Open Source Ecology - User contributions [en]

Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition

2026-02-27T05:36:33Z

Goto: /* Cost */

==Problem Statement==

Observation: there's a demand for modest, flexible housing, suited for temporary residents like students, short-to-medium-term employees, workers, workshop participants. These structures would optimally be cheap, fast & easy to build. They would mostly serve as sleeping quarters and spaces giving privacy to the residents, not necessarily requiring all the amenities of a full-time or full-size home, unlike a Seed Eco Home.

Factor-e-Farm and similar intentional communities are in need of such a solution. And there's interest from similar Intentional Communities as well.

A similar problem is faced by people who have acquired some land, but do not yet have a livable home built on it, and won't be able to do so any time soon. For example, due to lack of resources to buy the materials for a SEH-style house, or inability to organize a swarm build. Even with sufficient construction skills, it could therefore take someone a long time to build a livable home this way.

These people would therefore benefit from a cheap, simple, & rapidly built structure to serve as a home until the funds can be earned to start the build of a SEH, or during the longer construction phase if only one or a handful of people are able to work on the project.

==Possible solutions==

One possible solution for student housing is building dorm-style structures like the HabLab. The advantage is a big common space with full kitchen and sewer hook-ups. A downside is that there is very little privacy for residents, as the common space is adjacent to the private rooms and roommates/other participants/students often hang out there, taking up space and creating noise.

Another model is the "village commons" idea: a common, larger structure (SEH6) centered in the area with full hook ups like kitchen and sewer. It serves the same purpose as the common place in the HabLab does.

But the actual private residences/sleeping quarters are proposed to be spread around the common structure. One could purchase a number of ready-to-assemble cabin kits to serve this purpose. Two of these have already been assembled, one of them serving to house the Bio Digester for SEH6.

These ready-to-assemble cabins are an OK fit for this use, but far from optimal. For one, they're expensive. The ones purchased retail for $5,000 or more (https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/). The cabins assemble relatively quickly, but storing the kits outside in the elements, even under tarps, led to significant warping of the very thin wood, which created problems during assembly.

The cabins do not come with a foundation, and creating one is among the most time intensive parts of putting them up. They are also structurally quite weak, with no real framing and the entire cabin just being made of very thin tongue-and-groove wood. There is also zero insulation, and the roof, equally being made from tongue-and-groove, isn't particularly waterproof.

Additionally, they do not feature any electrical or heating, although these could be retro fitted, given the incredibly bare bones nature of the kits.

In short, the cabins are not ideal for this use case, even if they could potentially be retrofitted.

One advantage they have over dorm-style housing is that they can be built off grid without power, water, or sewage hook up: in the dorm style scenario, residents can simply use those facilities in the shared space (Hablab, SEH6). In the "bare land" scenario, temporary off-grid facilities can be used until more permanent arrangements are installed as part of a larger, more permanent structure like a SEH.

Another possible solution is using RVs or offering RV hook ups. The issue here is that RVs themselves are quite expensive, often far in excess of a full-blown Seed Eco Home. They are thus impractical both for dorm-style housing of students/workers/participants, and as a cheap & temporary housing solution.

==Potential Solution: The Modern Cabin Concept==

The idea of the Modern Cabin Concept is to use the same design & build techniques from the SEH for a much smaller, cabin-like structure. It would likely be similar in size to the prebuilt cabin kits, e.g. 10x12ft. But instead of the flimsy tongue-and-groove, the entire structure would be more sound and built-out with structural framing, sheathing, insulation, and possibly simple off-grid electrical or water systems.

In terms of rough-in systems, various options could be explored. Installing a small (12v?) electrical systems with 2 solar panels on the roof would be simple & cheap, and would likely suffice for most modest needs - after all, residents wouldn't be running stoves, ovens, washers, dryers, or, likely, even fridges in there. Solar panels, 12v LED lights and a cheap commercial power bank would likely be enough to light the structure at night, provide power to charge phones & laptops, and so on. These would likely total <$500 for the entire electrical systems, but even that could be considered optional for some cases.

In terms of water and sewage, the Modern Cabins would be off-grid by default, with residents expected to use the shared facilities in the dorm scenario, or bring their own temporary solutions (separating toilet, water jugs) as grid connections would likely not yet exist on non-developed land.

Since installing the pipes is the cheap & easy part (compared to getting grid hook up), the Modern Cabins could be fitted with simple water inlet/drain pipe systems for later hook up. Or, they could simply be designed in a way that makes it easy to retrofit these later. For example, an easily accessible utility wall module. Again, this could be changed depending on the anticipated use-case.

Finally, since the cabin size is very small, it could be transported in full on a trailer. In fact, a 40ft trailer that can accommodate 10ft in width might be able to hold up to 3 cabins at a time? These would be significantly easier to deliver in a completed state than the SEH.

==Tools, Materials & Crew==

In terms of tools, the Modern Cabin should be easy to build with only the most basic power tools. Ideally, nothing more than a drill, impact driver, and circular saw. This would allow people to buy into the idea for ~$250 in total tool costs depending on brands & discounts, or by simply borrowing these common tools from friends & family.

Materials would be nearly identical to the SEH with structural lumber, OSB sheathing, and a similar style of floor modules and tapered roof trusses, all built as modules. 2x4 lumber could be used instead of the 2x6s in the SEH, since overall roof weight will be much lower and there are no plans to expand to a 2nd story (although a loft space might be explored for 1.5 floors). Insulation wise, either thinner layers of the same fiber glass insulation might be used, or sheets of foam insulation if the trade-off between increased cost & space savings (thinner walls in the much smaller structure) is considered worth it.

Height would be more modest than the SEH to simplify build & keep cost down by using e.g. 8' sheets of OSB or 8' lumber.

Total material costs should be kept as low as reasonably possible, possibly as low as $2,000. In addition, keeping the total dimensions & weight of materials to one full-size pickup load or similar would be a significant factor, as it would allow to get all the required materials in a single trip to the hardware store.

In terms of crew, the Modern Cabin should be designed to be completed by a small group (2-3) of relatively unskilled people in a long weekend (3-4 days) of full-time work. This includes not just framing but also any rough-in systems and interior.

In short: grab a friend who owns some basic power tools, take one trip to the hardware store on a Friday afternoon, and complete your small home by Sunday evening.

==Teaching Benefits==

Another benefit of the Modern Cabin Concept: while it would be similar in construction style/design/techniques to the Seed Eco Home, it would have vastly reduced scope. It could therefore serve as a much easier, faster to complete workshop goal for future workshops like the Builder Crash Course.

While previous Builder Crash Courses have taken SEH builds to near completion of the framing, foundation, and parts of rough-in or insulation in the past, a Modern Cabin could use the same techniques (modular design etc.) to finish the entire structure in just a handful of days, even with a much smaller number of people.

Since the scope of a singular Modern Cabin would be pretty small compared to a SEH, the number to be constructed could easily be scaled up to accomodate workshop sizes. If only 5 people show up to a particular crash course, they could build 1-2 cabins. If 50 people show up, 15-20 cabins might be built.

It would be a much easier goal to "complete" such a Modern Cabin to 100% including interior compared to a SEH build, even for participants starting at very novice skill levels. This would ensure a satisfactory feeling of having achieved the course goal for everyone.

Since the building design & style of the Modern Cabin is almost identical to the SEH, skills learned would translate directly to a SEH build, either in a follow-up course or when building one's own SEH independently. Materials, tools, designs, and techniques would be familiar and merely expand in scope and detail. E.g. different sizes of lumber & sheathing, addition of more specialized tools, and simply having to build way more modules overall due to the scope.

An additional teaching benefit: there wouldn't just be 1 instance of some of the systems in use, like electrical or potentially water (if those were included in the build, they could be optional stretch goals), if multiple cabins were built. If teams of e.g. 3 people built each Modern Cabin, nearly everybody would get a chance to participate in nearly every part of the build. In the SEH build, certain parts simply don't allow for more than 1-2 people to work on them per build. Examples in the most recent Builders Crash Course were the breaker panel and the heat pump (although building 2 offered double the chance for participants to work on those) as well as drain and water inlet (PEX) pipes.

==Build-Your-Own-Housing==

One practical & rewarding experience would be for course participants to build their own housing in the first few days or weeks of an apprenticeship or similar longer-term program.

They would shop up and stay in existing accomodations for a few days or a week, learning the most basic skills & tools required to build the Modern Cabin. Then, as one of their first projects, they would build their own accomodations, possibly in teams of 2-3 or even alone, and move in just a handful of days later.

This would provide an amazingly satisfying feeling of achievement and liberation to participants, and free up the common dorm-style housing for others that have yet to arrive.

==Cost==

This is all rough estimates for a 10x12 cabin. <$1,000 would be great, but seems unlikely at current prices. Maybe in the future with OSS materials from a sawmill etc.

'''Walls'''

2x4s: $165

OSB sheating: $175

Insulation: $200

House wrap: $44

Metal siding: $630

Drywall: $165

Drywall mud: $12

'''Floor'''

2x4s: $45

OSB sheating: $60

Treated plywood: $200

Insulation: $36

Underlayment: $48

Vinyl flooring: $240

'''Roof'''

2x4s (w/ strongbacks): $65

OSB sheating: $60

Insulation: $36

Metal roofing: $185

Door: $265

Window: $140

'''Total: $2,771'''

(Fasteners not included)

Despite being cheaper than the pre-built cabin kits already, this includes much more: besides the sturdier construction, it also includes insulation, a foundation (not included in the kits), a metal roof & siding, and vinyl plank flooring.

The total cost could potentially be brought <$2,000 with some savings, e.g. by going with cheaper materials.

Fasteners are not included in the cost estimate for now, but would likely add another few hundreds dollars.

A basic solar/12v electrical setup could be added for about $500.

==Irresistible Offer==

I am highly motivated to work on the Modern Cabin Concept project. Having both stayed at the HabLab and visited it as a non-resident during my 2 crash courses, and having assembled one of the cabin kits, I am quite familiar with the demands and challenges as well as potential solutions.

On top of that, I intend to purchase some land of my own. To have a place to stay while building out a real, full-size house there, I intend to construct a cabin first.

I believe that the MCC would be a valuable addition to the OSE solution to Housing.

It offers:
* Cheap, easy & quick way of establishing a small yet comfortable home anywhere, even off-grid
* Flexible, affordable, and privacy-capable living quarters for students, workers, workshop participants, or similar
* Smaller scope workshop goal that is suitable for novice builders and small teams
* Introduction to the OSE building method with similar tools, materials, and techniques as are used by the Seed Eco Home
* Satisfying first "win" when apprentices build their own accomodations from scratch

In order to design, plan, and prototype the Modern Cabin Concept, I suggest a 6 month project collaboration to establish a Minimal Viable Product or v0.1 of the cabin.

Goals:
*Brainstorm & price out a few configurations to see what budget & creature comforts can be included
*Pick one of the options that seems the most practical and useful
*Ideally, it would be something like "1 pickup load from the hardware store, 2 people, 3 power tools, 4 days, under $2,000"
*Create a CAD model, BOM & cut list for it
*Build at least one prototype, e.g. at FeF or a nearby intentional community
*Document & review the construction process to gather a round of initial feedback and potential improvements
*If applicable, construct RLF "classroom" kits to teach basic techniques

Schedule
*6 month project, starting in February 2026 (depends on SEH6 build status, maybe the next Builder Crash Course, ..)
*2 days a week work on SEH or similar construction to finance the program
*3 days a week R&D, prototyping, and building the MCC
*The 3 days would consist of collaboration with OSE, independent research, design & prototyping, and eventually building of the first cabin
*GVCS development could be targeted on demand, when certain tools or materials are required or would heavily benefit from Open Source solutions. That being said, I estimate most of these to require very serious development time, so it's unlikely that we'd develop & build a full sawmill during the 6 months
*Vacation flexible: reasonable amounts can be worked out, during which neither work occurs nor stipend is paid, so it's just "no-op" downtime

Tuition & Stipend
*Housing provided (FeF?), possibly soon in a Modern Cabin?
*As I have specific diet requirements, no food needs to be provided, I'll take care of it myself
*A stipend of $1,000/mo for food, gas & tool money
*The 2 days of work plus a bit of "grant" money from OSE should be able to finance the project

Hangar + RLF condition
*Due to the small size of the MCC, even the RLF should be enough as a workshop. I estimate 1-2 bays being used for modules.
*We could build the prototype cabin in the Hangar if space permits (builder crash courses will take up space?) and the weather calls for it. Otherwise, cabins might be constructed at the desired target location after modules are built in the RLF

Production infrastructure requirements
*Once a reasonable level of quality, process & price is established we can turn it into a v1 (production ready)
*With a polished production process, each RLF or Hangar bay should enable a team of 2 to build all MCC modules in a day
*Assembly would require a certain amount of height, not sure if the RLF is tall enough to accomodate a fully built-out 8ft tall cabin on floor modules?
*If not, could assemble in Hangar or outside, then load onto trailers via telehandler
*Alternatively, completed modules & materials could be shipped to the target site in a pickup or trailer and assembled on site

Materials budget
*OSE would provide workspace & materials for prototyping. I have many of my own tools, but OSE could provide some more specialized tools - then again, keeping it simple on tools is part of the idea to make it easy to reproduce.
*I estimate that we'd spend maybe 2-3x the cost of a single cabin (i.e. $5,000-$7,500) on prototyping various aspects of the MCC. E.g. we could test out different types of foundations, materials, insulation, electrical, etc. in materials for R&D&P

Service Project
*Once design & plan are established, build a Modern Cabin for someone. This could either be "the prototype" or an additional cabin.
*Could be a community project where they pay for materials and we donate labor, or, if materials are donated, possibly for someone in need

==Conclusion==

I'm quite excited about developing the Modern Cabin Concept. I think it solves the problem of privacy-focused yet affordable living quarters faced by rapidly growing communities like FeF or other intentional communities. The ability to be built rapidly on-demand even by very small crews allows for flexible expansion in such communities. Its off-grid design also enables SEH builders to quickly move onto an undeveloped piece of land, to hit the ground running. In addition, it would be a valuable teaching tool for smaller scope workshops, arriving apprentices, or participants with less experience.

==MJ Comments==

(Answers from [[User:Goto|Goto]] interspersed)

'''Gimme some data points on clear specification, and success metrics on both the design front and the enterprise model front'''

Success metrics on design: I'd say staying around the $2,000-3,000 range, depending on configuration, with big box materials (could be cheaper w/ open source materials of course). Ease of building, complete finish time "in a long weekend" so say 2-4 full-time days. All while maintaining similar standards in construction & interior quality to a SEH.

On the enterprise front: I don't know much about enterprise and haven't thought of it. I suppose on the "cheaper or better" basis we could say these cabins could be sold for the same price ($5k+) as commercial ones, but they'll be much sturdier & nicer. Coming up with & testing enterprise models could be part of the 6 month collaboration? E.g. maybe people love shipping finished modules & precut stuff to site, maybe they hate it & prefer onsite install by us. Maybe there's demand for both, depending.

'''Clarity on enterprise model so we can even assess whether the thing failed or succeeded? Is the enterprise one for onsulting for self-build, turnkey packaged kit, drop shipped kit + you go to the store yourself, finished build delivered on a trailer, completely finished kit with foundation? Or, an education kit - a 'cabin trainer' like the various training kits that go into the Rapid Learning Facility?'''

I think the "cabin trainer/RLF" part is viable independent of any commercial/enterprise success. The other parts, I'm not sure yet - like mentioned above, figuring out a business model could be part of the 6 months?

The options you mention are definitely all interesting:
* Build it yourself following open source instructions (maybe consulting/helpful calls for a couple hundred bucks?)
* Drop ship kit & assemble yourself
* Finished build delivered on trailer (with or without foundation/installation?)

'''Is the current cost of $2500 acceptable? Is the goal to include up-front capitalization, such as CEB, turnkey [[Norwood]] sawmill, or 3D printing which can reduce the costs drastically? For example, we can replace treated lumber with plastic lumber for the foundation.'''

I think that replacing big box materials with open source materials would be great, both in terms of independence but also potential cost savings. That said, the average person downloading the open source instructions could be anywhere and might not have access to that, even if we had our own sawmill at FeF.

Since comparably-sized but way lower quality/no finish cabins go for $5k+ easy, I think that $2,500 is still a great deal for what you're getting. If we can shave off cost even more by open sourcing materials, so much for the better. It'd be an advantage for producing such cabins for FeF housing, for the "cabin trainer/RLF" aspect, and if we sell & ship them to other places.

'''Value proposition: What product is this trying to do? On one side it is an example of the OSE style modular and efficient build. Is that all there is, or is there another core value that we are pursuing? Is the proposed value one of a killer interior design? What is the interior finish detail?'''

I think the other core value, besides the learning/training aspect, is solving cheap/temporary housing in group settings like intentional communities. I think there's currently no obvious answer and people do various things like containers, old RVs, dorm style housing.. I think a modern cabin would be a pretty good & easy solution for the problem.

Since the cabins would be pretty small, I don't know if you could impress with a "killer" interior design. I've mocked up a little floor plan in Sweethome 3D and it basically fits a bed, a small desk & chair, and a wardrobe or shelf. Not much more space. That said, I think it's like a "cozy little room" which is the intention.

The level of interior finish I would assume to be solid & decent but maybe not extravagant. It's a cabin after all. What I'm imagining right now is basically similar to the SEH minus some of the fancier/more intricate things. E.g. same metal siding, same type of doors/windows, same vinyl planks. Furniture could be included or not, not sure which is preferable. This could be a package you can add, or bring your own furniture since it'd be pretty basic, no kitchen islands or huge double vanities or anything of that nature.

Since it's a cabin, not sure if drywall + painting is the optimal interior option? Cabins are often finished with wood, tongue & grove etc. It certainly would fit the rustic style, but is it actually easier and cheaper? We could try to math it out or just build one of each and see.

'''Documentation Plan - can you do a FreeCAD Modern Cabin Design Workbench and Estimator? This would be relevant for upgrades, additions, and would be excellent teaching material.'''

Plan is definitely to create a FreeCAD model. Do you mean a specific workbench? I'm not very familiar with how workbenches are designed (yet) so not sure that makes sense, wouldn't it just be a "building" or maybe "OSE style building" workbench? Also, what do you mean by "estimator?" Selecting options & it estimates a price for you?

'''Compare kit cost for 2x6 vs 2x4. Is 2x4 worth it, if 2x6 could lead to a permanent structure? Is there any other way that you can think for scalability/expansion if 2x6 is not used? 2x6 also allows stacking with telehandler to 4 stories. That is compelling for the 10000 [[EPCOT]], ie, a turnkey civilization.'''

Valid point, the 2x4s would probably only save a couple hundreds bucks over 2x6s. I was going for price, but we might have way more options by spending $100 extra on 2x6s. This is all stuff we could think through, math out, or try during the 6 month program.

'''Specifications and Outcomes'''
*Clarity on cost for model chosen
*Clarity for build time if selling kits
*Clarity on automation model - is this just for manual build, or are getting serious about 3D printing, where right now we could 3d pring modules 4x4 foot in size? Is it worth investing in the 3D print infrastructure or is it about big box stores?

I think figuring all these out, thinking through trade-offs, and mathing out the exact cost would be part of the program. In short, much of it would be the discovery process of which version to build, and not just the engineering or design of that specific version.

E.g. maybe this is intended as an easy thing everybody with a cordless drill & access to a big box store could build. A decentralized, easy entry point into open source building. Or maybe we could design it in ways that make it much easier or cheaper with more complex open source methods like 3D printing. Maybe these are easy substitutions, and maybe big design differences. I don't even know, that'd be part of the discovery.

'''If low cost housing is key, what is role of CEB? Can this be where a kit is framed, and we use CEB infill for walls?'''

Similar to the above answer: we could figure it out. I have never even built anything with CEB, so in my mind it's all wooden framing like the SEH. But we could build one prototype with CEB infill and see how that works? I do love CEBs as an idea due to making your own, local material. Plus the building qualities (thermal mass & noise reduction) in the HabLab are impressive, so would love to try it out.

