Shelter

Working Iron: A Primer on Blacksmithing | The Art of Manliness

15 July 2011

150 years ago most census records showed that a fifth of the respondents listed their occupation as blacksmith, including my 3rd great-grandfather, Roger Farrer.  I don’t know what Grampa Farrer fabricated every day, but if he was like most smiths, he was making everything.  Horseshoes were a small part of the job.  He was more [...]

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Making the Plan Your Own

21 April 2011

If anything drives my crazy about most survival sites, beyond all the guns nuts, is the idea that you have to live in the middle of nowhere. Ideally, 400+ miles from the nearest major city. 400 miles because that is how far you can get on a tank of gas with an average car, and [...]

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Accessible open bathroom

21 February 2011

We have sustained numerous injuries so a normal house is not going to allow us to age gracefully in it. One of the most important things is that the bathroom needs to be designed so we can use it without climbing over things.
Here is a problem few people think about when they buy a home. [...]

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The Entry Room

2 February 2011

Every house has a room that is the main entrance, that one that is preferred over others, often it is the garage entry. And a lot of builder stick the laundry room in there, which is just silly because that leave no room for anything useful.
Not to say that a laundry-bath combo there isn’t a [...]

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How Germans Build Their Homes

31 January 2011

When I was in Germany I visited a development that was under construction. Looking at houses is always fun. What they were doing surprised me. Those houses were incredibly well built. I’m talking about steel-reinforced concrete walls with heavy tile roofs and massive foundations.
I couldn’t tell if they were designed for surviving a war or [...]

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Dream Garage

27 January 2011

Garages take up a lot of space in our homes but hardly ever get any thought put into them. They are just an unfinished box to store the car and lawnmower and maybe some tools.
The worst problem most garages have is a near complete lack of adequate light. There is a bulb or two in [...]

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Dream Bedroom

26 January 2011

How you arrange your bedroom can make a big difference in how you feel.
One winter morning I woke up in serious pain. My shoulders were stiff and sore, I could hardly turn my head. A hot shower and a regular doses of pain reliever got me through the day. After scrapping the snow and ice [...]

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Sinks

20 January 2011

My wife is telling me we need at least 3 sinks in our dream home. One for the kitchen, that is under mounted for easier cleanup and with a garbage disposal. I would add that it needs to have two basins so we can do hand washing and rinsing. I would prefer stainless steel, since [...]

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Home Preparedness Map

12 January 2011

Do you know where to shutoff the water, gas and electricity? How about your spouse and children? The babysitter?
Where should everyone go if you have to evacuate because of a fire or gas leak?
Do you have safety equipment like fire extinguishers? Where are they?
A simple answer to these questions is making a map of your [...]

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The Best Room To Put Your Food Storage

17 December 2010

The best place for your food storage and most storage really is a cool, dry, dark place. Is there anything that wants anything different for long term storage? Not really.
Cool
If you are in the Northern Hemisphere the coolest part of your house is going to be the North side. That side only gets sunlight indirectly [...]

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