I have this cubic design concept with 9 cubes on the ground and a maximum 27 cubes but not neccessary. This may be variant. The first three vertical cubes, I temporarily intend to live in, and most likely will consist of 24' x 28' timber frame. The other 24 cubes, hopefully, will be added at future dates. The southside will face a lake and I would like to install a passive solar system. Also, I want geothermal, active solar system, rain water cistern, a water well, etc. I do not want any part of any public utility system, even telephone connections. For now, I am trying to get a grasp of the principals needed to perform this architectural feat. I am particulary interested in an open environment in the center cubes.

So here is a little background:

I bought 300 acres with half in white & red oak, and southern yellow pine (I am not rich). I have a tractor with front end loader signed for delivery next month. I am thinking about the Procut chainsaw mill with the largest Husqy power head.

I have access to AutoCad @ work and my boss is a licensed structural engineer. I am in the process of designing this cubic structure in AutoCad.

Any advice or dream osmosis is apreciated.

Dan

Hint 1: Google "rainwater harvesting".

Strong suggestion: forget the well.

Very strong suggestion : Use Xypex in all your concrete that touches the earth, is exposed to water and from which you make your cisterns.

Hint 2 ; Google "solar power generation"

All the above is environmentally friendly and exists attached to nobody else.

Thank-you Emmet!

You hit the nail on the head in my search of information when you wrote about Xypex. This is good stuff and practically priceless, at least in my view.

I am interested in your negative water well comment. Since I will need irrigation for crops what do you recommend? I can drink, clean, and cook with the rain water. I am especially interested in how Timber Frame cubes can be connected together at a future date, technically speaking (and with green technologies from a fundamental and advanced perspective).

Feel free to pile on the information that is rarely understood or available from the internet because, I have hammered most every green topic available as you have suggested with your hints.

Dan

for irrigation I'd reccomend the rain water, not well water. plants like warm water, so the well will be too cold. Can you access that lake you mentioned? that would be ideal for irrigation, unless it's glacial runoff.

I have access to four bodies of water on the property. On the east side there are two, and on the west side, one. Additionally, there is one major year around county creek flowing diagonally through the rectangle property which is shared by both sides.

When I write "crop irrigation", rain water would be ruled out because of the economics of capture relative to the plantable acreage. I am interested why I am receiving resistance to tapping an aquifier which provides a natural filter to the surface water.

In my area, I have been quoted over $4K to drill a water well 450 feet. The existing sources of water relative to the plantable acreage would entail running pipe which may be comparable to the cost of a well. Energy to power each should may not be equivalent, although I have not asked the sun (solar) which one it prefers.

You see, where I am, the entire state was recently classified as a disaster area because of the lack of rain. This may be a warning of things to come in the years ahead.

Dan,
what is the average annual rainfall on your property ? Rainwater harvesting is valid for any number over 10" annually (Bermuda,the desert SW and some Caribbean islands) Hint, a submersible vacuum/filter (think swimming pool) pump system injecting ozone on re-entry purifies and clarifies the rainwater saved. Cost about $3k for 40k gallon cistern.
Mayhap you misunderstood my comment on cancel the well. By the time you drill, store, disinfect and distribute well water you have spent some serious $$$. And some aquifers deplete quickly. Are there local regs on how you can "well" ? Check the A & B lists of the nasties you can find in well water. Some metallic compounds are expensive to remove. Some bacteria don't promote good health either.
If you wanna well and the geology supports try a gas well. Used for agri purposes you get free fuel to run your generators, grain dryers, etc.

One of many techniques to prepare a frame for add on's is to have a blind wall (no windows, no plumbing, no significant wires). In the posts of this wall cut some mortises facing the expansion direction. cut some temp tenons and fill the holes. In the future you remove (carefully) the blind wall , the temp tenons and attach the new frame members to the existing think ahead mortices.Then move the blind wall components to the next "later" wall face. Tedious but it works.

work safe, have fun
deralte

Deralte, thank-you for taking the time to reply.