'''If low cost housing is key - do we want to consider sawmill and self-milled lumber at this time? OSE would gladly get an off-the-shelf automated sawmill ($25k) so we mill the necessary wood in a day. So: are we optimizing cost or ease of build? With off-the-shelf parts, there is not much to optimize on cost. It gets interesting from the cost perspective once we consider materials production'''

I think this would be great. Sounds like we could just substitute lower-cost lumber from our own source then, driving down the price. That said, I think that making it accessible with big box materials is still a good goal. If this allows us to drive down the price from e.g. $2,500 to $2,000 or $1,800, that's awesome, but we should still keep it affordable for people without access to such a sawmill.

'''What is the role of [[Quad Modules]] integration - is this about optimizing for integration of such modules so that the design/build is absolutely optimized?'''

Due to the small size of a cabin, I think it'd be a neat example of having exactly 1 quad module, and everything else be just a dumb module. You don't even need a utility wall like in the SEH, there would be at most a single faucet/drain, if that. In terms of electrical, might not even need any outlets if we power it just with a commercial off the shelf power station. Although a wired overhead (12v?) light and switch might be nice. We could explore all those.

'''What is the goal for 6 months? First prototype? 3 prototypes? Beta release ready for early adopter sales? Turnkey product for one-click buy on a website? How far into the productization are we going in 6 months?'''

A big goal is "discovery." There are lots of variations and options and methods. E.g. 2x4 vs. 2x6, how to do the foundation, how to do the roof. How complex in terms of water & electrical? Optimized for ease of build/access at big box stores, or more specialized? I think this will lead us to figure out what the actual goals for such a cabin are, e.g. cheapest possible vs. more flexible/EPCOT building block vs. teaching tool vs. easy way for newbies to get into open source building on their own..

Once we decide on a good variant that makes sense for our goals, I'm imagining 1-3 prototypes. Honestly I think the pure build times won't be that long, but documenting and trying stuff out always takes way longer.

We could also do exploration into the enterprise aspect of it, if that is one of the goals. As I mentioned, I hadn't even thought of the enterprise part yet.
Definitely want to be able to give beta access to early adopters like local intentional communities.

'''Who is signing up for the team?'''

Me ([[User:Goto|Goto]]) and I'll try and recruit at least one other FBCC alum, maybe two.

'''Is the OSE Cost here $1k/month stipend, plus materials?'''

Yes, $1k/mo stipend per team member plus materials.

==Commercial Comparison==

A similar cabin, also 10x12, available as a commercial kit goes for $25k and up: [https://www.studio-shed.com/products/solitude-10x12/ Studio Shed Solitude]. This does NOT include a foundation or assembly of the kit on site.

Regulatory Thermocline

2026-02-19T03:28:09Z

Goto: Created page with "A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocline thermocline] is a layer with very distinct temperature gradients in lakes or oceans. I.e. a big body of water does not linearly get colder the deeper you go, there are layers that behave quite differently. The analogy here is that similar different "layers" and "gradients" exist when it comes to regulations, be it housing, manufacturing, or general business regulation. One example is taking a company public on the stock marke..."

A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocline thermocline] is a layer with very distinct temperature gradients in lakes or oceans. I.e. a big body of water does not linearly get colder the deeper you go, there are layers that behave quite differently.

The analogy here is that similar different "layers" and "gradients" exist when it comes to regulations, be it housing, manufacturing, or general business regulation. One example is taking a company public on the stock market: companies take years to prepare for the regulatory steps to comply with SEC rules. A publicly traded company has much stronger obligations and regulatory scrutiny than a privately held company. A tiny startup has again a much lower regulatory burden. A private person again faces a lower standard if only acting for himself. There is almost no regulation on private activity not facing the market or any consumers.

This could be an important concept strategically. For many companies it would be a strategic mistake to go public too soon; similarly, one must be ready to face the regulatory scrutiny that faces e.g. a commercial producer of heavy equipment or housing.

It's one thing to build prototypes on private property, but if facing the market with a broad offer to regular consumers, the company should be ready to pass the regulatory regime with flying colors. Until it is confident it can do that, it might be smart, strategically, to stay below the "regulatory thermocline."

Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition

2026-01-29T02:44:04Z

Goto: /* Commercial Comparison */

==Problem Statement==

Observation: there's a demand for modest, flexible housing, suited for temporary residents like students, short-to-medium-term employees, workers, workshop participants. These structures would optimally be cheap, fast & easy to build. They would mostly serve as sleeping quarters and spaces giving privacy to the residents, not necessarily requiring all the amenities of a full-time or full-size home, unlike a Seed Eco Home.

Factor-e-Farm and similar intentional communities are in need of such a solution. And there's interest from similar Intentional Communities as well.

A similar problem is faced by people who have acquired some land, but do not yet have a livable home built on it, and won't be able to do so any time soon. For example, due to lack of resources to buy the materials for a SEH-style house, or inability to organize a swarm build. Even with sufficient construction skills, it could therefore take someone a long time to build a livable home this way.

These people would therefore benefit from a cheap, simple, & rapidly built structure to serve as a home until the funds can be earned to start the build of a SEH, or during the longer construction phase if only one or a handful of people are able to work on the project.

==Possible solutions==

One possible solution for student housing is building dorm-style structures like the HabLab. The advantage is a big common space with full kitchen and sewer hook-ups. A downside is that there is very little privacy for residents, as the common space is adjacent to the private rooms and roommates/other participants/students often hang out there, taking up space and creating noise.

Another model is the "village commons" idea: a common, larger structure (SEH6) centered in the area with full hook ups like kitchen and sewer. It serves the same purpose as the common place in the HabLab does.

But the actual private residences/sleeping quarters are proposed to be spread around the common structure. One could purchase a number of ready-to-assemble cabin kits to serve this purpose. Two of these have already been assembled, one of them serving to house the Bio Digester for SEH6.

These ready-to-assemble cabins are an OK fit for this use, but far from optimal. For one, they're expensive. The ones purchased retail for $5,000 or more (https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/). The cabins assemble relatively quickly, but storing the kits outside in the elements, even under tarps, led to significant warping of the very thin wood, which created problems during assembly.

The cabins do not come with a foundation, and creating one is among the most time intensive parts of putting them up. They are also structurally quite weak, with no real framing and the entire cabin just being made of very thin tongue-and-groove wood. There is also zero insulation, and the roof, equally being made from tongue-and-groove, isn't particularly waterproof.

Additionally, they do not feature any electrical or heating, although these could be retro fitted, given the incredibly bare bones nature of the kits.

In short, the cabins are not ideal for this use case, even if they could potentially be retrofitted.

One advantage they have over dorm-style housing is that they can be built off grid without power, water, or sewage hook up: in the dorm style scenario, residents can simply use those facilities in the shared space (Hablab, SEH6). In the "bare land" scenario, temporary off-grid facilities can be used until more permanent arrangements are installed as part of a larger, more permanent structure like a SEH.

Another possible solution is using RVs or offering RV hook ups. The issue here is that RVs themselves are quite expensive, often far in excess of a full-blown Seed Eco Home. They are thus impractical both for dorm-style housing of students/workers/participants, and as a cheap & temporary housing solution.

==Potential Solution: The Modern Cabin Concept==

The idea of the Modern Cabin Concept is to use the same design & build techniques from the SEH for a much smaller, cabin-like structure. It would likely be similar in size to the prebuilt cabin kits, e.g. 10x12ft. But instead of the flimsy tongue-and-groove, the entire structure would be more sound and built-out with structural framing, sheathing, insulation, and possibly simple off-grid electrical or water systems.

In terms of rough-in systems, various options could be explored. Installing a small (12v?) electrical systems with 2 solar panels on the roof would be simple & cheap, and would likely suffice for most modest needs - after all, residents wouldn't be running stoves, ovens, washers, dryers, or, likely, even fridges in there. Solar panels, 12v LED lights and a cheap commercial power bank would likely be enough to light the structure at night, provide power to charge phones & laptops, and so on. These would likely total <$500 for the entire electrical systems, but even that could be considered optional for some cases.

In terms of water and sewage, the Modern Cabins would be off-grid by default, with residents expected to use the shared facilities in the dorm scenario, or bring their own temporary solutions (separating toilet, water jugs) as grid connections would likely not yet exist on non-developed land.

Since installing the pipes is the cheap & easy part (compared to getting grid hook up), the Modern Cabins could be fitted with simple water inlet/drain pipe systems for later hook up. Or, they could simply be designed in a way that makes it easy to retrofit these later. For example, an easily accessible utility wall module. Again, this could be changed depending on the anticipated use-case.

Finally, since the cabin size is very small, it could be transported in full on a trailer. In fact, a 40ft trailer that can accommodate 10ft in width might be able to hold up to 3 cabins at a time? These would be significantly easier to deliver in a completed state than the SEH.

==Tools, Materials & Crew==

In terms of tools, the Modern Cabin should be easy to build with only the most basic power tools. Ideally, nothing more than a drill, impact driver, and circular saw. This would allow people to buy into the idea for ~$250 in total tool costs depending on brands & discounts, or by simply borrowing these common tools from friends & family.

Materials would be nearly identical to the SEH with structural lumber, OSB sheathing, and a similar style of floor modules and tapered roof trusses, all built as modules. 2x4 lumber could be used instead of the 2x6s in the SEH, since overall roof weight will be much lower and there are no plans to expand to a 2nd story (although a loft space might be explored for 1.5 floors). Insulation wise, either thinner layers of the same fiber glass insulation might be used, or sheets of foam insulation if the trade-off between increased cost & space savings (thinner walls in the much smaller structure) is considered worth it.

Height would be more modest than the SEH to simplify build & keep cost down by using e.g. 8' sheets of OSB or 8' lumber.

Total material costs should be kept as low as reasonably possible, possibly as low as $2,000. In addition, keeping the total dimensions & weight of materials to one full-size pickup load or similar would be a significant factor, as it would allow to get all the required materials in a single trip to the hardware store.

In terms of crew, the Modern Cabin should be designed to be completed by a small group (2-3) of relatively unskilled people in a long weekend (3-4 days) of full-time work. This includes not just framing but also any rough-in systems and interior.

In short: grab a friend who owns some basic power tools, take one trip to the hardware store on a Friday afternoon, and complete your small home by Sunday evening.

==Teaching Benefits==

Another benefit of the Modern Cabin Concept: while it would be similar in construction style/design/techniques to the Seed Eco Home, it would have vastly reduced scope. It could therefore serve as a much easier, faster to complete workshop goal for future workshops like the Builder Crash Course.

While previous Builder Crash Courses have taken SEH builds to near completion of the framing, foundation, and parts of rough-in or insulation in the past, a Modern Cabin could use the same techniques (modular design etc.) to finish the entire structure in just a handful of days, even with a much smaller number of people.

Since the scope of a singular Modern Cabin would be pretty small compared to a SEH, the number to be constructed could easily be scaled up to accomodate workshop sizes. If only 5 people show up to a particular crash course, they could build 1-2 cabins. If 50 people show up, 15-20 cabins might be built.

It would be a much easier goal to "complete" such a Modern Cabin to 100% including interior compared to a SEH build, even for participants starting at very novice skill levels. This would ensure a satisfactory feeling of having achieved the course goal for everyone.

Since the building design & style of the Modern Cabin is almost identical to the SEH, skills learned would translate directly to a SEH build, either in a follow-up course or when building one's own SEH independently. Materials, tools, designs, and techniques would be familiar and merely expand in scope and detail. E.g. different sizes of lumber & sheathing, addition of more specialized tools, and simply having to build way more modules overall due to the scope.

An additional teaching benefit: there wouldn't just be 1 instance of some of the systems in use, like electrical or potentially water (if those were included in the build, they could be optional stretch goals), if multiple cabins were built. If teams of e.g. 3 people built each Modern Cabin, nearly everybody would get a chance to participate in nearly every part of the build. In the SEH build, certain parts simply don't allow for more than 1-2 people to work on them per build. Examples in the most recent Builders Crash Course were the breaker panel and the heat pump (although building 2 offered double the chance for participants to work on those) as well as drain and water inlet (PEX) pipes.

==Build-Your-Own-Housing==

One practical & rewarding experience would be for course participants to build their own housing in the first few days or weeks of an apprenticeship or similar longer-term program.

They would shop up and stay in existing accomodations for a few days or a week, learning the most basic skills & tools required to build the Modern Cabin. Then, as one of their first projects, they would build their own accomodations, possibly in teams of 2-3 or even alone, and move in just a handful of days later.

This would provide an amazingly satisfying feeling of achievement and liberation to participants, and free up the common dorm-style housing for others that have yet to arrive.

==Cost==

This is all rough estimates for a 10x12 cabin. <$1,000 would be great, but seems unlikely at current prices. Maybe in the future with OSS materials from a sawmill etc.

'''Walls'''

2x4s: $165

OSB sheating: $175

Insulation: $200

House wrap: $44

Metal siding: $630

'''Floor'''

2x4s: $45

OSB sheating: $60

Treated plywood: $200

Insulation: $36

Underlayment: $48

Vinyl flooring: $240

'''Roof'''

2x4s (w/ strongbacks): $65

OSB sheating: $60

Insulation: $36

Metal roofing: $185

Door: $265

Window: $140

'''Total: $2,594'''

Despite being cheaper than the pre-built cabin kits already, this includes much more: besides the sturdier construction, it also includes insulation, a foundation (not included in the kits), a metal roof & siding, and vinyl plank flooring.

The total cost could potentially be brought <$2,000 with some savings, e.g. by going with cheaper materials.

Fasteners are not included in the cost estimate for now, but would likely add another few hundreds dollars.

A basic solar/12v electrical setup could be added for about $500.

==Irresistible Offer==

I am highly motivated to work on the Modern Cabin Concept project. Having both stayed at the HabLab and visited it as a non-resident during my 2 crash courses, and having assembled one of the cabin kits, I am quite familiar with the demands and challenges as well as potential solutions.

On top of that, I intend to purchase some land of my own. To have a place to stay while building out a real, full-size house there, I intend to construct a cabin first.

I believe that the MCC would be a valuable addition to the OSE solution to Housing.

It offers:
* Cheap, easy & quick way of establishing a small yet comfortable home anywhere, even off-grid
* Flexible, affordable, and privacy-capable living quarters for students, workers, workshop participants, or similar
* Smaller scope workshop goal that is suitable for novice builders and small teams
* Introduction to the OSE building method with similar tools, materials, and techniques as are used by the Seed Eco Home
* Satisfying first "win" when apprentices build their own accomodations from scratch

In order to design, plan, and prototype the Modern Cabin Concept, I suggest a 6 month project collaboration to establish a Minimal Viable Product or v0.1 of the cabin.

Goals:
*Brainstorm & price out a few configurations to see what budget & creature comforts can be included
*Pick one of the options that seems the most practical and useful
*Ideally, it would be something like "1 pickup load from the hardware store, 2 people, 3 power tools, 4 days, under $2,000"
*Create a CAD model, BOM & cut list for it
*Build at least one prototype, e.g. at FeF or a nearby intentional community
*Document & review the construction process to gather a round of initial feedback and potential improvements
*If applicable, construct RLF "classroom" kits to teach basic techniques

Schedule
*6 month project, starting in February 2026 (depends on SEH6 build status, maybe the next Builder Crash Course, ..)
*2 days a week work on SEH or similar construction to finance the program
*3 days a week R&D, prototyping, and building the MCC
*The 3 days would consist of collaboration with OSE, independent research, design & prototyping, and eventually building of the first cabin
*GVCS development could be targeted on demand, when certain tools or materials are required or would heavily benefit from Open Source solutions. That being said, I estimate most of these to require very serious development time, so it's unlikely that we'd develop & build a full sawmill during the 6 months
*Vacation flexible: reasonable amounts can be worked out, during which neither work occurs nor stipend is paid, so it's just "no-op" downtime

Tuition & Stipend
*Housing provided (FeF?), possibly soon in a Modern Cabin?
*As I have specific diet requirements, no food needs to be provided, I'll take care of it myself
*A stipend of $1,000/mo for food, gas & tool money
*The 2 days of work plus a bit of "grant" money from OSE should be able to finance the project

Hangar + RLF condition
*Due to the small size of the MCC, even the RLF should be enough as a workshop. I estimate 1-2 bays being used for modules.
*We could build the prototype cabin in the Hangar if space permits (builder crash courses will take up space?) and the weather calls for it. Otherwise, cabins might be constructed at the desired target location after modules are built in the RLF

Production infrastructure requirements
*Once a reasonable level of quality, process & price is established we can turn it into a v1 (production ready)
*With a polished production process, each RLF or Hangar bay should enable a team of 2 to build all MCC modules in a day
*Assembly would require a certain amount of height, not sure if the RLF is tall enough to accomodate a fully built-out 8ft tall cabin on floor modules?
*If not, could assemble in Hangar or outside, then load onto trailers via telehandler
*Alternatively, completed modules & materials could be shipped to the target site in a pickup or trailer and assembled on site

Materials budget
*OSE would provide workspace & materials for prototyping. I have many of my own tools, but OSE could provide some more specialized tools - then again, keeping it simple on tools is part of the idea to make it easy to reproduce.
*I estimate that we'd spend maybe 2-3x the cost of a single cabin (i.e. $5,000-$7,500) on prototyping various aspects of the MCC. E.g. we could test out different types of foundations, materials, insulation, electrical, etc. in materials for R&D&P

Service Project
*Once design & plan are established, build a Modern Cabin for someone. This could either be "the prototype" or an additional cabin.
*Could be a community project where they pay for materials and we donate labor, or, if materials are donated, possibly for someone in need

==Conclusion==

I'm quite excited about developing the Modern Cabin Concept. I think it solves the problem of privacy-focused yet affordable living quarters faced by rapidly growing communities like FeF or other intentional communities. The ability to be built rapidly on-demand even by very small crews allows for flexible expansion in such communities. Its off-grid design also enables SEH builders to quickly move onto an undeveloped piece of land, to hit the ground running. In addition, it would be a valuable teaching tool for smaller scope workshops, arriving apprentices, or participants with less experience.

==MJ Comments==

(Answers from [[User:Goto|Goto]] interspersed)

'''Gimme some data points on clear specification, and success metrics on both the design front and the enterprise model front'''

Success metrics on design: I'd say staying around the $2,000-3,000 range, depending on configuration, with big box materials (could be cheaper w/ open source materials of course). Ease of building, complete finish time "in a long weekend" so say 2-4 full-time days. All while maintaining similar standards in construction & interior quality to a SEH.

On the enterprise front: I don't know much about enterprise and haven't thought of it. I suppose on the "cheaper or better" basis we could say these cabins could be sold for the same price ($5k+) as commercial ones, but they'll be much sturdier & nicer. Coming up with & testing enterprise models could be part of the 6 month collaboration? E.g. maybe people love shipping finished modules & precut stuff to site, maybe they hate it & prefer onsite install by us. Maybe there's demand for both, depending.

'''Clarity on enterprise model so we can even assess whether the thing failed or succeeded? Is the enterprise one for onsulting for self-build, turnkey packaged kit, drop shipped kit + you go to the store yourself, finished build delivered on a trailer, completely finished kit with foundation? Or, an education kit - a 'cabin trainer' like the various training kits that go into the Rapid Learning Facility?'''

I think the "cabin trainer/RLF" part is viable independent of any commercial/enterprise success. The other parts, I'm not sure yet - like mentioned above, figuring out a business model could be part of the 6 months?

The options you mention are definitely all interesting:
* Build it yourself following open source instructions (maybe consulting/helpful calls for a couple hundred bucks?)
* Drop ship kit & assemble yourself
* Finished build delivered on trailer (with or without foundation/installation?)

'''Is the current cost of $2500 acceptable? Is the goal to include up-front capitalization, such as CEB, turnkey [[Norwood]] sawmill, or 3D printing which can reduce the costs drastically? For example, we can replace treated lumber with plastic lumber for the foundation.'''

