+Martin Lehtonen its coming along, its filled with water but needs some work to get the levels right, I'm hoping to have it complete by spring so it can come to life. when it has its own Eco system i will be stocking it with some trout for a future food source.
Say Kris, Looking too sweet, You are one of the hardest working guys on the tube and filming so the world can see. Positive thoughts, vibes and hopes for your dreams, may they all come true!!
+Mick Johnston Thanks alot Mick, I'm just lucky to be able to do what i am inspired to do and I'm glad people are enjoying seeing it. thanks for the really nice comment and happy new year to you.
Nice progress! :) One suggestion if I may: be aware that the only thing that is stopping the grass from sliding off the roof is the boards at the end, at the edge of the roof. The turf can become quite heavy, especially once saturated with water. I'd recommend that you have a look at how they secure these turf roofs in Scandinavia. You'll find that they don't put the turf directly onto the waterproof membrane. You'll need some additional strats to 'hold' the soil and stop it sliding down. Otherwise great work! :)
+mictho100 Hi thanks for the info, i will have a look. however the angle of the roof is not very steep at all and the turf was put on in the rain while it was soaking wet and it didn't even slip down the membrane. we were throwing them up there and they were staying where the landed. so i think that each one should rest on the one before it and hopefully stay. and after a year they will hopefully all be joined together as one matt of grass so i think it will be ok. I'm trying to build as cheap as possible so trying to avoid buying extra stuff if we can get by without. Thanks for the comment i will look it up for possible future builds that may have a steeper roof angle. kris
Everytime Ive looked out the window Ive thought of you this last week. Glad to see the progress, its looking good. I know water is a drag, but hey, its Wales, and its gotta be better than drought! Hope you had a great xmas, and looking forward to the next update. Shwmai
+lynda williams Thanks lynda, i have had this conversation with lots of people. they ask me why i would want to live in wales with all the rain and i always say, because i would rather be wet than thirsty. you put a big smile on my face with you comment, we had a great time, we had a canvas tent with a wood stove in it. we had a large amount of drinks christmas evening, (and i was very worse for wear the next day) and were quite happy. it just got a bit muddy. i can't tell you how many times i lost my welly boot while walking back to the tent.
+DIY Harbor: Kris Harbour Lol, nothing worse than that moment when your foot lifts out of the mud, but your wellie stays in it. One of the joys of Wales :D Glad you had a great time, Im still sorting the house out here for selling, but will be following your example this year. Cant wait, and will be watching your adventures too. Good luck!
+lynda williams That is very exiting news, i hope you will record your progress to. and don't hesitate to PM me or ask for help. myself and my girlfriend started this looking for community and would feel honoured to help.
+DIY Harbor: Kris Harbour lol, you may regret that! Kidding, although Im still early stages and not even sure where Im buying land, so will keep in touch and let you know what Im up to when Im closer to doing it. Meantime I get to learn the basics from you. Thanks :D
Very impressed with all the work you're doing and the vision you have for your home. Wondering about how you sheathed the reciprocal roof. With all of the rafters being on their own plane, that seems to me to be the hardest part of this roof system.
+jack ash thanks jack i will do my best i just need to spend more time there, next job is to finish the turf and window in the middle then we will be building a stone wall around the outside for the walls to sit on. so a long way to go yet but its getting there.
It's now mid June 2020 and am slowly grinding through your building videos, very interesting. Am very interested to see how your 'foundations' hold up to all the weight, I see you've already had to chock the porch section up.
Bingewatching the whole thing, thanks so much. But I'm very concerned the waterproof tarp is just that: waterproof - and not rotproof. Although there are different grades it's just plastic after all, soft and not very thick, and I'd expect the first microfissures in 1-2 winters and then the first serious holes in around 5 years. There have to be better solutions, no?
That round house looks awesome and I'll take quite a few learnings from you clip so thanks. Can I ask a stupid question please. Unlike a conventional frame and truss house, the strength of the reciprocal roof relies entirely on the bolts around the centre hole. Given the amount of weight from the grass, plastic, insulation and beams (not to mention snow, rain or hail) Is there anywhere on the web where I can get some engineering advice about what size bolts to use and what structural grade timber to use....? thanks in advance.
