Project Solaria

https://instagram.com/stories/rammed_earth_architecture/3097554951303574265?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

instagram.com

Looks like the moon.

My roommate scored me an upgraded computer. Taking Sketchup class. My Oculus Quest 2 works really good with Sketchup. Oculus Pro comes out later this year.

Getting the home office set up.

While I'm not entirely sold on full on Aquaponics for my build due to the fact that I won't be at the ranch( I looked up the definition and I can classify as a ranch even at 2.5 acres) all the time due to the fact that I work and will continue to live in Lake Tahoe, I am using certain aspects of it.
I have started entertaining the idea of making the shipping container into a pond style rather than a pool style allowing me to incoorperate not only fish but fresh water prawns, crayfish and algae eaters. Types of fish I'm thinking of are catfish, perch, blue gill, bass. A basic breeding package is around $1400. Tilapia would be a good choice but I found out I will need permits and inspections as they are an invasive species.
Makes sense in a way as it will let me harvest different fish at different times making processing a lot easier and no need for pumps or filters. Or I could just throw a pole in and go fishing 😆 being 9 feet deep winter time shouldn't be a problem.

As my hope to not have a single pice of drywall on the property, utilizing techniques as this will still allows styling changes between the rooms
https://youtu.be/AZhNInwpGKM

Venetian plaster vertical style Marmorino, custom color for this accent wall! Marmorino tools Giancarlo sagasti

So the plan of attack for building this project is as follows:
Most of the appliances and house infrastructure will be obtained second hand at little to no cost from my construction business. Most likely all the flooring and cabinets will be milled from pine trees from last year's fires. The trussing will be bought from a truss company.
The shop will be built first. Initially it will start as a 20x40 but will eventually be as big as 40x60 or 80. The shop will be buried at 7 feet with a 2' thick wooden floor. Flat roofs will be on the shop where grains will be grown on the roof
The guest house will be 800 sq ft on paper bit will be more like 1800 sq ft. It will be a 20x20 tower with a height of 35' which is maximum for the county. It will be designed with the night sky and moon in mind. It will have a 360° deck at 30" inches and will be cantilevered over a subterranean 360° deck which will have a view of the desert at eye level. Will be a three bedroom 3 bath house.
The swimming pool will be between the guest house and the main house and will be a full 40' container with a 6 person whirlpool bath at the front
Now for the main house. Square footage on paper will be around 2100 sq ft but will be closer to 3500 actual square footage. Having 3 bedrooms, 3 bath, den and full garden with 4 fruiting trees with around 2400 sq ft of growing area, a root cellar, wine cellar, and a room dedicated to fungiculture. The upstairs will be at minimum 900 sq ft open floor plan with one bedroom(master) with a master bath, a second full bathroom that opens to the outside deck and into the kitchen area.
The kitchen will be roughly 250 square feet and will be purpose built with a pizza oven, smoker, 6 burner stove, restaurant style sink with an open plan. There will also be walking refrigerator and freezer to allow for storage of the meat and vegetable the farms raise. The kitchen will have a unique feature that will allow it to swivel entirely to the outside deck making the floor inside to almost 1100 sq ft.
Now when I say on paper, there is a rule that anything below grade doesn't count toward square footage the same as above grade but I haven't gotten the exact number yet. I will be designing everything with Autocad and will start posting pictures as I get them designed.

Excellent video about Aquaponics. It's gaining traction everywhere. Small footprint for good quality fish and vegetables. Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish that taste phenomenal and nutritious if fed good food.
https://youtu.be/T15gXm6ha_I

Backyard Aquaponics Farming Fresh Fish and Vegetables | PARAGRAPHIC Aquaponics combines two growing methods, aquaculture and hydroponics, to create a self-contained, well-balanced ecosystem. Fish are fed and raised in a tank ...

Paul Wheatton is is good source for living off the grid. There will be a number of these around the property not only inside the houses and shop but out on the decks and community areas outside. As I will have a pellet maker to make animal food it can also make fuel pellets from all the inedible vegetable scraps as well as wood scraps from the workshop. https://youtu.be/8ptwncPImuo

How Paul Wheaton uses ROCKET MASS HEATERS to burn 1/10th the Firewood Paul Wheaton gives a brief tour of the famed Wheaton labs where we see two functional and highly efficient rocket mass heaters. PLUS, we see two very eco fri...

This one I heard about as a kid. I am utilizing this concept for my entire house. As it is being built in the high desert, zone 7a, temperature swings of 115°f down to 10°f this type of passive heating will allow me to maintain a constant temperature of around 65°feet year round with nothing but a small dedicated solar panel and 2) 6 inch computer fans. Will require a fair amount of initial investment and time but generations of free air managent. The bottom floor will be 15 feet below grade. https://youtu.be/ZD_3_gsgsnk

Nebraska retiree uses earths's heat to grow oranges in snow Winter temperatures in Alliance, Nebraska can drop to -20°F (the record low is -40°F/C), but retired mailman Russ Finch grows oranges in his backyard greenho...

Some of the designs for the buildings will utilize ideas I've learned from old cultures such as the Anasazi Native Americans. Certain walls and opening will be purposely designed to corresponde to specific days of the year. Great documentary.
https://youtu.be/W2sozEGYzt4

The Best Documentary Ever Mystery of the Anasazi (SECRET ANCIENT HISTORY ) Mystery of the Anasazi (SECRET ANCIENT HISTORY DOCUMENTARY) In the American Southwest, there is no more puzzling mystery than the magnificent stone cliff dwe...