I think that replacing big box materials with open source materials would be great, both in terms of independence but also potential cost savings. That said, the average person downloading the open source instructions could be anywhere and might not have access to that, even if we had our own sawmill at FeF.

Since comparably-sized but way lower quality/no finish cabins go for $5k+ easy, I think that $2,500 is still a great deal for what you're getting. If we can shave off cost even more by open sourcing materials, so much for the better. It'd be an advantage for producing such cabins for FeF housing, for the "cabin trainer/RLF" aspect, and if we sell & ship them to other places.

'''Value proposition: What product is this trying to do? On one side it is an example of the OSE style modular and efficient build. Is that all there is, or is there another core value that we are pursuing? Is the proposed value one of a killer interior design? What is the interior finish detail?'''

I think the other core value, besides the learning/training aspect, is solving cheap/temporary housing in group settings like intentional communities. I think there's currently no obvious answer and people do various things like containers, old RVs, dorm style housing.. I think a modern cabin would be a pretty good & easy solution for the problem.

Since the cabins would be pretty small, I don't know if you could impress with a "killer" interior design. I've mocked up a little floor plan in Sweethome 3D and it basically fits a bed, a small desk & chair, and a wardrobe or shelf. Not much more space. That said, I think it's like a "cozy little room" which is the intention.

The level of interior finish I would assume to be solid & decent but maybe not extravagant. It's a cabin after all. What I'm imagining right now is basically similar to the SEH minus some of the fancier/more intricate things. E.g. same metal siding, same type of doors/windows, same vinyl planks. Furniture could be included or not, not sure which is preferable. This could be a package you can add, or bring your own furniture since it'd be pretty basic, no kitchen islands or huge double vanities or anything of that nature.

Since it's a cabin, not sure if drywall + painting is the optimal interior option? Cabins are often finished with wood, tongue & grove etc. It certainly would fit the rustic style, but is it actually easier and cheaper? We could try to math it out or just build one of each and see.

'''Documentation Plan - can you do a FreeCAD Modern Cabin Design Workbench and Estimator? This would be relevant for upgrades, additions, and would be excellent teaching material.'''

Plan is definitely to create a FreeCAD model. Do you mean a specific workbench? I'm not very familiar with how workbenches are designed (yet) so not sure that makes sense, wouldn't it just be a "building" or maybe "OSE style building" workbench? Also, what do you mean by "estimator?" Selecting options & it estimates a price for you?

'''Compare kit cost for 2x6 vs 2x4. Is 2x4 worth it, if 2x6 could lead to a permanent structure? Is there any other way that you can think for scalability/expansion if 2x6 is not used? 2x6 also allows stacking with telehandler to 4 stories. That is compelling for the 10000 [[EPCOT]], ie, a turnkey civilization.'''

Valid point, the 2x4s would probably only save a couple hundreds bucks over 2x6s. I was going for price, but we might have way more options by spending $100 extra on 2x6s. This is all stuff we could think through, math out, or try during the 6 month program.

'''Specifications and Outcomes'''
*Clarity on cost for model chosen
*Clarity for build time if selling kits
*Clarity on automation model - is this just for manual build, or are getting serious about 3D printing, where right now we could 3d pring modules 4x4 foot in size? Is it worth investing in the 3D print infrastructure or is it about big box stores?

I think figuring all these out, thinking through trade-offs, and mathing out the exact cost would be part of the program. In short, much of it would be the discovery process of which version to build, and not just the engineering or design of that specific version.

E.g. maybe this is intended as an easy thing everybody with a cordless drill & access to a big box store could build. A decentralized, easy entry point into open source building. Or maybe we could design it in ways that make it much easier or cheaper with more complex open source methods like 3D printing. Maybe these are easy substitutions, and maybe big design differences. I don't even know, that'd be part of the discovery.

'''If low cost housing is key, what is role of CEB? Can this be where a kit is framed, and we use CEB infill for walls?'''

Similar to the above answer: we could figure it out. I have never even built anything with CEB, so in my mind it's all wooden framing like the SEH. But we could build one prototype with CEB infill and see how that works? I do love CEBs as an idea due to making your own, local material. Plus the building qualities (thermal mass & noise reduction) in the HabLab are impressive, so would love to try it out.

'''If low cost housing is key - do we want to consider sawmill and self-milled lumber at this time? OSE would gladly get an off-the-shelf automated sawmill ($25k) so we mill the necessary wood in a day. So: are we optimizing cost or ease of build? With off-the-shelf parts, there is not much to optimize on cost. It gets interesting from the cost perspective once we consider materials production'''

I think this would be great. Sounds like we could just substitute lower-cost lumber from our own source then, driving down the price. That said, I think that making it accessible with big box materials is still a good goal. If this allows us to drive down the price from e.g. $2,500 to $2,000 or $1,800, that's awesome, but we should still keep it affordable for people without access to such a sawmill.

'''What is the role of [[Quad Modules]] integration - is this about optimizing for integration of such modules so that the design/build is absolutely optimized?'''

Due to the small size of a cabin, I think it'd be a neat example of having exactly 1 quad module, and everything else be just a dumb module. You don't even need a utility wall like in the SEH, there would be at most a single faucet/drain, if that. In terms of electrical, might not even need any outlets if we power it just with a commercial off the shelf power station. Although a wired overhead (12v?) light and switch might be nice. We could explore all those.

'''What is the goal for 6 months? First prototype? 3 prototypes? Beta release ready for early adopter sales? Turnkey product for one-click buy on a website? How far into the productization are we going in 6 months?'''

A big goal is "discovery." There are lots of variations and options and methods. E.g. 2x4 vs. 2x6, how to do the foundation, how to do the roof. How complex in terms of water & electrical? Optimized for ease of build/access at big box stores, or more specialized? I think this will lead us to figure out what the actual goals for such a cabin are, e.g. cheapest possible vs. more flexible/EPCOT building block vs. teaching tool vs. easy way for newbies to get into open source building on their own..

Once we decide on a good variant that makes sense for our goals, I'm imagining 1-3 prototypes. Honestly I think the pure build times won't be that long, but documenting and trying stuff out always takes way longer.

We could also do exploration into the enterprise aspect of it, if that is one of the goals. As I mentioned, I hadn't even thought of the enterprise part yet.
Definitely want to be able to give beta access to early adopters like local intentional communities.

'''Who is signing up for the team?'''

Me ([[User:Goto|Goto]]) and I'll try and recruit at least one other FBCC alum, maybe two.

'''Is the OSE Cost here $1k/month stipend, plus materials?'''

Yes, $1k/mo stipend per team member plus materials.

==Commercial Comparison==

A similar cabin, also 10x12, available as a commercial kit goes for $25k and up: [https://www.studio-shed.com/products/solitude-10x12/ Studio Shed Solitude]. This does NOT include a foundation or assembly of the kit on site.

Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition

2026-01-29T02:42:43Z

Goto:

==Problem Statement==

Observation: there's a demand for modest, flexible housing, suited for temporary residents like students, short-to-medium-term employees, workers, workshop participants. These structures would optimally be cheap, fast & easy to build. They would mostly serve as sleeping quarters and spaces giving privacy to the residents, not necessarily requiring all the amenities of a full-time or full-size home, unlike a Seed Eco Home.

Factor-e-Farm and similar intentional communities are in need of such a solution. And there's interest from similar Intentional Communities as well.

A similar problem is faced by people who have acquired some land, but do not yet have a livable home built on it, and won't be able to do so any time soon. For example, due to lack of resources to buy the materials for a SEH-style house, or inability to organize a swarm build. Even with sufficient construction skills, it could therefore take someone a long time to build a livable home this way.

These people would therefore benefit from a cheap, simple, & rapidly built structure to serve as a home until the funds can be earned to start the build of a SEH, or during the longer construction phase if only one or a handful of people are able to work on the project.

==Possible solutions==

One possible solution for student housing is building dorm-style structures like the HabLab. The advantage is a big common space with full kitchen and sewer hook-ups. A downside is that there is very little privacy for residents, as the common space is adjacent to the private rooms and roommates/other participants/students often hang out there, taking up space and creating noise.

Another model is the "village commons" idea: a common, larger structure (SEH6) centered in the area with full hook ups like kitchen and sewer. It serves the same purpose as the common place in the HabLab does.

But the actual private residences/sleeping quarters are proposed to be spread around the common structure. One could purchase a number of ready-to-assemble cabin kits to serve this purpose. Two of these have already been assembled, one of them serving to house the Bio Digester for SEH6.

These ready-to-assemble cabins are an OK fit for this use, but far from optimal. For one, they're expensive. The ones purchased retail for $5,000 or more (https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/). The cabins assemble relatively quickly, but storing the kits outside in the elements, even under tarps, led to significant warping of the very thin wood, which created problems during assembly.

The cabins do not come with a foundation, and creating one is among the most time intensive parts of putting them up. They are also structurally quite weak, with no real framing and the entire cabin just being made of very thin tongue-and-groove wood. There is also zero insulation, and the roof, equally being made from tongue-and-groove, isn't particularly waterproof.

Additionally, they do not feature any electrical or heating, although these could be retro fitted, given the incredibly bare bones nature of the kits.

In short, the cabins are not ideal for this use case, even if they could potentially be retrofitted.

One advantage they have over dorm-style housing is that they can be built off grid without power, water, or sewage hook up: in the dorm style scenario, residents can simply use those facilities in the shared space (Hablab, SEH6). In the "bare land" scenario, temporary off-grid facilities can be used until more permanent arrangements are installed as part of a larger, more permanent structure like a SEH.

Another possible solution is using RVs or offering RV hook ups. The issue here is that RVs themselves are quite expensive, often far in excess of a full-blown Seed Eco Home. They are thus impractical both for dorm-style housing of students/workers/participants, and as a cheap & temporary housing solution.

==Potential Solution: The Modern Cabin Concept==

The idea of the Modern Cabin Concept is to use the same design & build techniques from the SEH for a much smaller, cabin-like structure. It would likely be similar in size to the prebuilt cabin kits, e.g. 10x12ft. But instead of the flimsy tongue-and-groove, the entire structure would be more sound and built-out with structural framing, sheathing, insulation, and possibly simple off-grid electrical or water systems.

In terms of rough-in systems, various options could be explored. Installing a small (12v?) electrical systems with 2 solar panels on the roof would be simple & cheap, and would likely suffice for most modest needs - after all, residents wouldn't be running stoves, ovens, washers, dryers, or, likely, even fridges in there. Solar panels, 12v LED lights and a cheap commercial power bank would likely be enough to light the structure at night, provide power to charge phones & laptops, and so on. These would likely total <$500 for the entire electrical systems, but even that could be considered optional for some cases.

In terms of water and sewage, the Modern Cabins would be off-grid by default, with residents expected to use the shared facilities in the dorm scenario, or bring their own temporary solutions (separating toilet, water jugs) as grid connections would likely not yet exist on non-developed land.

Since installing the pipes is the cheap & easy part (compared to getting grid hook up), the Modern Cabins could be fitted with simple water inlet/drain pipe systems for later hook up. Or, they could simply be designed in a way that makes it easy to retrofit these later. For example, an easily accessible utility wall module. Again, this could be changed depending on the anticipated use-case.

Finally, since the cabin size is very small, it could be transported in full on a trailer. In fact, a 40ft trailer that can accommodate 10ft in width might be able to hold up to 3 cabins at a time? These would be significantly easier to deliver in a completed state than the SEH.

==Tools, Materials & Crew==

In terms of tools, the Modern Cabin should be easy to build with only the most basic power tools. Ideally, nothing more than a drill, impact driver, and circular saw. This would allow people to buy into the idea for ~$250 in total tool costs depending on brands & discounts, or by simply borrowing these common tools from friends & family.

Materials would be nearly identical to the SEH with structural lumber, OSB sheathing, and a similar style of floor modules and tapered roof trusses, all built as modules. 2x4 lumber could be used instead of the 2x6s in the SEH, since overall roof weight will be much lower and there are no plans to expand to a 2nd story (although a loft space might be explored for 1.5 floors). Insulation wise, either thinner layers of the same fiber glass insulation might be used, or sheets of foam insulation if the trade-off between increased cost & space savings (thinner walls in the much smaller structure) is considered worth it.

Height would be more modest than the SEH to simplify build & keep cost down by using e.g. 8' sheets of OSB or 8' lumber.

Total material costs should be kept as low as reasonably possible, possibly as low as $2,000. In addition, keeping the total dimensions & weight of materials to one full-size pickup load or similar would be a significant factor, as it would allow to get all the required materials in a single trip to the hardware store.

In terms of crew, the Modern Cabin should be designed to be completed by a small group (2-3) of relatively unskilled people in a long weekend (3-4 days) of full-time work. This includes not just framing but also any rough-in systems and interior.

In short: grab a friend who owns some basic power tools, take one trip to the hardware store on a Friday afternoon, and complete your small home by Sunday evening.

==Teaching Benefits==

Another benefit of the Modern Cabin Concept: while it would be similar in construction style/design/techniques to the Seed Eco Home, it would have vastly reduced scope. It could therefore serve as a much easier, faster to complete workshop goal for future workshops like the Builder Crash Course.

While previous Builder Crash Courses have taken SEH builds to near completion of the framing, foundation, and parts of rough-in or insulation in the past, a Modern Cabin could use the same techniques (modular design etc.) to finish the entire structure in just a handful of days, even with a much smaller number of people.

Since the scope of a singular Modern Cabin would be pretty small compared to a SEH, the number to be constructed could easily be scaled up to accomodate workshop sizes. If only 5 people show up to a particular crash course, they could build 1-2 cabins. If 50 people show up, 15-20 cabins might be built.

It would be a much easier goal to "complete" such a Modern Cabin to 100% including interior compared to a SEH build, even for participants starting at very novice skill levels. This would ensure a satisfactory feeling of having achieved the course goal for everyone.

Since the building design & style of the Modern Cabin is almost identical to the SEH, skills learned would translate directly to a SEH build, either in a follow-up course or when building one's own SEH independently. Materials, tools, designs, and techniques would be familiar and merely expand in scope and detail. E.g. different sizes of lumber & sheathing, addition of more specialized tools, and simply having to build way more modules overall due to the scope.

An additional teaching benefit: there wouldn't just be 1 instance of some of the systems in use, like electrical or potentially water (if those were included in the build, they could be optional stretch goals), if multiple cabins were built. If teams of e.g. 3 people built each Modern Cabin, nearly everybody would get a chance to participate in nearly every part of the build. In the SEH build, certain parts simply don't allow for more than 1-2 people to work on them per build. Examples in the most recent Builders Crash Course were the breaker panel and the heat pump (although building 2 offered double the chance for participants to work on those) as well as drain and water inlet (PEX) pipes.

==Build-Your-Own-Housing==

One practical & rewarding experience would be for course participants to build their own housing in the first few days or weeks of an apprenticeship or similar longer-term program.

They would shop up and stay in existing accomodations for a few days or a week, learning the most basic skills & tools required to build the Modern Cabin. Then, as one of their first projects, they would build their own accomodations, possibly in teams of 2-3 or even alone, and move in just a handful of days later.

This would provide an amazingly satisfying feeling of achievement and liberation to participants, and free up the common dorm-style housing for others that have yet to arrive.

==Cost==

This is all rough estimates for a 10x12 cabin. <$1,000 would be great, but seems unlikely at current prices. Maybe in the future with OSS materials from a sawmill etc.

'''Walls'''

2x4s: $165

OSB sheating: $175

Insulation: $200

House wrap: $44

Metal siding: $630

'''Floor'''

2x4s: $45

OSB sheating: $60

Treated plywood: $200

Insulation: $36

Underlayment: $48

Vinyl flooring: $240

'''Roof'''

2x4s (w/ strongbacks): $65

OSB sheating: $60

Insulation: $36

Metal roofing: $185

Door: $265

Window: $140

'''Total: $2,594'''

Despite being cheaper than the pre-built cabin kits already, this includes much more: besides the sturdier construction, it also includes insulation, a foundation (not included in the kits), a metal roof & siding, and vinyl plank flooring.

The total cost could potentially be brought <$2,000 with some savings, e.g. by going with cheaper materials.

Fasteners are not included in the cost estimate for now, but would likely add another few hundreds dollars.

A basic solar/12v electrical setup could be added for about $500.

==Irresistible Offer==

I am highly motivated to work on the Modern Cabin Concept project. Having both stayed at the HabLab and visited it as a non-resident during my 2 crash courses, and having assembled one of the cabin kits, I am quite familiar with the demands and challenges as well as potential solutions.

On top of that, I intend to purchase some land of my own. To have a place to stay while building out a real, full-size house there, I intend to construct a cabin first.

I believe that the MCC would be a valuable addition to the OSE solution to Housing.

It offers:
* Cheap, easy & quick way of establishing a small yet comfortable home anywhere, even off-grid
* Flexible, affordable, and privacy-capable living quarters for students, workers, workshop participants, or similar
* Smaller scope workshop goal that is suitable for novice builders and small teams
* Introduction to the OSE building method with similar tools, materials, and techniques as are used by the Seed Eco Home
* Satisfying first "win" when apprentices build their own accomodations from scratch

In order to design, plan, and prototype the Modern Cabin Concept, I suggest a 6 month project collaboration to establish a Minimal Viable Product or v0.1 of the cabin.

Goals:
*Brainstorm & price out a few configurations to see what budget & creature comforts can be included
*Pick one of the options that seems the most practical and useful
*Ideally, it would be something like "1 pickup load from the hardware store, 2 people, 3 power tools, 4 days, under $2,000"
*Create a CAD model, BOM & cut list for it
*Build at least one prototype, e.g. at FeF or a nearby intentional community
*Document & review the construction process to gather a round of initial feedback and potential improvements
*If applicable, construct RLF "classroom" kits to teach basic techniques

Schedule
*6 month project, starting in February 2026 (depends on SEH6 build status, maybe the next Builder Crash Course, ..)
*2 days a week work on SEH or similar construction to finance the program
*3 days a week R&D, prototyping, and building the MCC
*The 3 days would consist of collaboration with OSE, independent research, design & prototyping, and eventually building of the first cabin
*GVCS development could be targeted on demand, when certain tools or materials are required or would heavily benefit from Open Source solutions. That being said, I estimate most of these to require very serious development time, so it's unlikely that we'd develop & build a full sawmill during the 6 months
*Vacation flexible: reasonable amounts can be worked out, during which neither work occurs nor stipend is paid, so it's just "no-op" downtime

Tuition & Stipend
*Housing provided (FeF?), possibly soon in a Modern Cabin?
*As I have specific diet requirements, no food needs to be provided, I'll take care of it myself
*A stipend of $1,000/mo for food, gas & tool money
*The 2 days of work plus a bit of "grant" money from OSE should be able to finance the project

Hangar + RLF condition
*Due to the small size of the MCC, even the RLF should be enough as a workshop. I estimate 1-2 bays being used for modules.
*We could build the prototype cabin in the Hangar if space permits (builder crash courses will take up space?) and the weather calls for it. Otherwise, cabins might be constructed at the desired target location after modules are built in the RLF

Production infrastructure requirements
*Once a reasonable level of quality, process & price is established we can turn it into a v1 (production ready)
*With a polished production process, each RLF or Hangar bay should enable a team of 2 to build all MCC modules in a day
*Assembly would require a certain amount of height, not sure if the RLF is tall enough to accomodate a fully built-out 8ft tall cabin on floor modules?
*If not, could assemble in Hangar or outside, then load onto trailers via telehandler
*Alternatively, completed modules & materials could be shipped to the target site in a pickup or trailer and assembled on site

Materials budget
*OSE would provide workspace & materials for prototyping. I have many of my own tools, but OSE could provide some more specialized tools - then again, keeping it simple on tools is part of the idea to make it easy to reproduce.
*I estimate that we'd spend maybe 2-3x the cost of a single cabin (i.e. $5,000-$7,500) on prototyping various aspects of the MCC. E.g. we could test out different types of foundations, materials, insulation, electrical, etc. in materials for R&D&P

Service Project
*Once design & plan are established, build a Modern Cabin for someone. This could either be "the prototype" or an additional cabin.
*Could be a community project where they pay for materials and we donate labor, or, if materials are donated, possibly for someone in need

==Conclusion==

I'm quite excited about developing the Modern Cabin Concept. I think it solves the problem of privacy-focused yet affordable living quarters faced by rapidly growing communities like FeF or other intentional communities. The ability to be built rapidly on-demand even by very small crews allows for flexible expansion in such communities. Its off-grid design also enables SEH builders to quickly move onto an undeveloped piece of land, to hit the ground running. In addition, it would be a valuable teaching tool for smaller scope workshops, arriving apprentices, or participants with less experience.

