build a Timber Frame Structure. Topics: Timber Design-Material selection-material conversion-timber Layout methods (scribe, square rule, mill rule) and Tool Sharpening. ZONING AND PERMITTING ISSUES FOR SMALL HOUSES In this session, we will look at how zoning and permitting issues affect options related to house and lot size. We will additionally evaluate differences between urban, suburban, and rural situations. We will talk about HOAs and restrictive covenants, and also look at exemptions and variances. Learning Objectives: Understanding of the NC Residential Building code as it relates to room and house size. We also will look at standard zoning ordinances as they relate to small houses. HARVEY HARMAN, SMALL HOUSE INSTITUTE Harvey is a licensed building and plumbing contractor with a passion for empowering people to build their own shelters. He writes and publishes the "Small House Institute Newsletter" and is a cofounder of Living Well Community and Living Well Earth Stewards. Harvey works as the Construction Director for Chatham Habitat for Humanity and in his spare time farms and designs small houses. 8 P age