http://www.4peaks.com/fthwalden.htm#visit
So if Henry David Thoreau was alive today what would he do differently?
Also, if he had built it in your local climate, how might it be different?
This is how I might build Walden for a cold climate today:
- Perhaps better insulated, but still natural and local materials.
- Roughly the same minimalist size, scaled to number of occupants.
- Use of quality building materials and construction, but very little stuff.
- Minimal possessions, including clothing, to keep everything else minimal.
- For a very small space, R12 walls and R20 ceiling might be adequate.
- Perhaps an adjoining greenhouse of the same size, to combine space.
- Chimney or flue on an interior wall, between living space and green space.
- Minimal use of hot water, to keep everything else minimal.
- Small solar water heater as well as small wood stove for heating water.
- Greenhouse would be combination bathroom/laundry/greenhouse.
- Rainwater catchment, with greywater recycling in greenhouse and outside.
- Very small 12v DC solar power system, for lighting, laundry, and refrigeration.
- Refrigerator and Freezer would be small and very well insulated with thermal mass to reduce battery use. ( Ice, or Frozen Brine )
- Laundry would be done during solar peak at noon, perhaps on a timer.
- Some battery charging could be done while driving vehicle, if you had one.
- Perhaps a solar electric vehicle integrated with domestic power.
- Wind or Hydro power would be developed if it was a suitable site. Perhaps a hydrogen powered vehicle, with hydrogen produced during peak wind generation.
The home would be sort of like a land yacht, but not mobile, unless of course you want it to be. Of course if you hand some sort of a cottage industry, other than writing, such as farming, or woodlot management, or some craft, you would need additional space and energy needs and that could get integrated into your system also, rather than as a separate building.