==MJ Comments==

(Answers from [[User:Goto|Goto]] interspersed)

'''Gimme some data points on clear specification, and success metrics on both the design front and the enterprise model front'''

Success metrics on design: I'd say staying around the $2,000-3,000 range, depending on configuration, with big box materials (could be cheaper w/ open source materials of course). Ease of building, complete finish time "in a long weekend" so say 2-4 full-time days. All while maintaining similar standards in construction & interior quality to a SEH.

On the enterprise front: I don't know much about enterprise and haven't thought of it. I suppose on the "cheaper or better" basis we could say these cabins could be sold for the same price ($5k+) as commercial ones, but they'll be much sturdier & nicer. Coming up with & testing enterprise models could be part of the 6 month collaboration? E.g. maybe people love shipping finished modules & precut stuff to site, maybe they hate it & prefer onsite install by us. Maybe there's demand for both, depending.

'''Clarity on enterprise model so we can even assess whether the thing failed or succeeded? Is the enterprise one for onsulting for self-build, turnkey packaged kit, drop shipped kit + you go to the store yourself, finished build delivered on a trailer, completely finished kit with foundation? Or, an education kit - a 'cabin trainer' like the various training kits that go into the Rapid Learning Facility?'''

I think the "cabin trainer/RLF" part is viable independent of any commercial/enterprise success. The other parts, I'm not sure yet - like mentioned above, figuring out a business model could be part of the 6 months?

The options you mention are definitely all interesting:
* Build it yourself following open source instructions (maybe consulting/helpful calls for a couple hundred bucks?)
* Drop ship kit & assemble yourself
* Finished build delivered on trailer (with or without foundation/installation?)

'''Is the current cost of $2500 acceptable? Is the goal to include up-front capitalization, such as CEB, turnkey [[Norwood]] sawmill, or 3D printing which can reduce the costs drastically? For example, we can replace treated lumber with plastic lumber for the foundation.'''

I think that replacing big box materials with open source materials would be great, both in terms of independence but also potential cost savings. That said, the average person downloading the open source instructions could be anywhere and might not have access to that, even if we had our own sawmill at FeF.

Since comparably-sized but way lower quality/no finish cabins go for $5k+ easy, I think that $2,500 is still a great deal for what you're getting. If we can shave off cost even more by open sourcing materials, so much for the better. It'd be an advantage for producing such cabins for FeF housing, for the "cabin trainer/RLF" aspect, and if we sell & ship them to other places.

'''Value proposition: What product is this trying to do? On one side it is an example of the OSE style modular and efficient build. Is that all there is, or is there another core value that we are pursuing? Is the proposed value one of a killer interior design? What is the interior finish detail?'''

I think the other core value, besides the learning/training aspect, is solving cheap/temporary housing in group settings like intentional communities. I think there's currently no obvious answer and people do various things like containers, old RVs, dorm style housing.. I think a modern cabin would be a pretty good & easy solution for the problem.

Since the cabins would be pretty small, I don't know if you could impress with a "killer" interior design. I've mocked up a little floor plan in Sweethome 3D and it basically fits a bed, a small desk & chair, and a wardrobe or shelf. Not much more space. That said, I think it's like a "cozy little room" which is the intention.

The level of interior finish I would assume to be solid & decent but maybe not extravagant. It's a cabin after all. What I'm imagining right now is basically similar to the SEH minus some of the fancier/more intricate things. E.g. same metal siding, same type of doors/windows, same vinyl planks. Furniture could be included or not, not sure which is preferable. This could be a package you can add, or bring your own furniture since it'd be pretty basic, no kitchen islands or huge double vanities or anything of that nature.

Since it's a cabin, not sure if drywall + painting is the optimal interior option? Cabins are often finished with wood, tongue & grove etc. It certainly would fit the rustic style, but is it actually easier and cheaper? We could try to math it out or just build one of each and see.

'''Documentation Plan - can you do a FreeCAD Modern Cabin Design Workbench and Estimator? This would be relevant for upgrades, additions, and would be excellent teaching material.'''

Plan is definitely to create a FreeCAD model. Do you mean a specific workbench? I'm not very familiar with how workbenches are designed (yet) so not sure that makes sense, wouldn't it just be a "building" or maybe "OSE style building" workbench? Also, what do you mean by "estimator?" Selecting options & it estimates a price for you?

'''Compare kit cost for 2x6 vs 2x4. Is 2x4 worth it, if 2x6 could lead to a permanent structure? Is there any other way that you can think for scalability/expansion if 2x6 is not used? 2x6 also allows stacking with telehandler to 4 stories. That is compelling for the 10000 [[EPCOT]], ie, a turnkey civilization.'''

Valid point, the 2x4s would probably only save a couple hundreds bucks over 2x6s. I was going for price, but we might have way more options by spending $100 extra on 2x6s. This is all stuff we could think through, math out, or try during the 6 month program.

'''Specifications and Outcomes'''
*Clarity on cost for model chosen
*Clarity for build time if selling kits
*Clarity on automation model - is this just for manual build, or are getting serious about 3D printing, where right now we could 3d pring modules 4x4 foot in size? Is it worth investing in the 3D print infrastructure or is it about big box stores?

I think figuring all these out, thinking through trade-offs, and mathing out the exact cost would be part of the program. In short, much of it would be the discovery process of which version to build, and not just the engineering or design of that specific version.

E.g. maybe this is intended as an easy thing everybody with a cordless drill & access to a big box store could build. A decentralized, easy entry point into open source building. Or maybe we could design it in ways that make it much easier or cheaper with more complex open source methods like 3D printing. Maybe these are easy substitutions, and maybe big design differences. I don't even know, that'd be part of the discovery.

'''If low cost housing is key, what is role of CEB? Can this be where a kit is framed, and we use CEB infill for walls?'''

Similar to the above answer: we could figure it out. I have never even built anything with CEB, so in my mind it's all wooden framing like the SEH. But we could build one prototype with CEB infill and see how that works? I do love CEBs as an idea due to making your own, local material. Plus the building qualities (thermal mass & noise reduction) in the HabLab are impressive, so would love to try it out.

'''If low cost housing is key - do we want to consider sawmill and self-milled lumber at this time? OSE would gladly get an off-the-shelf automated sawmill ($25k) so we mill the necessary wood in a day. So: are we optimizing cost or ease of build? With off-the-shelf parts, there is not much to optimize on cost. It gets interesting from the cost perspective once we consider materials production'''

I think this would be great. Sounds like we could just substitute lower-cost lumber from our own source then, driving down the price. That said, I think that making it accessible with big box materials is still a good goal. If this allows us to drive down the price from e.g. $2,500 to $2,000 or $1,800, that's awesome, but we should still keep it affordable for people without access to such a sawmill.

'''What is the role of [[Quad Modules]] integration - is this about optimizing for integration of such modules so that the design/build is absolutely optimized?'''

Due to the small size of a cabin, I think it'd be a neat example of having exactly 1 quad module, and everything else be just a dumb module. You don't even need a utility wall like in the SEH, there would be at most a single faucet/drain, if that. In terms of electrical, might not even need any outlets if we power it just with a commercial off the shelf power station. Although a wired overhead (12v?) light and switch might be nice. We could explore all those.

'''What is the goal for 6 months? First prototype? 3 prototypes? Beta release ready for early adopter sales? Turnkey product for one-click buy on a website? How far into the productization are we going in 6 months?'''

A big goal is "discovery." There are lots of variations and options and methods. E.g. 2x4 vs. 2x6, how to do the foundation, how to do the roof. How complex in terms of water & electrical? Optimized for ease of build/access at big box stores, or more specialized? I think this will lead us to figure out what the actual goals for such a cabin are, e.g. cheapest possible vs. more flexible/EPCOT building block vs. teaching tool vs. easy way for newbies to get into open source building on their own..

Once we decide on a good variant that makes sense for our goals, I'm imagining 1-3 prototypes. Honestly I think the pure build times won't be that long, but documenting and trying stuff out always takes way longer.

We could also do exploration into the enterprise aspect of it, if that is one of the goals. As I mentioned, I hadn't even thought of the enterprise part yet.
Definitely want to be able to give beta access to early adopters like local intentional communities.

'''Who is signing up for the team?'''

Me ([[User:Goto|Goto]]) and I'll try and recruit at least one other FBCC alum, maybe two.

'''Is the OSE Cost here $1k/month stipend, plus materials?'''

Yes, $1k/mo stipend per team member plus materials.

==Commercial Comparison==

A similar cabin, also 10x12, available as a commercial kit goes for $25k and up: [https://www.studio-shed.com/products/solitude-10x12/ | Studio Shed Solitude]. This does NOT include a foundation or assembly of the kit on site.

Talk:OSE Social Contact

2026-01-11T15:47:13Z

Goto: Created page with "Typo in URL/title? Says "Social Contact" instead of "Contract""

Typo in URL/title? Says "Social Contact" instead of "Contract"

Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition

2026-01-08T11:36:27Z

Goto: /* MJ Comments */

==Problem Statement==

Observation: there's a demand for modest, flexible housing, suited for temporary residents like students, short-to-medium-term employees, workers, workshop participants. These structures would optimally be cheap, fast & easy to build. They would mostly serve as sleeping quarters and spaces giving privacy to the residents, not necessarily requiring all the amenities of a full-time or full-size home, unlike a Seed Eco Home.

Factor-e-Farm and similar intentional communities are in need of such a solution. And there's interest from similar Intentional Communities as well.

A similar problem is faced by people who have acquired some land, but do not yet have a livable home built on it, and won't be able to do so any time soon. For example, due to lack of resources to buy the materials for a SEH-style house, or inability to organize a swarm build. Even with sufficient construction skills, it could therefore take someone a long time to build a livable home this way.

These people would therefore benefit from a cheap, simple, & rapidly built structure to serve as a home until the funds can be earned to start the build of a SEH, or during the longer construction phase if only one or a handful of people are able to work on the project.

==Possible solutions==

One possible solution for student housing is building dorm-style structures like the HabLab. The advantage is a big common space with full kitchen and sewer hook-ups. A downside is that there is very little privacy for residents, as the common space is adjacent to the private rooms and roommates/other participants/students often hang out there, taking up space and creating noise.

Another model is the "village commons" idea: a common, larger structure (SEH6) centered in the area with full hook ups like kitchen and sewer. It serves the same purpose as the common place in the HabLab does.

But the actual private residences/sleeping quarters are proposed to be spread around the common structure. One could purchase a number of ready-to-assemble cabin kits to serve this purpose. Two of these have already been assembled, one of them serving to house the Bio Digester for SEH6.

These ready-to-assemble cabins are an OK fit for this use, but far from optimal. For one, they're expensive. The ones purchased retail for $5,000 or more (https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/). The cabins assemble relatively quickly, but storing the kits outside in the elements, even under tarps, led to significant warping of the very thin wood, which created problems during assembly.

The cabins do not come with a foundation, and creating one is among the most time intensive parts of putting them up. They are also structurally quite weak, with no real framing and the entire cabin just being made of very thin tongue-and-groove wood. There is also zero insulation, and the roof, equally being made from tongue-and-groove, isn't particularly waterproof.

Additionally, they do not feature any electrical or heating, although these could be retro fitted, given the incredibly bare bones nature of the kits.

In short, the cabins are not ideal for this use case, even if they could potentially be retrofitted.

One advantage they have over dorm-style housing is that they can be built off grid without power, water, or sewage hook up: in the dorm style scenario, residents can simply use those facilities in the shared space (Hablab, SEH6). In the "bare land" scenario, temporary off-grid facilities can be used until more permanent arrangements are installed as part of a larger, more permanent structure like a SEH.

Another possible solution is using RVs or offering RV hook ups. The issue here is that RVs themselves are quite expensive, often far in excess of a full-blown Seed Eco Home. They are thus impractical both for dorm-style housing of students/workers/participants, and as a cheap & temporary housing solution.

==Potential Solution: The Modern Cabin Concept==

The idea of the Modern Cabin Concept is to use the same design & build techniques from the SEH for a much smaller, cabin-like structure. It would likely be similar in size to the prebuilt cabin kits, e.g. 10x12ft. But instead of the flimsy tongue-and-groove, the entire structure would be more sound and built-out with structural framing, sheathing, insulation, and possibly simple off-grid electrical or water systems.

In terms of rough-in systems, various options could be explored. Installing a small (12v?) electrical systems with 2 solar panels on the roof would be simple & cheap, and would likely suffice for most modest needs - after all, residents wouldn't be running stoves, ovens, washers, dryers, or, likely, even fridges in there. Solar panels, 12v LED lights and a cheap commercial power bank would likely be enough to light the structure at night, provide power to charge phones & laptops, and so on. These would likely total <$500 for the entire electrical systems, but even that could be considered optional for some cases.

In terms of water and sewage, the Modern Cabins would be off-grid by default, with residents expected to use the shared facilities in the dorm scenario, or bring their own temporary solutions (separating toilet, water jugs) as grid connections would likely not yet exist on non-developed land.

Since installing the pipes is the cheap & easy part (compared to getting grid hook up), the Modern Cabins could be fitted with simple water inlet/drain pipe systems for later hook up. Or, they could simply be designed in a way that makes it easy to retrofit these later. For example, an easily accessible utility wall module. Again, this could be changed depending on the anticipated use-case.

Finally, since the cabin size is very small, it could be transported in full on a trailer. In fact, a 40ft trailer that can accommodate 10ft in width might be able to hold up to 3 cabins at a time? These would be significantly easier to deliver in a completed state than the SEH.

==Tools, Materials & Crew==

In terms of tools, the Modern Cabin should be easy to build with only the most basic power tools. Ideally, nothing more than a drill, impact driver, and circular saw. This would allow people to buy into the idea for ~$250 in total tool costs depending on brands & discounts, or by simply borrowing these common tools from friends & family.

Materials would be nearly identical to the SEH with structural lumber, OSB sheathing, and a similar style of floor modules and tapered roof trusses, all built as modules. 2x4 lumber could be used instead of the 2x6s in the SEH, since overall roof weight will be much lower and there are no plans to expand to a 2nd story (although a loft space might be explored for 1.5 floors). Insulation wise, either thinner layers of the same fiber glass insulation might be used, or sheets of foam insulation if the trade-off between increased cost & space savings (thinner walls in the much smaller structure) is considered worth it.

Height would be more modest than the SEH to simplify build & keep cost down by using e.g. 8' sheets of OSB or 8' lumber.

Total material costs should be kept as low as reasonably possible, possibly as low as $2,000. In addition, keeping the total dimensions & weight of materials to one full-size pickup load or similar would be a significant factor, as it would allow to get all the required materials in a single trip to the hardware store.

In terms of crew, the Modern Cabin should be designed to be completed by a small group (2-3) of relatively unskilled people in a long weekend (3-4 days) of full-time work. This includes not just framing but also any rough-in systems and interior.

In short: grab a friend who owns some basic power tools, take one trip to the hardware store on a Friday afternoon, and complete your small home by Sunday evening.

==Teaching Benefits==

Another benefit of the Modern Cabin Concept: while it would be similar in construction style/design/techniques to the Seed Eco Home, it would have vastly reduced scope. It could therefore serve as a much easier, faster to complete workshop goal for future workshops like the Builder Crash Course.

While previous Builder Crash Courses have taken SEH builds to near completion of the framing, foundation, and parts of rough-in or insulation in the past, a Modern Cabin could use the same techniques (modular design etc.) to finish the entire structure in just a handful of days, even with a much smaller number of people.

Since the scope of a singular Modern Cabin would be pretty small compared to a SEH, the number to be constructed could easily be scaled up to accomodate workshop sizes. If only 5 people show up to a particular crash course, they could build 1-2 cabins. If 50 people show up, 15-20 cabins might be built.

It would be a much easier goal to "complete" such a Modern Cabin to 100% including interior compared to a SEH build, even for participants starting at very novice skill levels. This would ensure a satisfactory feeling of having achieved the course goal for everyone.

Since the building design & style of the Modern Cabin is almost identical to the SEH, skills learned would translate directly to a SEH build, either in a follow-up course or when building one's own SEH independently. Materials, tools, designs, and techniques would be familiar and merely expand in scope and detail. E.g. different sizes of lumber & sheathing, addition of more specialized tools, and simply having to build way more modules overall due to the scope.

An additional teaching benefit: there wouldn't just be 1 instance of some of the systems in use, like electrical or potentially water (if those were included in the build, they could be optional stretch goals), if multiple cabins were built. If teams of e.g. 3 people built each Modern Cabin, nearly everybody would get a chance to participate in nearly every part of the build. In the SEH build, certain parts simply don't allow for more than 1-2 people to work on them per build. Examples in the most recent Builders Crash Course were the breaker panel and the heat pump (although building 2 offered double the chance for participants to work on those) as well as drain and water inlet (PEX) pipes.

==Build-Your-Own-Housing==

One practical & rewarding experience would be for course participants to build their own housing in the first few days or weeks of an apprenticeship or similar longer-term program.

They would shop up and stay in existing accomodations for a few days or a week, learning the most basic skills & tools required to build the Modern Cabin. Then, as one of their first projects, they would build their own accomodations, possibly in teams of 2-3 or even alone, and move in just a handful of days later.

This would provide an amazingly satisfying feeling of achievement and liberation to participants, and free up the common dorm-style housing for others that have yet to arrive.

==Cost==

This is all rough estimates for a 10x12 cabin. <$1,000 would be great, but seems unlikely at current prices. Maybe in the future with OSS materials from a sawmill etc.

'''Walls'''

2x4s: $165

OSB sheating: $175

Insulation: $200

House wrap: $44

Metal siding: $630

'''Floor'''

2x4s: $45

OSB sheating: $60

Treated plywood: $200

Insulation: $36

Underlayment: $48

Vinyl flooring: $240

'''Roof'''

2x4s (w/ strongbacks): $65

OSB sheating: $60

Insulation: $36

Metal roofing: $185

Door: $265

Window: $140

'''Total: $2,594'''

Despite being cheaper than the pre-built cabin kits already, this includes much more: besides the sturdier construction, it also includes insulation, a foundation (not included in the kits), a metal roof & siding, and vinyl plank flooring.

The total cost could potentially be brought <$2,000 with some savings, e.g. by going with cheaper materials.

Fasteners are not included in the cost estimate for now, but would likely add another few hundreds dollars.

A basic solar/12v electrical setup could be added for about $500.

==Irresistible Offer==

I am highly motivated to work on the Modern Cabin Concept project. Having both stayed at the HabLab and visited it as a non-resident during my 2 crash courses, and having assembled one of the cabin kits, I am quite familiar with the demands and challenges as well as potential solutions.

On top of that, I intend to purchase some land of my own. To have a place to stay while building out a real, full-size house there, I intend to construct a cabin first.

I believe that the MCC would be a valuable addition to the OSE solution to Housing.

It offers:
* Cheap, easy & quick way of establishing a small yet comfortable home anywhere, even off-grid
* Flexible, affordable, and privacy-capable living quarters for students, workers, workshop participants, or similar
* Smaller scope workshop goal that is suitable for novice builders and small teams
* Introduction to the OSE building method with similar tools, materials, and techniques as are used by the Seed Eco Home
* Satisfying first "win" when apprentices build their own accomodations from scratch

In order to design, plan, and prototype the Modern Cabin Concept, I suggest a 6 month project collaboration to establish a Minimal Viable Product or v0.1 of the cabin.

