Dear friends of the ArkHaus, our apologies for the long delay in updates. Our laptop has crapped out on us and we've been so slammed with the wedding and building our foundation.
We couldn't wait to share our ideas with everyone. Our foundation was originally planned to be a simple slab to eventually build an addition to connect the two containers, but we instead decided to think more long term and instead built a "mass heat storage radiant sand bed foundation".
You're probably curious as to what that is exactly and to be honest its not very 'google-able'. But we have some resources we found online.
[image used from: http://www.arthaonline.com/Word%20Files/Ramlow_SolarToday_ND07.pdf ]
"These homes use a concrete slab with a compacted sand bed under the slab for the storage of solar heat. The sand bed typically extends under all of the house and is about 2 ft thick. The sand bed and slab provide a large mass for storing heat. The sand bed outer edges and bottom are insulated to prevent heat loss to the outside. Heat is delivered to the house directly from the slab/sand bed into the living area. " sourced from: BuiltItSolar.com
Solar Today published a great article summarizing the concept in a 2007 article: http://www.arthaonline.com/Word%20Files/Ramlow_SolarToday_ND07.pdf
There is also another example of a family using this technique in Granville, Mass. http://www.davecimma.com/Barn/index.html
We are going to be uploading more of our own images of our heat battery foundation and some fantastic images of our off grid wedding! We were working on the foundation up until a day before the wedding! It was a frantic hurry to complete it in time and luckily we did. We got married on the property Sunday 9.4.11! :) You can also check back on our Facebook Group for additional updates!
Also don't forget we will be speaking at a free event on Wednesday September 28th 2011 at the Maine Audobon Center. They are starting up a new program called "Living Lightly" and we will be their first guest speaker. We encourage you to come out!
If you or anyone you may know might be interested in ArkHaus building a container living solution or interesting in hiring us to consult on your off grid project, please contact us and we'll be happy to work with you!
FRIDAY 9.3.11 foundation dug out, sand delivered, foam installed, pex tubing laid down, and prepped for cement pouring the following day. It was a community event and dozens of friends, family & neighbors came through to help us meet our deadline! It was a wonderful feeling to be cared for and supported as much as we are. We can't thank everyone enough!
SUNDAY 9.4.11 OUR STELLA WEDDING DAY! AMAZING FOOD, AMAZING BAND "The BArSTuARDS", and AWESOME FRIENDS!