+Uncle Reeko hi,thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos. it's not a stupid question at all. the bolt don't actually take much weight. if you get some chop sticks and make your own small version you will be able to see more clearly. but if i try and explain to save you the trouble.the forces of the roof get passed down to the beam below and that continues around until it gets to the first beam again. so all the beams rest on all the others so the weight is distributed on all of them. All the bolts are doing is stoping the beams from slipping out from under the other beams. and the more weight applied to them the less they want to slip out. you can also chisel notches in the beams so they can't slip out. this is how most people do these roofs but i don't think it is a nesersery step to be honest. i know a 8m wide roundhouse with no centre supports (self supporting) that has about 15mm oak pegs and no notches. it has been up for 5 years covered in turf and getting rained on. it has also had a foot of snow on it. if the beams are to small then they will sag in the middle. but as long as those bolts or pegs stop those beams from slipping out of the circle then the roof won't go anywhere. i used 10mm threaded rod and large roof beams. i would be happy to put 5 tons up there and jump up and down on it with all my mate. i hope this help. they really are very strong and just a bit of common-sense will make a very strong roof. if you look up at it and think. that looks really strong, its more than likely stronger than any building regs require. i always over build things so there so nothing to worry about, and i used 10mm bots. if you think about it the bolt and washers would have to pull its way right through the beams lengthways for them to fail. I'm certain the beans would snap before that would happen.
+Uncle Reeko glad i can help. ill do my best to answer any questions if i think i know the answer so feel free to ask anything else, and i will do my best to answer. i hope you find a nice place to get off the grid. good luck
Wouldn't straw have compressed and been of little value for insulation? Foam board is not an eco material but I think you were better off that way. Thanks for the update. Awesome project
+Bike Man Dan straw is actually capable of being a load bearing wall if it is kept as a bale and offers really really good insulation look up "load bearing straw bale". but it is also very big and heavy and it rots if it can't breath properly witch in this case it would not be abal to breath and would need changing every 10 years or so. the foam is light and will not rot but like you say not as eco. but it was not new insulation it was second quality that shops don't want. plus it was a local business that i got it from and i didn't need a tractor to move it all. so its not to bad. thanks for the comment.
far from eco. seems a good idea what you are trying to do yet you arent really going all the way. you still want internet, so you are basically relying on others to live in a non eco way so you can get what you want, solar panels -made by others etc etc. nice idea but relying way too much on the rest of the world holding you up.
@@tropicalhellesdongardenuk2991 Yet here you are on the internet, signed into You Tube. You can live a low impact life without going back to the dark ages. Unless you have an extensive library on ALL subjects, the internet is a very valuable resource. I remember life before there was an internet, using BBS and signing into, or hacking, universities and libraries to gain info. There are very, very, few people who live truly 'off grid' and those who do live very secluded lives, why give it up if it's available?
@@STeALtHsVidz where did i say i was living low impact?? i am referring to the video which is about low eco and impact. maybe try and understand how commenting works!
@@tropicalhellesdongardenuk2991 Well aware of how commenting works, and have seen many trolls too on this fella's channel. Perhaps you should spend less time on telling others how to live and concentrate more on your own life. When you can do what Kris has achieved you may be in a better position to judge him eh. ;) If he can't be 'eco' because he uses solar panels, that wipes out just about every 'eco' build on the planet lol.
Not sure what you had below the insulation, but there should be a vapour barrier at this point, otherwise moisture within will migrate through the insulation, and condense in cold conditions, then drip down and rot the timber below. Perhaps your building is fraught enough that this won’t be an issue, but just to flag this up for any other builders.
IF you only laid down one layer of the vapor barrier, you MIGHT wish you'd doubled that, for better longevity of living roof. Plant roots can dig through vapor barrier plastic.
It has two layers. i cant remember if i showed it but it has one green layer that is heavy duty tarp and one black that is pond liner. nearly 5 years old now and still fine.
What kind of wood is your reciprocal frame and uprights made out of? We are building a roundhouse and are at around the same point as you (no floor yet though), but we have had to keep putting off the roof due to the weather, we are using straw for insulation so need a couple of dry days to get it all up. We think that it may need to be changed out after a 5-10 years but have heard stories of people having it in for longer without issues. Here is a picture: www.flickr.com/photos/30399879@N03/22955296559/in/datetaken-public/
+SRSlam your place is looking really nice. i used larch for the roof beams and douglas fir for the uprights, the wind braces are oak. the straw will rot for sure, how long it last depends on many factors but as long as you know its going to need maintaining then its fine. this place I'm building is just a place for use to live for a few years while we build something more permanent and long lasting.