Goals:
*Brainstorm & price out a few configurations to see what budget & creature comforts can be included
*Pick one of the options that seems the most practical and useful
*Ideally, it would be something like "1 pickup load from the hardware store, 2 people, 3 power tools, 4 days, under $2,000"
*Create a CAD model, BOM & cut list for it
*Build at least one prototype, e.g. at FeF or a nearby intentional community
*Document & review the construction process to gather a round of initial feedback and potential improvements
*If applicable, construct RLF "classroom" kits to teach basic techniques

Schedule
*6 month project, starting in February 2026 (depends on SEH6 build status, maybe the next Builder Crash Course, ..)
*2 days a week work on SEH or similar construction to finance the program
*3 days a week R&D, prototyping, and building the MCC
*The 3 days would consist of collaboration with OSE, independent research, design & prototyping, and eventually building of the first cabin
*GVCS development could be targeted on demand, when certain tools or materials are required or would heavily benefit from Open Source solutions. That being said, I estimate most of these to require very serious development time, so it's unlikely that we'd develop & build a full sawmill during the 6 months
*Vacation flexible: reasonable amounts can be worked out, during which neither work occurs nor stipend is paid, so it's just "no-op" downtime

Tuition & Stipend
*Housing provided (FeF?), possibly soon in a Modern Cabin?
*As I have specific diet requirements, no food needs to be provided, I'll take care of it myself
*A stipend of $1,000/mo for food, gas & tool money
*The 2 days of work plus a bit of "grant" money from OSE should be able to finance the project

Hangar + RLF condition
*Due to the small size of the MCC, even the RLF should be enough as a workshop. I estimate 1-2 bays being used for modules.
*We could build the prototype cabin in the Hangar if space permits (builder crash courses will take up space?) and the weather calls for it. Otherwise, cabins might be constructed at the desired target location after modules are built in the RLF

Production infrastructure requirements
*Once a reasonable level of quality, process & price is established we can turn it into a v1 (production ready)
*With a polished production process, each RLF or Hangar bay should enable a team of 2 to build all MCC modules in a day
*Assembly would require a certain amount of height, not sure if the RLF is tall enough to accomodate a fully built-out 8ft tall cabin on floor modules?
*If not, could assemble in Hangar or outside, then load onto trailers via telehandler
*Alternatively, completed modules & materials could be shipped to the target site in a pickup or trailer and assembled on site

Materials budget
*OSE would provide workspace & materials for prototyping. I have many of my own tools, but OSE could provide some more specialized tools - then again, keeping it simple on tools is part of the idea to make it easy to reproduce.
*I estimate that we'd spend maybe 2-3x the cost of a single cabin (i.e. $5,000-$7,500) on prototyping various aspects of the MCC. E.g. we could test out different types of foundations, materials, insulation, electrical, etc. in materials for R&D&P

Service Project
*Once design & plan are established, build a Modern Cabin for someone. This could either be "the prototype" or an additional cabin.
*Could be a community project where they pay for materials and we donate labor, or, if materials are donated, possibly for someone in need

==Conclusion==

I'm quite excited about developing the Modern Cabin Concept. I think it solves the problem of privacy-focused yet affordable living quarters faced by rapidly growing communities like FeF or other intentional communities. The ability to be built rapidly on-demand even by very small crews allows for flexible expansion in such communities. Its off-grid design also enables SEH builders to quickly move onto an undeveloped piece of land, to hit the ground running. In addition, it would be a valuable teaching tool for smaller scope workshops, arriving apprentices, or participants with less experience.

==MJ Comments==

(Answers from [[User:Goto|Goto]] interspersed)

'''Gimme some data points on clear specification, and success metrics on both the design front and the enterprise model front'''

Success metrics on design: I'd say staying around the $2,000-3,000 range, depending on configuration, with big box materials (could be cheaper w/ open source materials of course). Ease of building, complete finish time "in a long weekend" so say 2-4 full-time days. All while maintaining similar standards in construction & interior quality to a SEH.

On the enterprise front: I don't know much about enterprise and haven't thought of it. I suppose on the "cheaper or better" basis we could say these cabins could be sold for the same price ($5k+) as commercial ones, but they'll be much sturdier & nicer. Coming up with & testing enterprise models could be part of the 6 month collaboration? E.g. maybe people love shipping finished modules & precut stuff to site, maybe they hate it & prefer onsite install by us. Maybe there's demand for both, depending.

'''Clarity on enterprise model so we can even assess whether the thing failed or succeeded? Is the enterprise one for onsulting for self-build, turnkey packaged kit, drop shipped kit + you go to the store yourself, finished build delivered on a trailer, completely finished kit with foundation? Or, an education kit - a 'cabin trainer' like the various training kits that go into the Rapid Learning Facility?'''

I think the "cabin trainer/RLF" part is viable independent of any commercial/enterprise success. The other parts, I'm not sure yet - like mentioned above, figuring out a business model could be part of the 6 months?

The options you mention are definitely all interesting:
* Build it yourself following open source instructions (maybe consulting/helpful calls for a couple hundred bucks?)
* Drop ship kit & assemble yourself
* Finished build delivered on trailer (with or without foundation/installation?)

'''Is the current cost of $2500 acceptable? Is the goal to include up-front capitalization, such as CEB, turnkey [[Norwood]] sawmill, or 3D printing which can reduce the costs drastically? For example, we can replace treated lumber with plastic lumber for the foundation.'''

I think that replacing big box materials with open source materials would be great, both in terms of independence but also potential cost savings. That said, the average person downloading the open source instructions could be anywhere and might not have access to that, even if we had our own sawmill at FeF.

Since comparably-sized but way lower quality/no finish cabins go for $5k+ easy, I think that $2,500 is still a great deal for what you're getting. If we can shave off cost even more by open sourcing materials, so much for the better. It'd be an advantage for producing such cabins for FeF housing, for the "cabin trainer/RLF" aspect, and if we sell & ship them to other places.

'''Value proposition: What product is this trying to do? On one side it is an example of the OSE style modular and efficient build. Is that all there is, or is there another core value that we are pursuing? Is the proposed value one of a killer interior design? What is the interior finish detail?'''

I think the other core value, besides the learning/training aspect, is solving cheap/temporary housing in group settings like intentional communities. I think there's currently no obvious answer and people do various things like containers, old RVs, dorm style housing.. I think a modern cabin would be a pretty good & easy solution for the problem.

Since the cabins would be pretty small, I don't know if you could impress with a "killer" interior design. I've mocked up a little floor plan in Sweethome 3D and it basically fits a bed, a small desk & chair, and a wardrobe or shelf. Not much more space. That said, I think it's like a "cozy little room" which is the intention.

The level of interior finish I would assume to be solid & decent but maybe not extravagant. It's a cabin after all. What I'm imagining right now is basically similar to the SEH minus some of the fancier/more intricate things. E.g. same metal siding, same type of doors/windows, same vinyl planks. Furniture could be included or not, not sure which is preferable. This could be a package you can add, or bring your own furniture since it'd be pretty basic, no kitchen islands or huge double vanities or anything of that nature.

Since it's a cabin, not sure if drywall + painting is the optimal interior option? Cabins are often finished with wood, tongue & grove etc. It certainly would fit the rustic style, but is it actually easier and cheaper? We could try to math it out or just build one of each and see.

'''Documentation Plan - can you do a FreeCAD Modern Cabin Design Workbench and Estimator? This would be relevant for upgrades, additions, and would be excellent teaching material.'''

Plan is definitely to create a FreeCAD model. Do you mean a specific workbench? I'm not very familiar with how workbenches are designed (yet) so not sure that makes sense, wouldn't it just be a "building" or maybe "OSE style building" workbench? Also, what do you mean by "estimator?" Selecting options & it estimates a price for you?

'''Compare kit cost for 2x6 vs 2x4. Is 2x4 worth it, if 2x6 could lead to a permanent structure? Is there any other way that you can think for scalability/expansion if 2x6 is not used? 2x6 also allows stacking with telehandler to 4 stories. That is compelling for the 10000 [[EPCOT]], ie, a turnkey civilization.'''

Valid point, the 2x4s would probably only save a couple hundreds bucks over 2x6s. I was going for price, but we might have way more options by spending $100 extra on 2x6s. This is all stuff we could think through, math out, or try during the 6 month program.

'''Specifications and Outcomes'''
*Clarity on cost for model chosen
*Clarity for build time if selling kits
*Clarity on automation model - is this just for manual build, or are getting serious about 3D printing, where right now we could 3d pring modules 4x4 foot in size? Is it worth investing in the 3D print infrastructure or is it about big box stores?

I think figuring all these out, thinking through trade-offs, and mathing out the exact cost would be part of the program. In short, much of it would be the discovery process of which version to build, and not just the engineering or design of that specific version.

E.g. maybe this is intended as an easy thing everybody with a cordless drill & access to a big box store could build. A decentralized, easy entry point into open source building. Or maybe we could design it in ways that make it much easier or cheaper with more complex open source methods like 3D printing. Maybe these are easy substitutions, and maybe big design differences. I don't even know, that'd be part of the discovery.

'''If low cost housing is key, what is role of CEB? Can this be where a kit is framed, and we use CEB infill for walls?'''

Similar to the above answer: we could figure it out. I have never even built anything with CEB, so in my mind it's all wooden framing like the SEH. But we could build one prototype with CEB infill and see how that works? I do love CEBs as an idea due to making your own, local material. Plus the building qualities (thermal mass & noise reduction) in the HabLab are impressive, so would love to try it out.

'''If low cost housing is key - do we want to consider sawmill and self-milled lumber at this time? OSE would gladly get an off-the-shelf automated sawmill ($25k) so we mill the necessary wood in a day. So: are we optimizing cost or ease of build? With off-the-shelf parts, there is not much to optimize on cost. It gets interesting from the cost perspective once we consider materials production'''

I think this would be great. Sounds like we could just substitute lower-cost lumber from our own source then, driving down the price. That said, I think that making it accessible with big box materials is still a good goal. If this allows us to drive down the price from e.g. $2,500 to $2,000 or $1,800, that's awesome, but we should still keep it affordable for people without access to such a sawmill.

'''What is the role of [[Quad Modules]] integration - is this about optimizing for integration of such modules so that the design/build is absolutely optimized?'''

Due to the small size of a cabin, I think it'd be a neat example of having exactly 1 quad module, and everything else be just a dumb module. You don't even need a utility wall like in the SEH, there would be at most a single faucet/drain, if that. In terms of electrical, might not even need any outlets if we power it just with a commercial off the shelf power station. Although a wired overhead (12v?) light and switch might be nice. We could explore all those.

'''What is the goal for 6 months? First prototype? 3 prototypes? Beta release ready for early adopter sales? Turnkey product for one-click buy on a website? How far into the productization are we going in 6 months?'''

A big goal is "discovery." There are lots of variations and options and methods. E.g. 2x4 vs. 2x6, how to do the foundation, how to do the roof. How complex in terms of water & electrical? Optimized for ease of build/access at big box stores, or more specialized? I think this will lead us to figure out what the actual goals for such a cabin are, e.g. cheapest possible vs. more flexible/EPCOT building block vs. teaching tool vs. easy way for newbies to get into open source building on their own..

Once we decide on a good variant that makes sense for our goals, I'm imagining 1-3 prototypes. Honestly I think the pure build times won't be that long, but documenting and trying stuff out always takes way longer.

We could also do exploration into the enterprise aspect of it, if that is one of the goals. As I mentioned, I hadn't even thought of the enterprise part yet.
Definitely want to be able to give beta access to early adopters like local intentional communities.

'''Who is signing up for the team?'''

Me ([[User:Goto|Goto]]) and I'll try and recruit at least one other FBCC alum, maybe two.

'''Is the OSE Cost here $1k/month stipend, plus materials?'''

Yes, $1k/mo stipend per team member plus materials.

Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition

2026-01-08T11:27:21Z

Goto:

==Problem Statement==

Observation: there's a demand for modest, flexible housing, suited for temporary residents like students, short-to-medium-term employees, workers, workshop participants. These structures would optimally be cheap, fast & easy to build. They would mostly serve as sleeping quarters and spaces giving privacy to the residents, not necessarily requiring all the amenities of a full-time or full-size home, unlike a Seed Eco Home.

Factor-e-Farm and similar intentional communities are in need of such a solution. And there's interest from similar Intentional Communities as well.

A similar problem is faced by people who have acquired some land, but do not yet have a livable home built on it, and won't be able to do so any time soon. For example, due to lack of resources to buy the materials for a SEH-style house, or inability to organize a swarm build. Even with sufficient construction skills, it could therefore take someone a long time to build a livable home this way.

These people would therefore benefit from a cheap, simple, & rapidly built structure to serve as a home until the funds can be earned to start the build of a SEH, or during the longer construction phase if only one or a handful of people are able to work on the project.

==Possible solutions==

One possible solution for student housing is building dorm-style structures like the HabLab. The advantage is a big common space with full kitchen and sewer hook-ups. A downside is that there is very little privacy for residents, as the common space is adjacent to the private rooms and roommates/other participants/students often hang out there, taking up space and creating noise.

Another model is the "village commons" idea: a common, larger structure (SEH6) centered in the area with full hook ups like kitchen and sewer. It serves the same purpose as the common place in the HabLab does.

But the actual private residences/sleeping quarters are proposed to be spread around the common structure. One could purchase a number of ready-to-assemble cabin kits to serve this purpose. Two of these have already been assembled, one of them serving to house the Bio Digester for SEH6.

These ready-to-assemble cabins are an OK fit for this use, but far from optimal. For one, they're expensive. The ones purchased retail for $5,000 or more (https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/). The cabins assemble relatively quickly, but storing the kits outside in the elements, even under tarps, led to significant warping of the very thin wood, which created problems during assembly.

The cabins do not come with a foundation, and creating one is among the most time intensive parts of putting them up. They are also structurally quite weak, with no real framing and the entire cabin just being made of very thin tongue-and-groove wood. There is also zero insulation, and the roof, equally being made from tongue-and-groove, isn't particularly waterproof.

Additionally, they do not feature any electrical or heating, although these could be retro fitted, given the incredibly bare bones nature of the kits.

In short, the cabins are not ideal for this use case, even if they could potentially be retrofitted.

One advantage they have over dorm-style housing is that they can be built off grid without power, water, or sewage hook up: in the dorm style scenario, residents can simply use those facilities in the shared space (Hablab, SEH6). In the "bare land" scenario, temporary off-grid facilities can be used until more permanent arrangements are installed as part of a larger, more permanent structure like a SEH.

Another possible solution is using RVs or offering RV hook ups. The issue here is that RVs themselves are quite expensive, often far in excess of a full-blown Seed Eco Home. They are thus impractical both for dorm-style housing of students/workers/participants, and as a cheap & temporary housing solution.

==Potential Solution: The Modern Cabin Concept==

The idea of the Modern Cabin Concept is to use the same design & build techniques from the SEH for a much smaller, cabin-like structure. It would likely be similar in size to the prebuilt cabin kits, e.g. 10x12ft. But instead of the flimsy tongue-and-groove, the entire structure would be more sound and built-out with structural framing, sheathing, insulation, and possibly simple off-grid electrical or water systems.

In terms of rough-in systems, various options could be explored. Installing a small (12v?) electrical systems with 2 solar panels on the roof would be simple & cheap, and would likely suffice for most modest needs - after all, residents wouldn't be running stoves, ovens, washers, dryers, or, likely, even fridges in there. Solar panels, 12v LED lights and a cheap commercial power bank would likely be enough to light the structure at night, provide power to charge phones & laptops, and so on. These would likely total <$500 for the entire electrical systems, but even that could be considered optional for some cases.

In terms of water and sewage, the Modern Cabins would be off-grid by default, with residents expected to use the shared facilities in the dorm scenario, or bring their own temporary solutions (separating toilet, water jugs) as grid connections would likely not yet exist on non-developed land.

Since installing the pipes is the cheap & easy part (compared to getting grid hook up), the Modern Cabins could be fitted with simple water inlet/drain pipe systems for later hook up. Or, they could simply be designed in a way that makes it easy to retrofit these later. For example, an easily accessible utility wall module. Again, this could be changed depending on the anticipated use-case.

Finally, since the cabin size is very small, it could be transported in full on a trailer. In fact, a 40ft trailer that can accommodate 10ft in width might be able to hold up to 3 cabins at a time? These would be significantly easier to deliver in a completed state than the SEH.

==Tools, Materials & Crew==

In terms of tools, the Modern Cabin should be easy to build with only the most basic power tools. Ideally, nothing more than a drill, impact driver, and circular saw. This would allow people to buy into the idea for ~$250 in total tool costs depending on brands & discounts, or by simply borrowing these common tools from friends & family.

Materials would be nearly identical to the SEH with structural lumber, OSB sheathing, and a similar style of floor modules and tapered roof trusses, all built as modules. 2x4 lumber could be used instead of the 2x6s in the SEH, since overall roof weight will be much lower and there are no plans to expand to a 2nd story (although a loft space might be explored for 1.5 floors). Insulation wise, either thinner layers of the same fiber glass insulation might be used, or sheets of foam insulation if the trade-off between increased cost & space savings (thinner walls in the much smaller structure) is considered worth it.

Height would be more modest than the SEH to simplify build & keep cost down by using e.g. 8' sheets of OSB or 8' lumber.

Total material costs should be kept as low as reasonably possible, possibly as low as $2,000. In addition, keeping the total dimensions & weight of materials to one full-size pickup load or similar would be a significant factor, as it would allow to get all the required materials in a single trip to the hardware store.

In terms of crew, the Modern Cabin should be designed to be completed by a small group (2-3) of relatively unskilled people in a long weekend (3-4 days) of full-time work. This includes not just framing but also any rough-in systems and interior.

In short: grab a friend who owns some basic power tools, take one trip to the hardware store on a Friday afternoon, and complete your small home by Sunday evening.

==Teaching Benefits==

Another benefit of the Modern Cabin Concept: while it would be similar in construction style/design/techniques to the Seed Eco Home, it would have vastly reduced scope. It could therefore serve as a much easier, faster to complete workshop goal for future workshops like the Builder Crash Course.

While previous Builder Crash Courses have taken SEH builds to near completion of the framing, foundation, and parts of rough-in or insulation in the past, a Modern Cabin could use the same techniques (modular design etc.) to finish the entire structure in just a handful of days, even with a much smaller number of people.

Since the scope of a singular Modern Cabin would be pretty small compared to a SEH, the number to be constructed could easily be scaled up to accomodate workshop sizes. If only 5 people show up to a particular crash course, they could build 1-2 cabins. If 50 people show up, 15-20 cabins might be built.

It would be a much easier goal to "complete" such a Modern Cabin to 100% including interior compared to a SEH build, even for participants starting at very novice skill levels. This would ensure a satisfactory feeling of having achieved the course goal for everyone.

Since the building design & style of the Modern Cabin is almost identical to the SEH, skills learned would translate directly to a SEH build, either in a follow-up course or when building one's own SEH independently. Materials, tools, designs, and techniques would be familiar and merely expand in scope and detail. E.g. different sizes of lumber & sheathing, addition of more specialized tools, and simply having to build way more modules overall due to the scope.

An additional teaching benefit: there wouldn't just be 1 instance of some of the systems in use, like electrical or potentially water (if those were included in the build, they could be optional stretch goals), if multiple cabins were built. If teams of e.g. 3 people built each Modern Cabin, nearly everybody would get a chance to participate in nearly every part of the build. In the SEH build, certain parts simply don't allow for more than 1-2 people to work on them per build. Examples in the most recent Builders Crash Course were the breaker panel and the heat pump (although building 2 offered double the chance for participants to work on those) as well as drain and water inlet (PEX) pipes.

==Build-Your-Own-Housing==

One practical & rewarding experience would be for course participants to build their own housing in the first few days or weeks of an apprenticeship or similar longer-term program.

They would shop up and stay in existing accomodations for a few days or a week, learning the most basic skills & tools required to build the Modern Cabin. Then, as one of their first projects, they would build their own accomodations, possibly in teams of 2-3 or even alone, and move in just a handful of days later.