Ive had this concept in the works for almost 30 years. However since technologies have changed as well as the fact I have an actual use for one I've started a new design. The new design incooperates a large 40' container with multiple tanks inside filled with water and fish. Not only is it an extra 29000 gallons of storage water but will be able to raise large quantities of fish and that also gives me fertilizer for the garden. I learned to make a mechanical water filter years ago allowing the water to be fully filtered and the waste processed in separate tanks. Kind of like Aquaponics. Also since I need water anyway I can empty the tank on the downstroke and pull the container up with little time loss. It operates as a cuckoo clock

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_battery

Gravity battery - Wikipedia A gravity battery is a type of energy storage device that stores gravitational energy, the energy stored in an object resulting from a change in height due to gravity, also called potential energy. A gravity battery works by using excess energy from the grid to raise a mass to generate gravitational...

Freedom of design is what makes a rammed earth home so fun to build. Almost anywall design can be built. Also I don't really care for traditional building techniques and drywall.

This video is what I was looking for to conceptualize my idea for a portable rammed earth tamping system. I will be aiming at being able to build a 40' by 16' by 2' thick wall per day with a 2 person crew. I have also designed quick connect rammed earth forms that give infinitely adjustability for thickness of wall but also height.
https://youtu.be/z5M7KG5EnB0

Prefabricated rammed earth - BONUS: Formwork and compaction Building with raw earth Prefabricated rammed earth - BONUS: Formwork and compaction This video reveal prefabricated rammed eath method to make walls develo...

Ive been studying this type of gardening since a young adult and will be building acres of these to produce my grains and some vegetables formy farm animals. I have an almost unlimited supply of down tree due to the fires last year. I can effectively triple planting area on an acre of land allowing for more animals per homestead.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur&ved=2ahUKEwjLx9Sqy631AhW-kmoFHbNZAg0QFnoECEkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0oIBVa0AAhjEGYk7lhDTM2

The Many Benefits of Hugelkultur Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximise surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.

For your gardening requirements. I have designed a carrier unit (like a barge tender)allowing a single FarmBot to do multiple raised beds. Being able to run 24hr a day you could effectively feed 4 people per raised bed and probably work 6-10 raised beds. At some point down the road it would be nice to have one that can work my hugelkultur as well.
://farm.bot/

FarmBot | Open-Source CNC Farming Farming and gardening robots for home, educational, and commercial use. Premium Hardware · Worldwide Shipping · Drag and Drop Farm Designer · Step-by-Step Assembly Instructions · Own Your Food

Incorporating old building techniques with ultra modern tech really makes rammed earth a luxury that is just at the beginning of its popularity. Little to no maintenance, high thermal efficiency and superior curb appeal will make these homes sought after for many generations.

By reducing our carbon footprint when building houses also starts reducing costs as well. Just like processed foods, it's better simply to grow at home rather than trucking to a processing plant etc.
https://archive.curbed.com/2020/3/2/21157792/rammed-earth-homes-the-art-of-earth-architecture

The world’s most beautiful homes are also down to earth The new book The Art of Earth Architecture explores one of the oldest—and most ecologically sensitive—building techniques.

Older article but it explains most of the points of why I am so interested in building these buildings with the machines and forms I've designed. Costs go way down as a crew of 2 people could build a complete shell with roof in 1 month with a foot print of 2400 sq feet. I am trying to design my machines to also allow for insulation bricks to be built in. https://www.wsj.com/articles/rammed-earth-luxury-homes-1427989394

Rammed-Earth Luxury Homes Rammed-earth homes—made of compressed soil, gravel and other natural materials—are both durable and energy efficient. Now, luxury homeowners are making aesthetic improvements to give walls color and sparkle.

Solaria is located 1 hr from Reno and 2 hrs from my driveway in Lake Tahoe. The property is 20 minutes away from Fort Sage OHV Park and 20 minutes away from Pyramid lake which due to its size and location has some of the best fishing anywhere. Also there is literally millions of acres of BLM land straight out of the driveway. Population of the valley stands around 100 people year round.

Rammed earth is an amazing building material. It's cheap, extremely versatile, long lasting(typically 500 years) and fire proof.
My purpose built machinery along with reusable forming allows for housing to be built at 1/20th the cost of American style stick homes. My house build will be around 70k for materials for around 6500 sq' of housing and storage space where typically you could expect to pay 2.2 million dollars.

Project Solaria has been on my mind since I was a child when I read a book by Isaac Asimov and when the pandemic hit I had a lot of time to think about how I would approach my idea. Then when the stimulus checks came I decided to use that money to buy a piece of property near by Lake Tahoe. At present it will be built on a 2.5 acre parcel near the ghost town of Flanigan Nv.
The proposed building will be a 2300 sq' home with an 600 sq' mother in law unit, an 800 sq' guesthouse, a 2400 sq' shop and garage as well as an on site saloon and barn and a 40' swimming pool that seconds as a secondary fish farm.
The main house will have almost 2400 sq feet of vegetable growing area and 4 I door fruit trees of the grafted variety allowing for many types of fruits