+SRSlam I'm going to basically build a 2 story oval shaped house that is dug in to the bank on the hill. it will be a combination of timber frame, eathbag, straw bale and cordwood. and will have a very hobbit like look to it. I'm going to be making a model of it soon to try and get it all worked out properly at the moment it is just a sketch.
The site looks a right mess in the winter with no leaves on the trees. It's a real shame you used that man made insulation and Tarp. I hope you go back and remove that and use natural products. Maybe in a couple of years when you establish yourself there. Good luck.
Nobby Norberto well- a whole load of pointless negativity.. When are you cynics going to understand that living an 'off grid' lifestyle is all about living exactly the way you want to. There isn't a rule book....
It's so amazing back and looking at this. Just you cutting turf on the bare field. And now you've just achieved 500k subscribers! Congrats, Kris!
You did an amazing job Kris, especially in such trying weather conditions. I am glad that I don't have to do your washing!!!!. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much we love watching you build a house step , by step 🤗
+Martin Lehtonen its coming along, its filled with water but needs some work to get the levels right, I'm hoping to have it complete by spring so it can come to life. when it has its own Eco system i will be stocking it with some trout for a future food source.
Say Kris, Looking too sweet, You are one of the hardest working guys on the tube and filming so the world can see. Positive thoughts, vibes and hopes for your dreams, may they all come true!!
+Mick Johnston Thanks alot Mick, I'm just lucky to be able to do what i am inspired to do and I'm glad people are enjoying seeing it. thanks for the really nice comment and happy new year to you.
Nice progress! :) One suggestion if I may: be aware that the only thing that is stopping the grass from sliding off the roof is the boards at the end, at the edge of the roof. The turf can become quite heavy, especially once saturated with water. I'd recommend that you have a look at how they secure these turf roofs in Scandinavia. You'll find that they don't put the turf directly onto the waterproof membrane. You'll need some additional strats to 'hold' the soil and stop it sliding down. Otherwise great work! :)
+mictho100 Hi thanks for the info, i will have a look. however the angle of the roof is not very steep at all and the turf was put on in the rain while it was soaking wet and it didn't even slip down the membrane. we were throwing them up there and they were staying where the landed. so i think that each one should rest on the one before it and hopefully stay. and after a year they will hopefully all be joined together as one matt of grass so i think it will be ok. I'm trying to build as cheap as possible so trying to avoid buying extra stuff if we can get by without.
Thanks for the comment i will look it up for possible future builds that may have a steeper roof angle.
kris
Everytime Ive looked out the window Ive thought of you this last week. Glad to see the progress, its looking good. I know water is a drag, but hey, its Wales, and its gotta be better than drought! Hope you had a great xmas, and looking forward to the next update. Shwmai
+lynda williams Thanks lynda, i have had this conversation with lots of people. they ask me why i would want to live in wales with all the rain and i always say, because i would rather be wet than thirsty. you put a big smile on my face with you comment, we had a great time, we had a canvas tent with a wood stove in it. we had a large amount of drinks christmas evening, (and i was very worse for wear the next day) and were quite happy. it just got a bit muddy. i can't tell you how many times i lost my welly boot while walking back to the tent.
+DIY Harbor: Kris Harbour Lol, nothing worse than that moment when your foot lifts out of the mud, but your wellie stays in it. One of the joys of Wales :D Glad you had a great time, Im still sorting the house out here for selling, but will be following your example this year. Cant wait, and will be watching your adventures too. Good luck!
+lynda williams That is very exiting news, i hope you will record your progress to. and don't hesitate to PM me or ask for help. myself and my girlfriend started this looking for community and would feel honoured to help.
+DIY Harbor: Kris Harbour lol, you may regret that! Kidding, although Im still early stages and not even sure where Im buying land, so will keep in touch and let you know what Im up to when Im closer to doing it. Meantime I get to learn the basics from you. Thanks :D
Lynda did you ever get your land? It's been a year now...
Very impressed with all the work you're doing and the vision you have for your home. Wondering about how you sheathed the reciprocal roof. With all of the rafters being on their own plane, that seems to me to be the hardest part of this roof system.