This would provide an amazingly satisfying feeling of achievement and liberation to participants, and free up the common dorm-style housing for others that have yet to arrive.

==Cost==

This is all rough estimates for a 10x12 cabin. <$1,000 would be great, but seems unlikely at current prices. Maybe in the future with OSS materials from a sawmill etc.

'''Walls'''

2x4s: $165

OSB sheating: $175

Insulation: $200

House wrap: $44

Metal siding: $630

'''Floor'''

2x4s: $45

OSB sheating: $60

Treated plywood: $200

Insulation: $36

Underlayment: $48

Vinyl flooring: $240

'''Roof'''

2x4s (w/ strongbacks): $65

OSB sheating: $60

Insulation: $36

Metal roofing: $185

Door: $265

Window: $140

'''Total: $2,594'''

Despite being cheaper than the pre-built cabin kits already, this includes much more: besides the sturdier construction, it also includes insulation, a foundation (not included in the kits), a metal roof & siding, and vinyl plank flooring.

The total cost could potentially be brought <$2,000 with some savings, e.g. by going with cheaper materials.

Fasteners are not included in the cost estimate for now, but would likely add another few hundreds dollars.

A basic solar/12v electrical setup could be added for about $500.

==Irresistible Offer==

I am highly motivated to work on the Modern Cabin Concept project. Having both stayed at the HabLab and visited it as a non-resident during my 2 crash courses, and having assembled one of the cabin kits, I am quite familiar with the demands and challenges as well as potential solutions.

On top of that, I intend to purchase some land of my own. To have a place to stay while building out a real, full-size house there, I intend to construct a cabin first.

I believe that the MCC would be a valuable addition to the OSE solution to Housing.

It offers:
* Cheap, easy & quick way of establishing a small yet comfortable home anywhere, even off-grid
* Flexible, affordable, and privacy-capable living quarters for students, workers, workshop participants, or similar
* Smaller scope workshop goal that is suitable for novice builders and small teams
* Introduction to the OSE building method with similar tools, materials, and techniques as are used by the Seed Eco Home
* Satisfying first "win" when apprentices build their own accomodations from scratch

In order to design, plan, and prototype the Modern Cabin Concept, I suggest a 6 month project collaboration to establish a Minimal Viable Product or v0.1 of the cabin.

Goals:
*Brainstorm & price out a few configurations to see what budget & creature comforts can be included
*Pick one of the options that seems the most practical and useful
*Ideally, it would be something like "1 pickup load from the hardware store, 2 people, 3 power tools, 4 days, under $2,000"
*Create a CAD model, BOM & cut list for it
*Build at least one prototype, e.g. at FeF or a nearby intentional community
*Document & review the construction process to gather a round of initial feedback and potential improvements
*If applicable, construct RLF "classroom" kits to teach basic techniques

Schedule
*6 month project, starting in February 2026 (depends on SEH6 build status, maybe the next Builder Crash Course, ..)
*2 days a week work on SEH or similar construction to finance the program
*3 days a week R&D, prototyping, and building the MCC
*The 3 days would consist of collaboration with OSE, independent research, design & prototyping, and eventually building of the first cabin
*GVCS development could be targeted on demand, when certain tools or materials are required or would heavily benefit from Open Source solutions. That being said, I estimate most of these to require very serious development time, so it's unlikely that we'd develop & build a full sawmill during the 6 months
*Vacation flexible: reasonable amounts can be worked out, during which neither work occurs nor stipend is paid, so it's just "no-op" downtime

Tuition & Stipend
*Housing provided (FeF?), possibly soon in a Modern Cabin?
*As I have specific diet requirements, no food needs to be provided, I'll take care of it myself
*A stipend of $1,000/mo for food, gas & tool money
*The 2 days of work plus a bit of "grant" money from OSE should be able to finance the project

Hangar + RLF condition
*Due to the small size of the MCC, even the RLF should be enough as a workshop. I estimate 1-2 bays being used for modules.
*We could build the prototype cabin in the Hangar if space permits (builder crash courses will take up space?) and the weather calls for it. Otherwise, cabins might be constructed at the desired target location after modules are built in the RLF

Production infrastructure requirements
*Once a reasonable level of quality, process & price is established we can turn it into a v1 (production ready)
*With a polished production process, each RLF or Hangar bay should enable a team of 2 to build all MCC modules in a day
*Assembly would require a certain amount of height, not sure if the RLF is tall enough to accomodate a fully built-out 8ft tall cabin on floor modules?
*If not, could assemble in Hangar or outside, then load onto trailers via telehandler
*Alternatively, completed modules & materials could be shipped to the target site in a pickup or trailer and assembled on site

Materials budget
*OSE would provide workspace & materials for prototyping. I have many of my own tools, but OSE could provide some more specialized tools - then again, keeping it simple on tools is part of the idea to make it easy to reproduce.
*I estimate that we'd spend maybe 2-3x the cost of a single cabin (i.e. $5,000-$7,500) on prototyping various aspects of the MCC. E.g. we could test out different types of foundations, materials, insulation, electrical, etc. in materials for R&D&P

Service Project
*Once design & plan are established, build a Modern Cabin for someone. This could either be "the prototype" or an additional cabin.
*Could be a community project where they pay for materials and we donate labor, or, if materials are donated, possibly for someone in need

==Conclusion==

I'm quite excited about developing the Modern Cabin Concept. I think it solves the problem of privacy-focused yet affordable living quarters faced by rapidly growing communities like FeF or other intentional communities. The ability to be built rapidly on-demand even by very small crews allows for flexible expansion in such communities. Its off-grid design also enables SEH builders to quickly move onto an undeveloped piece of land, to hit the ground running. In addition, it would be a valuable teaching tool for smaller scope workshops, arriving apprentices, or participants with less experience.

==MJ Comments==

(Answers from [[User:Goto|Goto]] interspersed)

'''Gimme some data points on clear specification, and success metrics on both the design front and the enterprise model front'''

Success metrics on design: I'd say staying around the $2,000-3,000 range, depending on configuration, with big box materials (could be cheaper w/ open source materials of course). Ease of building, complete finish time "in a long weekend" so say 2-4 full-time days. All while maintaining similar standards in construction & interior quality to a SEH.

On the enterprise front: I don't know much about enterprise and haven't thought of it. I suppose on the "cheaper or better" basis we could say these cabins could be sold for the same price ($5k+) as commercial ones, but they'll be much sturdier & nicer. Coming up with & testing enterprise models could be part of the 6 month collaboration? E.g. maybe people love shipping finished modules & precut stuff to site, maybe they hate it & prefer onsite install by us. Maybe there's demand for both, depending.

'''Clarity on enterprise model so we can even assess whether the thing failed or succeeded? Is the enterprise one for onsulting for self-build, turnkey packaged kit, drop shipped kit + you go to the store yourself, finished build delivered on a trailer, completely finished kit with foundation? Or, an education kit - a 'cabin trainer' like the various training kits that go into the Rapid Learning Facility?'''

I think the "cabin trainer/RLF" part is viable independent of any commercial/enterprise success. The other parts, I'm not sure yet - like mentioned above, figuring out a business model could be part of the 6 months?

The options you mention are definitely all interesting:
* Build it yourself following open source instructions (maybe consulting/helpful calls for a couple hundred bucks?)
* Drop ship kit & assemble yourself
* Finished build delivered on trailer (with or without foundation/installation?)

'''Is the current cost of $2500 acceptable? Is the goal to include up-front capitalization, such as CEB, turnkey [[Norwood]] sawmill, or 3D printing which can reduce the costs drastically? For example, we can replace treated lumber with plastic lumber for the foundation.'''

I think that replacing big box materials with open source materials would be great, both in terms of independence but also potential cost savings. That said, the average person downloading the open source instructions could be anywhere and might not have access to that, even if we had our own sawmill at FeF.

Since comparably-sized but way lower quality/no finish cabins go for $5k+ easy, I think that $2,500 is still a great deal for what you're getting. If we can shave off cost even more by open sourcing materials, so much for the better. It'd be an advantage for producing such cabins for FeF housing, for the "cabin trainer/RLF" aspect, and if we sell & ship them to other places.

'''Value proposition: What product is this trying to do? On one side it is an example of the OSE style modular and efficient build. Is that all there is, or is there another core value that we are pursuing? Is the proposed value one of a killer interior design? What is the interior finish detail?'''

I think the other core value, besides the learning/training aspect, is solving cheap/temporary housing in group settings like intentional communities. I think there's currently no obvious answer and people do various things like containers, old RVs, dorm style housing.. I think a modern cabin would be a pretty good & easy solution for the problem.

Since the cabins would be pretty small, I don't know if you could impress with a "killer" interior design. I've mocked up a little floor plan in Sweethome 3D and it basically fits a bed, a small desk & chair, and a wardrobe or shelf. Not much more space. That said, I think it's like a "cozy little room" which is the intention.

The level of interior finish I would assume to be solid & decent but maybe not extravagant. It's a cabin after all. What I'm imagining right now is basically similar to the SEH minus some of the fancier/more intricate things. E.g. same metal siding, same type of doors/windows, same vinyl planks. Furniture could be included or not, not sure which is preferable. This could be a package you can add, or bring your own furniture since it'd be pretty basic, no kitchen islands or huge double vanities or anything of that nature.

Since it's a cabin, not sure if drywall + painting is the optimal interior option? Cabins are often finished with wood, tongue & grove etc. It certainly would fit the rustic style, but is it actually easier and cheaper? We could try to math it out or just build one of each and see.

'''Documentation Plan - can you do a FreeCAD Modern Cabin Design Workbench and Estimator? This would be relevant for upgrades, additions, and would be excellent teaching material.'''

Plan is definitely to create a FreeCAD model. Do you mean a specific workbench? I'm not very familiar with how workbenches are designed (yet) so not sure that makes sense, wouldn't it just be a "building" or maybe "OSE style building" workbench? Also, what do you mean by "estimator?" Selecting options & it estimates a price for you?

'''Compare kit cost for 2x6 vs 2x4. Is 2x4 worth it, if 2x6 could lead to a permanent structure? Is there any other way that you can think for scalability/expansion if 2x6 is not used? 2x6 also allows stacking with telehandler to 4 stories. That is compelling for the 10000 [[EPCOT]], ie, a turnkey civilization.'''

Valid point, the 2x4s would probably only save a couple hundreds bucks over 2x6s. I was going for price, but we might have way more options by spending $100 extra on 2x6s. This is all stuff we could think through, math out, or try during the 6 month program.

'''Specifications and Outcomes'''
**Clarity on cost for model chosen
**Clarity for build time if selling kits
**Clarity on automation model - is this just for manual build, or are getting serious about 3D printing, where right now we could 3d pring modules 4x4 foot in size? Is it worth investing in the 3D print infrastructure or is it about big box stores?

I think figuring all these out, thinking through trade-offs, and mathing out the exact cost would be part of the program. In short, much of it would be the discovery process of which version to build, and not just the engineering or design of that specific version.

E.g. maybe this is intended as an easy thing everybody with a cordless drill & access to a big box store could build. A decentralized, easy entry point into open source building. Or maybe we could design it in ways that make it much easier or cheaper with more complex open source methods like 3D printing. Maybe these are easy substitutions, and maybe big design differences. I don't even know, that'd be part of the discovery.

'''If low cost housing is key, what is role of CEB? Can this be where a kit is framed, and we use CEB infill for walls?'''

Similar to the above answer: we could figure it out. I have never even built anything with CEB, so in my mind it's all wooden framing like the SEH. But we could build one prototype with CEB infill and see how that works? I do love CEBs as an idea due to making your own, local material. Plus the building qualities (thermal mass & noise reduction) in the HabLab are impressive, so would love to try it out.

'''If low cost housing is key - do we want to consider sawmill and self-milled lumber at this time? OSE would gladly get an off-the-shelf automated sawmill ($25k) so we mill the necessary wood in a day. So: are we optimizing cost or ease of build? With off-the-shelf parts, there is not much to optimize on cost. It gets interesting from the cost perspective once we consider materials production'''

I think this would be great. Sounds like we could just substitute lower-cost lumber from our own source then, driving down the price. That said, I think that making it accessible with big box materials is still a good goal. If this allows us to drive down the price from e.g. $2,500 to $2,000 or $1,800, that's awesome, but we should still keep it affordable for people without access to such a sawmill.

'''What is the role of [[Quad Modules]] integration - is this about optimizing for integration of such modules so that the design/build is absolutely optimized?'''

Due to the small size of a cabin, I think it'd be a neat example of having exactly 1 quad module, and everything else be just a dumb module. You don't even need a utility wall like in the SEH, there would be at most a single faucet/drain, if that. In terms of electrical, might not even need any outlets if we power it just with a commercial off the shelf power station. Although a wired overhead (12v?) light and switch might be nice. We could explore all those.

'''What is the goal for 6 months? First prototype? 3 prototypes? Beta release ready for early adopter sales? Turnkey product for one-click buy on a website? How far into the productization are we going in 6 months?'''

A big goal is "discovery." There are lots of variations and options and methods. E.g. 2x4 vs. 2x6, how to the foundation, how to do the roof. How complex in terms of water & electrical? Optimized for easy of build/access at big box stores, or more specialized? I think this will lead us to figure out what the actual goals for such a cabin are, e.g. cheapest possible vs. more flexible/EPCOT building block vs. teaching tool vs. easy way for newbies to get into open source building on their own..

Once we decide on a good variant that makes sense for our goals, I'm imagining 1-3 prototypes. Honestly I think the pure build times won't be that long, but documenting and trying stuff out always takes way longer.

We could also do exploration into the enterprise aspect of it, if that is one of the goals. As I mentioned, I hadn't even thought of the enterprise part yet.

'''Who is signing up for the team?'''

Me ([[User:Goto|Goto]]) and I'll try and recruit at least one other FBCC alum, maybe two.

'''Is the OSE Cost here $1k/month stipend, plus materials?'''

Yes, $1k/mo stipend per team member plus materials.

Rapid Learning Facility

2026-01-08T00:33:41Z

Goto: /* Carpentry */

[[File:rlfconstruction.jpg|600px]]

=Tehnology and Humanities - and Methods for designing the RLF=

The rapid learning facility - RLF- is proposed as the core for rapid learning of productivity and humanity.

We can claim that there are two main areas of human endeavor: productivity (technology), and cultural advancement (integrated humans pursuing self-determination). While the initial RLF focuses on material abundance, it is not devoid of cultivating moral intelligence. It may be easiest to conceptualize an RLF for productivity, but if all of human endeavor including education, economics, politics, etc - are part of human-created technology - ie, the [[Technosphere]] - then it follows that we can treat the applied, hands-on, experiential learning of the humanities in an experimental, physical facility organized similarly to the RLF for physical artifacts.

The RLF would be thus most sensibly broken into physical manufacturing, and a rapid learning environment for the humanities and social studies and sciences. For human performance, a lab with various human diagnostics may be needed (EEG, brain-human interface, various sensors, x ray, etc). For Learning How To Learn, there may be a lab for AI development, various online resources, physical artifacts such as learning games. The distinction between learning environments for technology on one side and the humanities on the other would be blended: for example, learning productivity and tech could include physical exercises for hand-eye coordination or sensing of texture - such that experiential, sensory, intellectual, emotional, moral learning happens all at the same time. Anything less is specialization, which is for insects, not humans - especially those humans on a life journey to meet homo deus.

The immediate challenge is information overload - ie, the speed with which [[Neuroplasticity]] can occur. Part of our work would thus involve a study of how fast such learning can occur, and what factors affect this rate. Our initial guess is that an optimal blend of diet, exercise, sleep, mental hygiene, spiritual practice, moral intelligence learning, emotional intelligence learning, and intellectual intelligence learning will take a part, with nonlinear improvement occurring with added integration of these elements into the learning curriculum. That is - how is information overload or cognitive overload affected by other practices of being human - such that we optimize our life for learning, thriving, and evolving. This is a worthwhile question, and its pursuit must be a choice (agency) accessible to all classes and cultures within the human population.

Idea: break technology down '''First''' - Product-based - by areas of endeavor (for example construction may include 256 square feet of 17 trades learning with atomic experiments, and up to 2000 sf if solar concrete, steel, 3D printing/plastic recycling, lumber production, etc, are included. The facility would include $1M productivity increase per year (24 students trained and producing) - making materials, parts, and modules for the Seed Eco-Home. Direct connection to economic output is created. '''Second''' - by topic - such as go into all related technology in a focus group - such as solar steel that includes alloying, precision machining, boring, air bearings, steel recycling, solar energy as fuel, integration of wind turbine, WAAM, wire drawing, rolling, forging, etc. Or '''Third''' - micro or part level - where the entire section focuses on a small area such as bore: which means air bearing, pistons for engines, hydraulic pumps, compressors, high pressure pumps, vac pumps, electronics for timing and fuel injection, solenoids, injectors - etc - which means effectively an engine lab.

Principle: facility is used for both learning and production. Learning and physical goods are the products. Production appears to be overemphasized, but all we mean is that human needs must be met first, sustainably, and regeneratively - so that various global calamities such as resource conflicts, environmental destruction, or political corruption do not occur. The mental model is that individuals must act responsibly, as institutions can only help to make people behave responsibly, but are not a substitute for responsibility.

=Dev=
See [[RLF Development]]
=Knowledge Architecture=
Knowledge architecture can be described in various forms:
*Mindmaps
*Modular breakdowns - such as 50 and 500 items, but must be a complete, degenerate set
*Knowledge structures in various fields - what are the key components of knowledge in each specific field. In each field, different topics or components will have higher importance.
*Zachman Ontology maps - for execution in each field
*[[RLF]] designs in each field - physical and knowledge infrastructures for learning a topic fast
*Integrated enterprise designs - highly integrated enterprises are and possible to implement, until they become possible
*Integrated production facility designs -infrastructures required for the production side of integrated enterprises
*Metamaps of all knowledge and knowhow

=Exploration of RLF Learning Areas=
*Tractor + RTK GPS Drones
*3DP - roofless roof closures, rubber, plastic lumber, trim, landscaping block and geogrid
*Solar concrete - pottery kiln for 1 yard of cement batch. Trailer, PV, mobile windmill, mobile cement plant.
*Piston lab
**Independent cylinders, universal hydraulic drive
**Hydrogen freepiston engine
**Common rail + injectors
*Universal Rotor - reinventing the wheel
**3D printed wheel rubber + tracks
**car and heavy machine wheels + drive
**Recyclable tires
**Pivots
**360 deg turnstiles
*Space frame
**Roofless roof
**Telescoping
**Towers
**Buildings
**Scissor lifts
*Power cube
**16 hp units
**Solar electric with Power Wall co-function
*Solar Hydrogen
**Electrolyzer
**Compressorless 35 bar
**Phase 1 has compression. Works with hydrogen engine
*House
**Power tool training
**Modules building. Feeds on Solar Concrete
*OSES
**Open Source Everything Store for Lifetime Design

Industrial version of RLF adds:
*Foundry
*Hot metal
*Industrial robot
*Precision machining outside of air bearings
*Combine:
**Wheat
**Fuel pellets
**Charcoal pellets
**Feed and Fertilizer - waste products, dehydrated offal
==Renewable Energy Lab==
*Space Frames from space frame bay - towers for windmill.
*Space frame VAWT blades hung on space frame disc, also space frame HAWT blades
*Compressed air at 2 ksi and 7 ksi
*Pelletizer
*Pallet charcoal maker
*Solar Hydrogen generator
*[[Atmospheric Water Generator]] - both powered and [[Google AWG]]
*Hydraulic engine from engine lab to burn hydrogen and charcoal
*Pallets to diesel converter
*Solar Cube with inverter - using your cordless bats for off-grid power, 1 kWhr

==Modular Cell Phone==
*Used as command and control for automation and vehicles, feed for AR glasses, machine control, etc. Multispectrum, multiprotocol
*Delivers aborted promise of [[Phonebloks]]

=Solar Steel=
*Solar steel batch

=Gas Lab=
*Make hydrogen, oxygen, argon shielding gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide
*And store up to 10 ksi

=3DP=
*Shred
*Filament
*Rubber, tracks, belts, o-rings
*Glazing
*Space frame connectors
*Conduit, plumbing, plastic lumber, trim, siding, various mounting hardware.

