Man made home

[julesapple]

Kevin may have put maps on his wall, but let it be said that I did it first. Well, ok, I did it before him. And postcards. My downstairs loo is wallpapered with postcards.

Yesssss!!! I did something before the Guru!

[Mikey]

I do wish he hadn't blown up that shed though! I could've had that!! We need need need a shed in our garden wasteland we can't all afford bespoke ones

His argument is that you should try to reuse and make do. He utilised timber from his field to create the wood shingles, and curved supporting beams, and the other timber used was reclaimed. You can create a shed from old doors, befriending a local upvc supplier might get you cast off wooden doors Free. Its all about thinking outside the box.

To be fair his kimono is probably one of the most expensive items he owns, if he's paid for it.

[veggiechicken]

I must have slept through Episode ! I don't remember a blown up shed, maps on walls or a kimono
I did think that the gunpowder episode, splitting the tree, was a bit outlandish - could I do it with fireworks? Also, I'd love to know how he managed to buy 2 acres for the price of a 2nd hand car??? Must be a nearly new one.
The sewage fat is sometimes washed up on the beach - but its very white and looks a bit like marble. Must have been through the sewage works first Don't fancy burning it indoors - yuk.
Good programme but I suspect that the shed will not be allowed to stay where it is, unless he pulls some strings with the planners.

[chris]

Indeed - something like a 2nd hand bently!

[Farmer_Gyles]

His argument is that you should try to reuse and make do.

sadly that argument is wasted when it involves the use of specialist equipment and highly skilled experts that the majority of people cannot afford .....

[Mikey]

You are all very negative, is there something wrong with creating a beautiful shed. We all visit gardens around the country which we couldn't afford to recreate ourselves does that mean we can't take away small bits which we feel we could copy.

He might be using highly skilled labour, but it doesn't mean to say that we could not achieve a cheaper alternative. The project was about creating a retreat in a woodland, he visited a spa in wales which was created with waste products spare wood and by the owners themselves. It wasn't any less beautiful for it though.

[Farmer_Gyles]

You are all very negative, is there something wrong with creating a beautiful shed. We all visit gardens around the country which we couldn't afford to recreate ourselves does that mean we can't take away small bits which we feel we could copy.

it does open up ideas, like dog poo gas .... we wouldn't be able to "copy", we'd have to think of other, more practical ways of doing things ... but overall, MMH seems to suggest that if we wanted an "off grid retreat", then we'd need expensive specialist skills / equipment somewhere along the way .... and that will put people off even trying .....

the whole "off grid" thing seems to be about two extremes .... at one extreme, people pay a small fortune for airtight houses, heat exchangers, triple glazing and solar panels ..... at the other extreme, people grow dreadlocks, wear baggy knitted jumpers, live in yurts lit by pig fat candles and poo in composting toilets .... or in the case of MMH, a combination of the two extremes .... bring in loads of (expensive) specialist equipment and highly skilled labour to build a "free" home ....

[Mikey]

Well I for one won't mind if it puts people off having a go, I don't need my woodland walks full of yuppies. and I don't need the price of woodland to rise out of my price bracket either.

This yuppy needs to find a nice piece of quiet mixed species woodland somewhere with a view of the sea, and a meadow, not too far off a main road, and in a price I can afford so that I can build my off grid masterpiece.

[veggiechicken]

That's always been my dream too, Mikey. I have several bits of the jigsaw, sadly they're not adjacent to each other