💜💚 Lotsa wet weather💚💙
Good work, keep it up and keep the videos coming 👍
+jack ash thanks jack i will do my best i just need to spend more time there, next job is to finish the turf and window in the middle then we will be building a stone wall around the outside for the walls to sit on. so a long way to go yet but its getting there.
Curious if you did load calculations for this build. Any idea what the turf roof weighs?
Ah its coming along nicely mate
Thanks for the awesome content!
It's now mid June 2020 and am slowly grinding through your building videos, very interesting. Am very interested to see how your 'foundations' hold up to all the weight, I see you've already had to chock the porch section up.
Bingewatching the whole thing, thanks so much. But I'm very concerned the waterproof tarp is just that: waterproof - and not rotproof. Although there are different grades it's just plastic after all, soft and not very thick, and I'd expect the first microfissures in 1-2 winters and then the first serious holes in around 5 years.
There have to be better solutions, no?
You made a lot of assumptions in that comment, dude!
... It's now six years later...wonder what happened.......!?
beautiful area you have!
Quote of the week - ".... It's water tight" lol 💦
I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with that window in the top. How are you keep water from getting in. Great job!
That round house looks awesome and I'll take quite a few learnings from you clip so thanks. Can I ask a stupid question please. Unlike a conventional frame and truss house, the strength of the reciprocal roof relies entirely on the bolts around the centre hole. Given the amount of weight from the grass, plastic, insulation and beams (not to mention snow, rain or hail) Is there anywhere on the web where I can get some engineering advice about what size bolts to use and what structural grade timber to use....? thanks in advance.
+Uncle Reeko hi,thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos. it's not a stupid question at all. the bolt don't actually take much weight. if you get some chop sticks and make your own small version you will be able to see more clearly. but if i try and explain to save you the trouble.the forces of the roof get passed down to the beam below and that continues around until it gets to the first beam again. so all the beams rest on all the others so the weight is distributed on all of them. All the bolts are doing is stoping the beams from slipping out from under the other beams. and the more weight applied to them the less they want to slip out. you can also chisel notches in the beams so they can't slip out. this is how most people do these roofs but i don't think it is a nesersery step to be honest.
i know a 8m wide roundhouse with no centre supports (self supporting) that has about 15mm oak pegs and no notches. it has been up for 5 years covered in turf and getting rained on. it has also had a foot of snow on it.
if the beams are to small then they will sag in the middle. but as long as those bolts or pegs stop those beams from slipping out of the circle then the roof won't go anywhere. i used 10mm threaded rod and large roof beams. i would be happy to put 5 tons up there and jump up and down on it with all my mate. i hope this help. they really are very strong and just a bit of common-sense will make a very strong roof. if you look up at it and think. that looks really strong, its more than likely stronger than any building regs require. i always over build things so there so nothing to worry about, and i used 10mm bots.
if you think about it the bolt and washers would have to pull its way right through the beams lengthways for them to fail. I'm certain the beans would snap before that would happen.
very cool! thanks for taking time to respond. I am planning to move off grid later this year and I'm doing quite a lot of research right now. Cheers
+Uncle Reeko glad i can help. ill do my best to answer any questions if i think i know the answer so feel free to ask anything else, and i will do my best to answer. i hope you find a nice place to get off the grid. good luck
So wet there you got a kayak handy I saw
What would you have done if you just put cladding boards and plastic for walls ? It would have been easier and faster.
Bloody rain hey, lol, well thats Wales for you. ATB Moose.
hey kris im finifhing up on a roundhouse roof in a 2 weeks hopefully im wondering what membrain did you use
Wouldn't straw have compressed and been of little value for insulation? Foam board is not an eco material but I think you were better off that way. Thanks for the update. Awesome project
+Bike Man Dan straw is actually capable of being a load bearing wall if it is kept as a bale and offers really really good insulation look up "load bearing straw bale". but it is also very big and heavy and it rots if it can't breath properly witch in this case it would not be abal to breath and would need changing every 10 years or so. the foam is light and will not rot but like you say not as eco. but it was not new insulation it was second quality that shops don't want. plus it was a local business that i got it from and i didn't need a tractor to move it all. so its not to bad.
thanks for the comment.
far from eco. seems a good idea what you are trying to do yet you arent really going all the way. you still want internet, so you are basically relying on others to live in a non eco way so you can get what you want, solar panels -made by others etc etc. nice idea but relying way too much on the rest of the world holding you up.