=Carpentry=

Tools:
* Impact driver
* Drill
* Circular saw
* Chop/miter saw
* Framing nailer
* Finishing nailer
* Stapler

Materials:
* 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x12
* OSB, 1/2" and 3/4"
* House wrap
* Metal siding
* Fiberglass insulation
* Drywall

Fasteners:
* T25 zinc & deck screws
* T40 structural screws
* Hex sheet metal screws (for metal siding)
* Drywall screws
* Framing nails
* Finishing nails
* Staples

Techniques:
* Remove dangerous nails
* Remove screws sunk beyond threads
* When to use impact drivers vs. drills
* How to set torque limit on drill
* Tape measure use
* Cutting lumber
* Ripping OSB
* Square module frame off of OSB
* Align lumber via screwing into helper block
* Straighten lumber bow/crown via helper block
* Straighten twist in lumber via crow bar
* Suck together lumber via screws
* Strongbacks (for trusses)
* Headers (for windows/doors)
* Cripple studs
* Add blocking to provide bite for screws (e.g. to attach veranda walls through OSB)
* Add blocking to prevent sagging (in floor)
* Scabbing

=Welding=
*All metal tools up to ironworker, welder, oxy hydrogen torch and welder

=Solar Concrete=
*[[Roofless Roof]] structure made in [[Space Frames Bay]] and [[3D Printing Bay]].
*Solar concrete batch - 50 lb bag made in a pottery kiln, 5 hrs [https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cement].
*Micro-continuous - 6" pipe rotary kiln

==Space Frames==
*Disconnectable connector for large workshop structure
*Disconnectable linear connector for trailer
*Disconnectable connector for tractor frame
*Trailer
*Tractor frame
*Car frame
*Rotary kiln
*[[LWS]] with [[Roofless Roof]]
*Ramps for trailer
*Wheels

==Open Source Everything Store Lab==
*Scavenges all other bays, but primarily 3DP, microcontrollers, motors, batteries, and open design
*Machining center
*Product CAD
*Marketing
*On-damand manufacturing website dissemination - we produce, and set up others in enterprise with software and hardware on the OSE Linux stack.

==Drones==
*Multimedia
*RTK GPS
*Docking and charging on carriers
*Automated surveying
*CV
*AI
*Delivery vehicles
*Automated earthworking - foundation, site grading, trench, tree planting, ponds,
*Folow-me
*Swarming
*Drone networks for internet/comms
*Ham to 5.4 Ghz

==Tool and Die Lab==
*Tools, tool heads, gears, blades, bits, circular blades

==Microcontroller and Sensor Lab==
*Universal Prototyping Board for socketed design with lever terminals for production, lifetime design boards

=Transistor Lab=
*Transistoraler

==Fab Lab==
*[[Desktop Semiconductor Foundry]] for making microprocessors
*Logic design
*Tapeout - mask making
*VLSI tools to competitive marketable products, at least microcontroller or small computer

==Air Bearings Lab==
*R&D on non-oil engines, pumps, pistons bearings
==Power Electronics Lab==
*OS PNP with reusable components with reflux. Melt-and-shake gets the components back off for reuse. World's first ever reusable PNP components method
*Brain + power boards for welder, inverter, charger, charge controller, plasma cutter, ac controller, dV voltage controller, bldc driver, induction furnace, RF source, microwave gen, HVAC and other solid state transformers
*1-100kW water and air cooled designs. 1kW power elements.
*Universal rapid Prototyping power element with 3D printed board, sockets, lever nuts, heat sink, fan

=Engine and Piston Lab=
*Pistons for air, water, hydraulics, explosions from low pressure to 50ksi up to water jet pumps
*Hyd cyl
*Air engine
*Hydraulic motor - precision grind and heat treat
*Blocks
*Sleeves
*Injectors and solenoid valves from 5 to 50000 psi
*Sprayer pump
*Compressor - to 10000 psi

==Precision Machining and Automated Mfg Lab==
*Space frame machining center
*Belt drive
*Chain drive
*Rotary encoder
*Linear encoder
*3D print head
*Planetary gear - 3D printed
*Automated ZnAl mold caster

=3DP=

==WAAM Lab==
*Robotic welder

==Robot Arm Lab==

==Space Frames==
*Trailer
*Tractor frame
*Car frame
*Rotary kiln
*[[LWS]] with [[Roofless Roof]]

==PV Lab==
*16*16' space
*Sand refining to 6" ingots at a rate of one 5' ingot per 24 hr for 10kW of PV per day
*Wire saw
*Silicon dioxide to silicon
*Zone refining
*Dope for half the semiconductor
*10kW induction heater, runs on solar and wind from RE Bay

=Links=
*[[Hangar]]
*[[Rapid Learning Facility Proposal]]
*[[RLF Build Log]]

Rapid Learning Facility

2026-01-08T00:29:31Z

Goto: /* Carpentry and Welding */

Modern Cabin Concept

2026-01-07T23:50:36Z

Goto:

{|style="float:right;border:1px solid black"
| {{Infobox
|name = Infobox
|bodystyle =
|title = Modern Cabin Concept
|titlestyle =

|image = [[File:check.png|200px|alt=Example alt text]]
|imagestyle =
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|captionstyle =
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|labelstyle = background:#ddf;
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|header1 = Specifications
|label1 = dfd
|data1 = dfd
|header2 =
|label2 = Product Ecology
|data2 = What other GVCS tools does this use?
|header3 =
|label3 = License
|data3 = [[OSHWA]] and [[OSI]] compliant. CC-BY-SA-4.0 International, GPLv3, [[DIN SPEC 3105]].
|header4 =
|label4 = Module 1
|data4 = Describe features of Module 1
|header5 =
|label5 = Module 2
|data5 = Describe features of Module 2
|header6 =
|label6 = Key Specification
|data6 = Key spec data point
|header7 =
|label7 = Construction
|data7 = Describe basic construction technique and materials
|header8 =
|label8 = Productivity
|data8 = Describe how this relates to industrial productivity on a small scale
|header9 = Completion Status
|label9 =
|data9 =
|header10 =
|label10 =
|data10 = Describe whether built, prototyped, etc. Link to relevant [[Genealogy]] and [[Status of Completion]].

|belowstyle = background:#ddf;
|below = Do you want more of this? [[Get Involved]]
}}
|}

=Development=

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Development Template
!
! Description
! Link to Work Product
! %

|-
! scope=row |
| '''DESIGN''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 1
| [[Requirements + Value Proposition]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Requirements + Value Proposition]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 2
| [[Industry_Standards]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Industry Standards]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 3
| [[Conceptual Design]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Conceptual Design]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 4
| [[Module Breakdown]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Module Breakdown]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 5
| [[Design Guide]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Design Guide]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''TECHNICAL DESIGN''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 6
| [[3D CAD]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept 3D CAD]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 7
| [[Basic Calculations|Calculations]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Calculations]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 8
| [[Electronics Design]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Electronics Design]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 9
| [[Wiring and Plumbing]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Wiring and Plumbing]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 10
| [[Software]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Software]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''BILL OF MATERIALS || ||

|-
! scope=row | 11
| [[Proper BOM|BOM]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept BOM]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 12
| [[vBOM]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept vBOM]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 13
| [[CAM Files]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept CAM Files]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 14
| [[Cut List]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Cut List]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''BUILD''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 15
| [[Build Instructions]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Build Instructions]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 16
| [[Fabrication Drawings]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Fabrication Drawings]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 17
| [[Exploded Part Diagram]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Exploded Part Diagram]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 18
| [[Production Engineering]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Production Engineering]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''LIFECYCLE DESIGN''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 19
| [[Build Pictures and Video]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Build Pictures and Video]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 20
| [[Data Collection]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Data Collection]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 21
| [[Change Log + Future Work]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Change Log + Future Work]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 22
| [[Troubleshooting and Repair]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Troubleshooting and Repair]] || 0

|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Enterprise Template
!
! Description
! Link to Work Product
! %

|-
! scope=row |
| '''PRODUCT''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 0
| [[Benchmarking]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Benchmarking]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 1
| [[Unique Value Proposition]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Unique Value Proposition]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 2
| [[Product Strategy]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Product Strategy]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 3
| [[Cost Structure]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Cost Structure]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 4
| [[Business Plan]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Business Plan]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 5
| [[Open Source Franchise]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Open Source Franchise]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''PRODUCTION''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 6
| [[Operations Manual]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Operations Manual]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 7
| [[Data Collection]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Data Collection]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 8
| [[Training and Management]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Training and Management]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 9
| [[Facility Design]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Facility Design]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 10
| [[Supply Chain Development]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Supply Chain Development]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 11
| [[Production]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Production]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 12
| [[Quality Control]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Quality Control]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''MARKETING''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 13
| [[Product Assets]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Product Assets]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 14
| [[Marketing Strategy]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Marketing Strategy]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 15
| [[Marketing Plan]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Marketing Plan]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 16
| [[Product Webpage]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Product Webpage]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''SALES AND SUPPORT''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 17
| [[Sales Strategy|Sales and Distribution Strategy]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Sales Strategy]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 18
| [[Customer Support]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Customer Support]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 19
| [[Shipping]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Shipping]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 20
| [[Open Source Everything Store]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Open Source Everything Store]] || 0

|-
! scope=row |
| '''IMPROVEMENT''' || ||

|-
! scope=row | 21
| [[Marketing and Sales Data]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Marketing and Sales Data]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 22
| [[Customer Feedback]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Customer Feedback]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 23
| [[Continuing Improvement]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Continuing Improvement]] || 0

|-
! scope=row | 24
| [[Future Work]] || [[Modern Cabin Concept Enterprise Future Work]] || 0

|}

Modern Cabin Concept Industry Standards

2026-01-07T23:49:08Z

Goto: Created page with "Comparable cabin in size (10x12ft), commercially available for $5,100: https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/"

Comparable cabin in size (10x12ft), commercially available for $5,100: https://www.ezlogstructures.com/models/toronto/

2025-12-24T17:57:20Z

Goto:

Re. the critique: What is it that makes e.g. housing so expensive these days? I don't get the impression that houses have 10x the quality they used to have. If anything, the quality has gone down.

Best I can tell it's the lack of integration? So you need to hire & coordinate 30 specialists (framer, roofer, siding guy, plumber, electrician, ..) instead of just 1 crew. Back & forth increases exponentially.

--[[User:Goto]]

Re. The critique:

I added my thoughts for the most part in there too, i think the lack of [[Vertical Integration]] is definitely PART of the issue (Although proper Contractor - contracts, and a very skilled GC onsite at all times fix most of this, along with Clear Documentation etc)

Even in cases where that aspect IS MANAGED though (for instance Walmart, or Corporate Housing Developers etc) i think much of the “Savings” os transmuted into “Profit” for one or a few at the top, rather than for the workers and/or the buyer/consumer.

--[[User:Eric|Eric]] ([[User talk:Eric|talk]]) 17:00, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Talk:The Zero Marginal Cost Society

2025-12-24T16:13:21Z

Goto: Created page with "Re. the critique: What is it that makes e.g. housing so expensive these days? I don't get the impression that houses have 10x the quality they used to have. If anything, the quality has gone down. Best I can tell it's the lack of integration? So you need to hire & coordinate 30 specialists (framer, roofer, siding guy, plumber, electrician, ..) instead of just 1 crew. Back & forth increases exponentially."

Prototype FBA Rollout

2025-12-24T16:04:18Z

Goto: /* Definition of 24 Success */

Now we have audiences.

We develop the first FBA with intent of 10x replication upon proof if first FBA working.

=Housing Critical Path=
<html> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vS2qOBnwaj9t00Sr_sCV-KERRKxxd-C8r5y2Wkru_5KVAGhzg0QlNRiWbhRV8bmT-niAHLJIks325Dg/pubembed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="480" height="389" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe></html>

[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wKq1zQQQdWpbX8J59a1SlAYKN7fCt11UVQKnc-YhtEc/edit?slide=id.g3b041243be5_0_17#slide=id.g3b041243be5_0_17 edit]

=Definition of 24 Success=
*'Working' means a crew of 24 system integrators, and 6 homes built per year. It means one new product release the first year.
*Selective application process guarantees suitable candidates
*Stipend first 3 months.
*'''Advancement opportunity 3 month mark to Limited Partnership''' at Risk Share Level 1 - meaning 50/50 share and refocus around product delivery to make sure efficiency and productivity goals are met. This is an 'onboarding period' for rapid skill acquisition to Basic Proficiency at a minimum of $20/hr level as based on industry standards.
*Entry level living stipend is $600 per month - for basic living expense while housing and utilities are covered. Value of $1000 for about $16/hr equivalent based on [[Core 2/3 Schedule]].
*Clear route for 10x, including scaling of: (1) housing, (2) food, (3) waste, (4) energy, (5) experimental facility (new factor e floor built every year), and (6) prospects for territorial expansion.

=Infrastructure Rollout=
*'''Hangar''' - production infrastructure which is a build space for multiple homes. Open source penthouse suites on roof, telehandled into place based on the [[OSE 10x12 Cabin]. Budget: $50k for finishing PV, insulation, drywall.
*'''RLF''' - start populating with [[1000 Modules]]. Budget: $50k for tools, finishing, heat and cooling.
*'''Housing''' - about $5k a pop. $100k budget.

=Machine Infrastructure=
==3D Printed Plastic==
*'''Shredder''' - plastic recycling - $5k
*'''Filament Maker''' - plastic recycling - $10k
*'''3D Printer Cluster''' -
**4 8" beds - $2k
**4 12" beds - nema 17 - $3k
**4 18" or 24" printers - Can do Nema 17 on XY, and Nema 23 on Z for weight handling. 2 single, 2 Dual head and 4 4 head versions with 18 or 24" beds. $8k
*4 '''Belt Printer''' - $5k

*'''Open Source Skid Steer''' with remote control and RTK GPS - $15k.
*'''Open Source Truck Attachment for Skid Steer''' - a steering platform with HD drive motors on 4 wheels. $10k.

==Fab==
*'''CNC torch table''' - $10k - basic production, getting back to machine
*'''CNC Machining center''' - 3" lathe with ATC. 3' cnc HD slide, 3 dimensions in horizontal, verical. Mill head with ATC. Linux CNC + steppers. DRO in 3D with closed loop control. [[Granite Surface Plate]], $10-20k.
*'''Aluminum spool gun''' - aluminum MIG welding - for aluminum printer beds - $300

==Wood==
*'''Sawmill''' - $25k investment, pays for itself in 1 house build. [[Norwood]].
*'''Planer''' - for high quality wood boards. 20 fpm, 5 hp - $3k [https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-20-5-hp-planer/w1864?srsltid=AfmBOoqg6d97Gqrqlw5MpWb4DRloynPPM9fpiRvJD38sj0AT-6Bo2tcEAAo]

==Rock==
*'''CEB Press''' - $5k. Back into production for garages and homes at $2k savings per house, but much higher performance.
*'''Rock Crusher''' - recycling concrete, rock harvesting, etc. along with jack hammer. $5k.

==Fuel==
*Plastic pyrolysis - easy fuel. $10k

=Curriculum=
Cohort works the [[2/3]] schedule. Every year, we work on a new 3D printed product release every week, drawing from the list of [[Seed Eco-Home 3D Printing Substitutions]].

1 hour on [[LtL]], [[LtH]], and [[Civilization Design]] each week - with [[RLF]] infrastructure building, LtL exercises, LtH exercises, and collaborative R&D&C filling the rest of the time.

Such that the 3 days are:

#LtL (1-2 hr) focus on Collaborative Literacy and Thinking Big, R&D&C lab - 2-3 hours - 3d printed and other product development; R&D&C is half-time documenting, half time building. 1 hr - RLF practice. 1 hr - collaborative dev of RLF content
#LtH (1-2 hr) - soft skills of Purpose and Meaning, R&D&C lab - 2-3 hours - 3d printed and other products; 1 hour RLF practice. 1 hour collaborative RLF certifications.
#Civ Design - 2 hrs - Design Guides/Applied Physics/Numeracy/Enteprise/. 1 hr lecture, 1 hour collaboration: module [[CAD-BOM-Build]] focusing on AI-assistent FreeCAD design workbench creation, extraction of a full BOM from each design - and generating instructionals for designing. We go between AI CAD workbenches - RLF module creation - and real digital fabrication of the same with real automation. We work on this for all of the GVCS to create a true and powerful civilization reconstruction method of translating ideas to reality.

Weekends - Projects - Independent study and build projects day. - towards open source economic product releases. Some projects involve infrastructure building and [[ZMCS]] [[UBR]] infrastructure building on campus, with a 1 hour per week volunteering requirement in cleanup/facility maintenance/infrastructure building such as new housing units for participants.

These rely on [[CAD-BOM-Build]] method of swarming on [[Concurrent Engineering]] and rapid prototyping. We learn an R&D&C protocol for collaborative development. We develop according to an [[RLF Development Protocol]]. We design business models based on [[Zero Marginal Cost Economic Theory]].

We build a home for the needy every year.

Apprentices select personal projects, under compliance with Seed Eco-Home product ecologies.

Everyone learns [[Extreme Collaboration]] - capable of productization of some good over a weekend as a crew of 24-240 people. Along with the core apprentice team, we collaboratively develop training where paying customers get trained to participate in weekends of extreme design - with a highly valuable course being a part of the deliverables. This addresses the performance criterion of effective development - the onus is on us to provide excellent training to expand collaboration.

We collaborate on hosting future workshops, which may qualify for revenue share if initiative comes from Apprentices.

We revenue share all product 50/50 - everything that is developed collaboratively. Marketing occurs on the OSE website or other venues. Private projects are not allowed, as all projects involve OSE infrastructure and are considered for revenue share. Revenue share will be based on peer review of collaboration. We will track enterprises, and any non-equal shares (such as someone not participating at all)

=Incentives=
*First year is the [[FreeHouse Challenge]] - getting the cost down by the amount of tech we develop. Say we build CEB press - you get to use it for 24 hrs. That means we design it for continous duty in a 12 hour shift for 6000 block produced. We give a quota, and you are motivated to develop that tech to that spec.
*The more we open source - 1/5 or less of industry standard - the more access you have at the end.
*You are motivated further to stay - if you stay, you gain access to Universal Basic Resources developed in that time.
*A well-thought out Buy Out at the Bottom Contract for import-substituted value is the challenge here. We know you will benefit at a minimum of payback. But how far will it pay back depends on your level of effort. This needs careful thinking to be an effective incentive - based on what we can afford to give away.

Talk:OSE Campus

2025-12-18T18:27:34Z

Goto: Created page with "Does 30,000 refer to the number of campuses to eventually exist, or number of people living at FeF? Or should Dunbar's number live at FeF?"

Does 30,000 refer to the number of campuses to eventually exist, or number of people living at FeF? Or should Dunbar's number live at FeF?

Talk:HabLab Renovation

2025-12-18T17:37:41Z

Goto: Created page with "Tracking mud was an issue. Maybe a separate mud room with shelves to store boots or clean them in the front, either as an addition or inset."

Tracking mud was an issue. Maybe a separate mud room with shelves to store boots or clean them in the front, either as an addition or inset.

Talk:Norwood HD36 v2

2025-12-18T17:35:47Z

Goto: Created page with "What sort of logs can be fed into such a sawmill? Is there a certain type or quality standard? Does FeF have a vast amount of these, or would we have to purchase logs somewhere to get enough building material?"

What sort of logs can be fed into such a sawmill? Is there a certain type or quality standard? Does FeF have a vast amount of these, or would we have to purchase logs somewhere to get enough building material?

Seed Eco-Home 7 Conceptual Design

2025-12-07T04:30:08Z

Goto: Blanked the page

Seed Eco-Home 7 Change Log + Future Work

2025-12-07T04:29:51Z

Goto:

[[File:roofchangesh7.png|200px]]

Small design change on section 7 of the roof box. The little extension/projection at the end of this section used to be 2" long and it now needs to be 1.25" long. This applies only to section 7. Section 2, which is similar in design, remains the same.