The average annual rainfall in my area is about 50". I have been here on and off for close to 40 years. Most every spring, the squall lines roll down the Rocky Mountains like a bolling ball eastward through Oklahoma and through were I reside in SW Arkansas 30 miles from NE Texas. Many thunderstorms develop and occasionally a tornado warning is issued. This is the only year I can recall where thunderstorms did not occur in the spring time (global warming?). Additionally, it has only rained 4 times in 8 months. Recently, the federal government classified the entire state as a disaster area.

I am sold on the idea of rainwater capture for personal consumption, just not for crop irrigation purposes, because of the projected square footage of the source collector system relative to the acreage available for cultivation. Even taking into consideration 50 plus inches of rain per year, this does not figure to be economically feasible to irrigate the maximum of 150 acres of cropland when the temperature is usally 90-100 degrees during the late spring and most of the summer.

For the first time, I am beginning to not consider the development of a water well. I believe it is economically feasible to capture the year around county creek water and divert a portion of the water, without a license, to the crop land when and where needed.

One risk of creek capture would be the local Tyson chicken packing plant upstream about 2 miles away. In my understanding, there is a possibility that growth hormones are placed in their contracted farmer's broiler feed to increase chicken growth rates. When the broilers are butchered, there is probably hormonal residue seeping into this creek. If this is the case, I might have an ear of corn three feet long or maybe if I get any ears, and eat an ear, I would look like Arnold the gov. of California.

The local regulations are lenient relative to most states in regards to aquifier use since Arkansas is a Natural State and very beautiful. There are not many people living here because the government and the conservative older citizens maintain a low usary law (interest rate cap) which may prevent banks from moving in, and ultimately business.

In this area, the Nacodoches aquifier is not being depleted, at least so far. Basically, this aquifier is about a 30 mile underground river and runs under the property 400 feet down. When the surface water seeps into this aquifier, the water accumulates vital minerals. I believe the state requires each well driller to be licensed, although I am not positive, and if not, I would consider drilling my own water well to save some of the $4K cash flow.

The gas well drilling conept is very interesting and has not been considered as a reality. I am aware of bromine and oil drilling 50 miles south, and natural gas drilling 100 miles north. Additionally, I have a couple years experience working on massive drilling rigs in the early 80s in western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas.

I am thinking about alternatives of fuel to run farm machinery. So far, the best idea I have appears to be biodielsal produced from crops grown.

The Timber Frame blind wall concept appears to be a great idea, and so far, is a great example of what I am looking for. The blind wall would enable expansion in the horizontal direction, but what about the vertical direction, say from level one to level three or level two to level three? Would this horizontal solution also address the vertical expansion at the same time, as long as the loading is calculated prior to expansion? In continuing to think out of the box, are there any other possible solutions for expansions to sections? Are there any risks that I may not be seeing?

Dan

generally speaking, timberframes need continuous vertical posts to rise through the floors from the foundation to the wall plates.... so if you are building, then adding upwards, you may need to drop in some long posts beside your shorter one storey posts...

Well said and considered Mark.

Perish the thought, the purists will howl.

Box some steel girder "posts" in some wood material which looks like posts when finished.
The steel lends itself to vertical growth on the same axis.
And don't tell any of those guys in NH or MA what I said

Keep thinking and analyzing. Some solutions like your creek water gathering are sometimes hard to trip over. recommend you get that water tested before you touch it.

another thought on the horizontal expansion is to keep the timberframes separate, and connect with a separately framed hallway, could be done stick style, then you don't have to worry about peeling off walls etc. Just build another frame beside the intial one an connect it.... the foundation may be the concern in this scenario, depending on your soil, it's not always that nice to dig close to an existing building.
I like the steel idea for horizontal growth, just weld er up eh???... might need some spark proof insulation