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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 8, 2020 14:05:14 GMT
Zombies aren't something I fear, though a swarm of ticked-off Africanized honey bees or ground hornets does get my attention.
On surviving heat and cold our ancestors used a few methods. Fire, not so hard to do once you learn the skill, and if you have sunlight and a small magnifying glass you're halfway there. Basic flint rock can be used to create sparks, but there are a number of other methods that are more or less usable with a little practice.
Then there's thermal mass. People have lived in caves because once you're in far enough the internal temperature tends to be fairly stable, meaning a small fire can warm up an area fairly well. In similar fashion a building with thick stone walls, or with soil banked high around stone walls has a fairly stable interior temperature.
Modern 'stick built' houses have some insulation but unless they have thicker exterior masonry walls or are surrounded by soil, they don't offer much in the way of thermal mass to slow down heat transference from the outside environment.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 10:32:38 GMT
It's minus 17 Celsius here. The heat is on full blast, and the cold is still creeping in. So, what I got from your post is they used to build shelter way better than they do nowadays. And I need to learn to make a fire.
I just finished Lost. Such a disappointment. Had some promise. All that survival, and they died.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 9, 2020 12:51:39 GMT
Modern housing is built on the theory it uses fewer resources, at least for those who aren't very well off. True, it's cheaper to put in place in a hurry, but there are the higher costs associated with heating and cooling. In addition, those houses that are tightly sealed to slow down heat infiltration / exfiltration can cause respiratory issues with people who are sensitive to different allergens unless unless air filters designed to trap allergens are used.
One never knows when it might be handy to know how to make fire and have the tools to do so.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 23:20:04 GMT
Here they build houses with wood; we have lots of trees. In Greece, they built with concrete. I take it the Queen's castles are built with concrete too. Wood is cheaper material, so you're spot on.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 23:21:00 GMT
That is why they have to rebuild the house here after 75 years or so, and the houses in Greece and the UK are standing after centuries.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 9, 2020 23:51:15 GMT
Modern concrete will last 50 to 65 years. Wood [as in pine or fir], if cared for lasts a while but will need repair.
Roman concrete lasts millennia, as does lumber derived from ironwood.
The materials used make a difference.
My oldest brother has a Ph.D. and I had to explain the difference between modern Portland and Roman based cements / concretes.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2020 16:04:04 GMT
Most houses in England are made of stone or brick. Our house is made of brick. However in the old days they sometimes built houses with basemants. Now only rarely will you find a basement in a house. My husband, who is American but now has dual nationality, (American and British) groans as he sees houses being built. His constant cry is, "Why don't they put in a basement." I must agree with him. Our house would be much warmer in the winter if we had a basement and we would have extra space.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2020 18:57:36 GMT
Roman concrete lasts millennia, as does lumber derived from ironwood. Cameron, What is the difference and how do you know this?
Larika, why don't they make basements in the UK?
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 10, 2020 19:45:03 GMT
Maggie,
Modern Portland cement is a mixture of quicklime and a clay plastisizer along with sand and water. Aggregate or gravel is added in order to make concrete. Roman concrete utilized quicklime, normally a particular type of volcanic ash from one volcano in Italy, and sea water. Volcanic tuft was used as the aggregate to make concrete.
The difference between the two is the type chemical reaction that occurs due to the ingredients. The Roman version forms a stronger chemical bond.
Ironwood is a dense wood that's hard to work when wet, nearly impossible to work when dry or cured. In certain desert climates it literally takes on iron pyrite as it petrifies. There are a few varieties or species of ironwood, and if shaped for use while wet they would make housing timbers that termites wouldn't touch.
How do I know this, would you believe I used to read a lot on a wide range of subjects?
I would also hazard a guess that basements in England are rare now due to cost, as well as the hazards of radon gas in areas with more of a granite substrata. In a basement without proper barrier layers under the concrete as well as good ventilation to include external windows and with radon gas infiltration lung cancer is almost a guarantee.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 21:45:12 GMT
Ah, gases. I was wondering if maybe they had a lot earthquakes but I couldn't remember that being in the news ever.
That's really useful information about the concrete. I reinforced my foundation this summer, myself, and I used the Modern Portland mix, though it's not called that here.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 11, 2020 22:30:30 GMT
Radon gas occurs naturally, though the percentage that infiltrates a basement is usually a lot higher in areas with a lot of granite closer to the surface. If I recall correctly the worst place to have a basement is where blue granite is close to the surface, and you likely don't want walls made with blue granite.
I need to do some work, though it will wait until I have the funds to get volcanic ash, salt for making ersatz seawater, and possibly lava rock for the aggregate part. We do want our outer walls to have the thermal mass to slow heat infiltration / exfiltration.
Then again a root cellar would be nice as well, though that will take some time and possibly a jackhammer rental.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 8:10:17 GMT
Larika, why don't they make basements in the UK? Maggie, it's probably due to the expense. It's so much quicker and cheaper to put the house on a concrete slab for foundations than to build a basement.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 8:42:43 GMT
"There are a few varieties or species of ironwood, and if shaped for use while wet they would make housing timbers that termites wouldn't touch" SpkinxCaneron I wish our house in France had been built out of ironwood. I'm afraid we got termites. I think they invaded our house when we cut down a nearby tree that we were told could damage the house's foundations. Apparently they were living there!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 11:18:07 GMT
Thank you, Larika. I guess that is the most obvious reason for anywhere.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jan 12, 2020 13:36:40 GMT
"There are a few varieties or species of ironwood, and if shaped for use while wet they would make housing timbers that termites wouldn't touch"SpkinxCaneron I wish our house in France had been built out of ironwood. I'm afraid we got termites. I think they invaded our house when we cut down a nearby tree that we were told could damage the house's foundations. Apparently they were living there! There are two types of termites, dry wood and subterranean. The subterranean type lives underground and the colonies can be huge, and yes they can destroy a wooden structure. One way to slow them down is to treat a piece of wood with boric acid and set it upright in your garden.
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