@@tropicalhellesdongardenuk2991 Yet here you are on the internet, signed into You Tube. You can live a low impact life without going back to the dark ages. Unless you have an extensive library on ALL subjects, the internet is a very valuable resource. I remember life before there was an internet, using BBS and signing into, or hacking, universities and libraries to gain info. There are very, very, few people who live truly 'off grid' and those who do live very secluded lives, why give it up if it's available?
@@STeALtHsVidz where did i say i was living low impact?? i am referring to the video which is about low eco and impact. maybe try and understand how commenting works!
@@tropicalhellesdongardenuk2991 Well aware of how commenting works, and have seen many trolls too on this fella's channel. Perhaps you should spend less time on telling others how to live and concentrate more on your own life. When you can do what Kris has achieved you may be in a better position to judge him eh. ;) If he can't be 'eco' because he uses solar panels, that wipes out just about every 'eco' build on the planet lol.
1:02 not really Hobbitish material there, but still amazing job ! Congrats
Great videos fella, got yourself another sub. Did you buy a plot of woodland in Wales?
Hi, welcome, yes we did, we purchased 18 acres of land. there is about 7 acres of woodland and about 11 of pasture.
Kris Harbour looks awesome mate. Done a cracking job. 🖒
Excuse my curiosity, but how much did you pay for the land?
NPC #172144 ....wow how about minding your own business, it’s none of your concern , very rude.
@@fishmut It's quite an important question mate
Not sure what you had below the insulation, but there should be a vapour barrier at this point, otherwise moisture within will migrate through the insulation, and condense in cold conditions, then drip down and rot the timber below. Perhaps your building is fraught enough that this won’t be an issue, but just to flag this up for any other builders.
great series;
why did you not debark the side panelling?
how did you cover the hole on the top of the roof?
perhaps the answer is in a later video
ah , theres one question answered
IF you only laid down one layer of the vapor barrier, you MIGHT wish you'd doubled that, for better longevity of living roof. Plant roots can dig through vapor barrier plastic.
It has two layers. i cant remember if i showed it but it has one green layer that is heavy duty tarp and one black that is pond liner. nearly 5 years old now and still fine.
how is your lake doing?
It is my view or the image is distorted?
its a action camera with a wide lens so it might well be distorted.
isn't artificial insulation _and_ turf redundant?
i wish i could do this but i cant in the UK :(
Hes in wales
6:53 cutting turds? :D
What kind of wood is your reciprocal frame and uprights made out of?
We are building a roundhouse and are at around the same point as you (no floor yet though), but we have had to keep putting off the roof due to the weather, we are using straw for insulation so need a couple of dry days to get it all up. We think that it may need to be changed out after a 5-10 years but have heard stories of people having it in for longer without issues.
Here is a picture: www.flickr.com/photos/30399879@N03/22955296559/in/datetaken-public/
+SRSlam your place is looking really nice. i used larch for the roof beams and douglas fir for the uprights, the wind braces are oak. the straw will rot for sure, how long it last depends on many factors but as long as you know its going to need maintaining then its fine.
this place I'm building is just a place for use to live for a few years while we build something more permanent and long lasting.
+DIY Harbor: Kris Harbour What are your plans for your permanent house?
+SRSlam I'm going to basically build a 2 story oval shaped house that is dug in to the bank on the hill. it will be a combination of timber frame, eathbag, straw bale and cordwood. and will have a very hobbit like look to it. I'm going to be making a model of it soon to try and get it all worked out properly at the moment it is just a sketch.
So it got muddy , why don’t you add, dirt on it and build like a hill to your house 🏠
Off Grind or off grid?
+Big Coight whoops, changed, thanks alot for letting me know. i did not notice ad no on else told me.
Some other parts of this series are still off grind.. XD
So plastic sheets are part of natural building, am i right?
The site looks a right mess in the winter with no leaves on the trees. It's a real shame you used that man made insulation and Tarp. I hope you go back and remove that and use natural products. Maybe in a couple of years when you establish yourself there. Good luck.
Nobby Norberto well- a whole load of pointless negativity..
When are you cynics going to understand that living an 'off grid' lifestyle is all about living exactly the way you want to. There isn't a rule book....