== Integrated Feedback Changes ==

Changes integrated via feedback from building [[Seed Eco-Home 6]]:

* Raise ceiling height from 9ft to 10ft to accommodate roof slope in potential additions
* Floor is split into 6 instead of 3 modules for ease of building & handling
* Roof trusses are different (how?)
* Addition of 2 windows around the french door (why?)
* Instead of the window in the laundry room, there is now a door (why?)
* Second bathroom is pre-plumbed for a 2nd toilet to keep that option open. This was added after owners of SEH6 decided they would like a second toilet option.

Future Builders Crash Course - December 2025

2025-12-06T07:32:52Z

Goto: /* Links */

=Event=
https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/

=CAD=
*{{check}}'''Graphical Index - in a Google Slides Presentation''' - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AznUVbJIGaGtv35_geVtH33VDZ76EadzcmgwdcLNrDg/edit?slide=id.g3aac83ffa50_0_395#slide=id.g3aac83ffa50_0_395]

=Schedule=
*Daily schedule is 9 AM to 1:30 PM for the morning session.
*Lunch: 1:30-2:30 PM
*Afternoon build session from 2:30-5:30
*5:30-5:45 is wrap-up and cleanup
*Evening presentation starts at 6 PM and goes to 6:45 PM including question and answer session.
*Housekeeping discussion is at 6:45 PM, ending by 7 PM.

Daily Workflow:

*Day 1 - Morning Intro + House tour. Afternoon: Tool Basics and Tool Organization
*Day 2 - Walls build
*Day 3 - Roof Trusses build
*Day 4 - Roof Box + Floor modules Build
*Day 5 - Morning: Concrete Pour Preparation. Afternoon: Concrete pour
*Day 6 '''House Build!''' Floor Install for 3 sections. '''Section 3:''' Interior and Exterior Walls on Section 3. '''5 minutes'''.
**Section 1 is used to build roof section 3 in parallel including PV
*Day 7 - Section 1 Roof Build + PV - house closed in. Windows and siding.
*Day 8 - Plumbing, Water, Electrical including PV connection. Afternoon water connection + pump vault.
*Day 9 - Front and Back Porch. Interior: tub
*Day 10 - Drywall, Heat Pump, painting
*Day 11 - Cabinets, toilets, water heaters, finish exterior trim
*Day 12 - Thermal Battery v1.0, geothermal, flooring
*Day 13 - Biodigester v1.0

=Shared Pictures Folder=
Add your photos and see why you should add your photos and videos at [[Future Builders Crash Course Video Plan]]:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMx9bFAmzAFiJp4t5oABCPqGnszLMa3CM-FuVJshQ8jhRvXNX_i6oPautwze_ikRA?key=VVZJX0FJa0lyOUNJNG1lOFA4LWJISXoxdEN4MkRn

=Logistics Form=
[[Workshop Logistics]]

=Working Docs=
*Main Working Doc - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pU3rTASdlo29a1L1UEDSxi82MR6liiRgSbJmIKHHjGk/edit?slide=id.g3a178ce4770_0_2#slide=id.g3a178ce4770_0_2]
*Bug List

=Theory Sessions Requests=
Participants - please list subjects here so I can make sure I can cover them during the theory sessions in the workshop.
#How to design any shape or form of the house - Richard
#Cold Weather Issues for House: Hot VS cold roof, snow load rating, continuous vapor barriers and insulation for the wall modules. - Mark M

=Theory Session Recordings=
*Session 4 - Integrating Food Production into Homes Webinar - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZitTpcV1DrqbDetTqDkQjP2kEM2ZMApUg--jExmXQKk/edit?slide=id.g19964eebd0_0_183#slide=id.g19964eebd0_0_183]
*Session 3 - Seed Eco-Home Utilities Webinar - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10kUJK2AaIHbiOJSIZySHMA_QOeHi6op3kxTPdXwLvhY/edit?slide=id.g1a8494fb6a_0_45#slide=id.g1a8494fb6a_0_45]
*Session 2 - Collaborative Litaracy - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mnV2jjFlCCypMZv8v9DuJz0bQa6cAZ5vQzc_w0pKwyw/edit?slide=id.g1ee4a303d9_0_1169#slide=id.g1ee4a303d9_0_1169] - YouTube -
*Session 1 - Big Picture - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CsWySQAYnrDb-HBOKbC9vWxA0EB7WJb5NhwSr7FG2FE/edit] - YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxlk4BNToDk

=Video Plan=

See [[Future Builders Crash Course Video Plan]] for how we will document the build with time lapse, build details, and testimonials - and why you should contribute to this documentation.

=Food Plan=
*[[BCC Food Plan]]

=Prep Session Recordings=
Newest on top:
*6 - Utilities + FreeCAD 1 TechDraw - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcH5eFSUgtM&feature=youtu.be]
*5 - Roof Truss Design - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKxVGKOZD88]
*4 - Cheatsheet Generation - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKUPstboiWw]
*3 - Modular Breakdown Process - [https://youtube.com/watch?v=xZ5V7o-tDvc&feature=youtu.be]
*2 - Intro to FreeCAD and Collaborative Process - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRhvPWLIXqI&feature=youtu.be]
*1 - Intro to FreeCAD - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDDqscwl3ZA&feature=youtu.be]

=Email - Prep Sessions=
==Email 2==
Friends,
Here is the recording from yesterday's session on the Modular Breakdown process for collaboration in the December swarm build.
https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Future_Builders_Crash_Course_-_December_2025#Prep_Session_Recordings

Please review it - and join us tonight at 7 PM CST USA time as mentioned in the video for a practical session of modular breakdown - core preparation for the build. It will be recorded. If you miss it, review the recording.
16 people have stated in the Logistics form that they will bring their laptop. Great. We will have 12 desktops with monitors in the shop as well.

17 people stated they could bring a cordless drill. That's great. We have about 18 more here. We need a total of one per participant - or 50. To the cordless drill - please add cordless circular saw if you have one and can bring one. We have 6 cordless saws here and 5 corded. Bring a tape measure, hammer, and snap string line for marking - if you have one. Based on your responses - we'll get more of the above.

If you haven't filled out the Logistics form yet - please do so now so we can coordinate better. Or if you have - please respond and update me with the cordless saw, string line, tape, and hammer.

Thanks,
Marcin

==Email 1==
<html>
<div>Hello Friends,</div>
<div><br />Welcome to the <a href="https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0tenKRx9DF5vsD8kRtXfZf">Future Builders Crash Course for December 1-14</a>, 2025. Here are some prep notes.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We have massive turnout for the Future Builders Crash Course due to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPTpHWzjMN3/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/p/DPTpHWzjMN3/&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0xg5NJ1WMBpAd1CTRNRn6k">video that went viral</a>. We currently have about 40 people registered for the course. This means that we will have more fun - as the entire swarm build will be easier and faster. This will perhaps be the most exciting build since 2016, when we built the first Seed Eco-Home with 48 people.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>To get the most out of it - here are prep steps:</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>1. Join preparatory video calls </strong></div>
<div><strong>2. Download and study the master CAD file</strong></div>
<div><strong> </strong></div>
<div><strong>We will hold the first one tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 6 - 7 PM CST USA time.</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you are a direct or remote participant - join us and learn about the house, the CAD file, the FreeCAD, the subsystems. It's all optional. You'll get more out of the build if you join. We will record and publish each session if you cannot make it. Same link as above for all meetings. Meetings will run 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for discussion and Q&A. You can ask various questions outside of the actual build procedures.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Rough schedule for the video calls is:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>1. Thursday, November 6, 7 PM CST USA time (same link for all meetings). Downloading FreeCAD, CAD file, and viewing the file. Generating build instructions in Google Slides.</div>
<div>2. Friday, November 7, 7 PM CST USA time. Build Breakdown: 3 main house sections, how to organize the swarm build process.</div>
<div>3. Thursday, November 13, 7 PM CST USA time. Materials used. Going through the CAD file to extract materials information. Overview of tools and techniques. The philosophy of how to build: measure, mark, cut. </div>
<div>4. Friday, November 14, 7 PM CST USA time. Wall modules, roof, and exterior finish procedures..</div>
<div>5. Thursday, November 20, 7 PM CST USA time. Build order. Upgrading and manipulating the CAD file for extraction of build procedures. Team formation for swarm build: modular build teams.</div>
<div>6. Friday, November 21, 7 PM CST USA time. Plumbing and electrical build.</div>
<div>7. Wednesday, November 26, 7 PM CST USA time. Heat pump, water heaters, induction cooktop, vents and penetrations. </div>
<div>8. Friday, November 28 (Thurday the 27th is Thanksgiving), 7 PM CST USA time. Subsystems: PV, electrical, biodigester, thermal battery.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p>The above are for all registrants where we get into the nitty-gritty of viewing the master CAD file. We will teach you how to view and analyze the design fully. All the details are in the CAD. During the workshop, we plan on setting up 6 computer terminals with the file - for the different teams to view. In conjunction with other documentation - you can see all the build details transparently. It's all in the CAD file. This requires a basic level of computer literacy, and can be learned in a few hours.</p>
<p>To get inolved in this part - do steps 1-3 below if you want to review the whole design in CAD. Do 4-7 if you would like to contribute to documentation. Documentation is never done. We work on it constantly to make the build easier.</p>
<ol>
<li>Download <a title="FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3Q2GkLYjv1IPa_n-6eJBsG">FreeCAD</a>. FreeCAD 1 is the version you want.</li>
<li>Download the master file for the home - SEH6 - Assembly.fcstd is the file you want from <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ0AV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ0AV&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw1TXssatUe_DYXogxT_3hcS">https://drive.google.com/<wbr />drive/folders/<wbr />1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ<wbr />0AV</a></li>
<li>Practice <a title="Hiding and Unhiding Parts in FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Hiding_and_Unhiding_Parts_in_FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Hiding_and_Unhiding_Parts_in_FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2gZZ8M-Jpw5KjNJqIJQu7v">Hiding and Unhiding Parts in FreeCAD</a>.</li>
<li>Practice generating <a title="Technical Drawings from FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Technical_Drawings_from_FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Technical_Drawings_from_FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2KuwUemveYKkQ7ysi-qiqG">Technical Drawings from FreeCAD</a> - if you dare! We will cover this in the prep session.</li>
<li>Get familiar with <a title="Google Slides" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Google_Slides" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Google_Slides&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3PIsudZRO6Mt1ejXyiQ53K">Google Slides</a> - such as writing and formatting text, inserting pictures, using various drawing tools within Google Slides, adding hyperlinks, embedding YouTube videos, etc.</li>
<li>Start a <a title="Work Log" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Work_Log" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Work_Log&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0A3QKQI11ngvmX9XvKialF">Work Log</a> if you would like to contribute to upgradeable documentation, so that you can share your work with others. Embed a <a title="Time Log" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Time_Log" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Time_Log&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3WTRnsYG3LxKBfNJr7ByyG">Time Log</a> if you would like to count in the overall development of open source civilization. We will produce screenshots from FreeCAD for build instructions. The entire build process can be extracted from the master file!</li>
<li>Learn to upload files to the OSE wiki. See <a title="Wiki Instructions" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wiki_Instructions" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wiki_Instructions&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2Vns9FB9Bj_Mk6EMuxl--C">Wiki Instructions</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you do one thing to prepare - download FreeCAD for your computer, and study it. It is the full house. We plan to build EVERYTHING that you see in that file. So the more you know about the design, the more you will get out of the workshop. I suggest you open the file, click view/hide for each part in the part tree - and you can examine every single detail at the module level. The file has about 400 parts. These are in about 50 sub-folders. These are in 8 folders. Start by hiding and un-hiding the 8 main folders. Then hide all the folders, and view one at a time. Such as Kitchen. Unfold that folder - and go through the same exercise hiding and unhiding all of its subfolders.<br /><br />You can do this ad infinitum. We suggest you spend hours doing this. At the workshop, we will ask you first - how many hours did you spend on this exercise? This is actually data for us. Do people care? Do people review the materials beforehand? If not, what are the blocks?<br /><br />On logistics -  </div>
<div>1. Please confirm with me how many people are in your group if more than one so I can verify my count. </div>
<div>2. And summarize which specific parts of the build are most interesting to you. If you have build experience - let us know what your experience is and let us know what you are proficient at - and what you would like to learn more about. We are planning the event to allocate build roles as effectively as possible, so that we get the most out of the workshop and guarantee the highest level of completion possible.</div>
<div>3. If a person who should be receiving this email did not receive it - send me their email so I can add them.<br /><br />Thanks, and see you tomorrow,</div>
<div><br />Marcin</div></html>

=Audience Feedback and Testimonials=
*Tim Dooley - My name is Tim Dooley, I'm signed up for the December crash course. I'm responding to your logistics inquiries from your previous email. I have my own compliment of hand tools, drill and driver, and cordless saw.

I'm a carpenter and spent about 5 years working for a remodeling company in Minneapolis. I'm familiar with the fundamentals of carpentry and framing, but no experience with plumbing, electrical, HVAC, ect. The aspects of the build I'm interested in are first, the design. I'd like to become proficient in using the freeCAD software with the intention of using it in my own work. Additionally, I'm interested in expanding my understanding of the various other trades required for home building. Overall, I'm eager to learn this system of home building, see it implemented, and hopefully I can take what I learn here and integrate it in my own work.

In my experience working in the trades, I've been pretty disappointed in how little I've learned about the home building process beyond the tasks of a carpenter. Each aspect of a build is so compartmentalized, it's hard to gain an understanding of how the whole system works together. Additionally, one of the draws for working in the trades was the value that building and fixing homes can bring to individuals and families, and by extension, communities and society at large. But in my albeit limited experience, the only people that could afford the kind of work the companies I've worked for offered were people that already owned homes. They just wanted nicer ones. There was never any prospect that the work I was would to provide value for people who didn't already have access to sufficient housing to begin with. In a relatively small way, I felt that my work was only broadening the socioeconomic gap that's preventing any real upward mobility for lower and middle class Americans. I left the company I was working for a while back feeling pretty disenchanted, and with a strong belief that in order to alleviate the issue of affordable housing, new systems will have to be developed, parallel to the existing ones, and outside the prevailing industry paradigms. I think the vision of your organization and the goals of this course align with my own ambitions, and I'm excited to learn as much as I can and see what happens next.

=Links=
*{{check}}[[Seed Eco-Home Future Builder Crash Course]]
*Registration - [https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/#registration]
*Apprenticeship - [https://learn.opensourceecology.org/]
*[[Future Builders Academy]]
*[[September 2025 Future Builders Crash Course]]

Future Builders Crash Course - December 2025

2025-12-06T07:31:48Z

Goto:

=Event=
https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/

=CAD=
*{{check}}'''Graphical Index - in a Google Slides Presentation''' - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AznUVbJIGaGtv35_geVtH33VDZ76EadzcmgwdcLNrDg/edit?slide=id.g3aac83ffa50_0_395#slide=id.g3aac83ffa50_0_395]

=Schedule=
*Daily schedule is 9 AM to 1:30 PM for the morning session.
*Lunch: 1:30-2:30 PM
*Afternoon build session from 2:30-5:30
*5:30-5:45 is wrap-up and cleanup
*Evening presentation starts at 6 PM and goes to 6:45 PM including question and answer session.
*Housekeeping discussion is at 6:45 PM, ending by 7 PM.

Daily Workflow:

*Day 1 - Morning Intro + House tour. Afternoon: Tool Basics and Tool Organization
*Day 2 - Walls build
*Day 3 - Roof Trusses build
*Day 4 - Roof Box + Floor modules Build
*Day 5 - Morning: Concrete Pour Preparation. Afternoon: Concrete pour
*Day 6 '''House Build!''' Floor Install for 3 sections. '''Section 3:''' Interior and Exterior Walls on Section 3. '''5 minutes'''.
**Section 1 is used to build roof section 3 in parallel including PV
*Day 7 - Section 1 Roof Build + PV - house closed in. Windows and siding.
*Day 8 - Plumbing, Water, Electrical including PV connection. Afternoon water connection + pump vault.
*Day 9 - Front and Back Porch. Interior: tub
*Day 10 - Drywall, Heat Pump, painting
*Day 11 - Cabinets, toilets, water heaters, finish exterior trim
*Day 12 - Thermal Battery v1.0, geothermal, flooring
*Day 13 - Biodigester v1.0

=Shared Pictures Folder=
Add your photos and see why you should add your photos and videos at [[Future Builders Crash Course Video Plan]]:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMx9bFAmzAFiJp4t5oABCPqGnszLMa3CM-FuVJshQ8jhRvXNX_i6oPautwze_ikRA?key=VVZJX0FJa0lyOUNJNG1lOFA4LWJISXoxdEN4MkRn

=Logistics Form=
[[Workshop Logistics]]

=Working Docs=
*Main Working Doc - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pU3rTASdlo29a1L1UEDSxi82MR6liiRgSbJmIKHHjGk/edit?slide=id.g3a178ce4770_0_2#slide=id.g3a178ce4770_0_2]
*Bug List

=Theory Sessions Requests=
Participants - please list subjects here so I can make sure I can cover them during the theory sessions in the workshop.
#How to design any shape or form of the house - Richard
#Cold Weather Issues for House: Hot VS cold roof, snow load rating, continuous vapor barriers and insulation for the wall modules. - Mark M

=Theory Session Recordings=
*Session 4 - Integrating Food Production into Homes Webinar - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZitTpcV1DrqbDetTqDkQjP2kEM2ZMApUg--jExmXQKk/edit?slide=id.g19964eebd0_0_183#slide=id.g19964eebd0_0_183]
*Session 3 - Seed Eco-Home Utilities Webinar - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10kUJK2AaIHbiOJSIZySHMA_QOeHi6op3kxTPdXwLvhY/edit?slide=id.g1a8494fb6a_0_45#slide=id.g1a8494fb6a_0_45]
*Session 2 - Collaborative Litaracy - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mnV2jjFlCCypMZv8v9DuJz0bQa6cAZ5vQzc_w0pKwyw/edit?slide=id.g1ee4a303d9_0_1169#slide=id.g1ee4a303d9_0_1169] - YouTube -
*Session 1 - Big Picture - presentation - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CsWySQAYnrDb-HBOKbC9vWxA0EB7WJb5NhwSr7FG2FE/edit] - YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxlk4BNToDk

=Video Plan=

See [[Future Builders Crash Course Video Plan]] for how we will document the build with time lapse, build details, and testimonials - and why you should contribute to this documentation.

=Food Plan=
*[[BCC Food Plan]]

=Prep Session Recordings=
Newest on top:
*6 - Utilities + FreeCAD 1 TechDraw - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcH5eFSUgtM&feature=youtu.be]
*5 - Roof Truss Design - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKxVGKOZD88]
*4 - Cheatsheet Generation - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKUPstboiWw]
*3 - Modular Breakdown Process - [https://youtube.com/watch?v=xZ5V7o-tDvc&feature=youtu.be]
*2 - Intro to FreeCAD and Collaborative Process - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRhvPWLIXqI&feature=youtu.be]
*1 - Intro to FreeCAD - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDDqscwl3ZA&feature=youtu.be]

=Email - Prep Sessions=
==Email 2==
Friends,
Here is the recording from yesterday's session on the Modular Breakdown process for collaboration in the December swarm build.
https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Future_Builders_Crash_Course_-_December_2025#Prep_Session_Recordings

Please review it - and join us tonight at 7 PM CST USA time as mentioned in the video for a practical session of modular breakdown - core preparation for the build. It will be recorded. If you miss it, review the recording.
16 people have stated in the Logistics form that they will bring their laptop. Great. We will have 12 desktops with monitors in the shop as well.

17 people stated they could bring a cordless drill. That's great. We have about 18 more here. We need a total of one per participant - or 50. To the cordless drill - please add cordless circular saw if you have one and can bring one. We have 6 cordless saws here and 5 corded. Bring a tape measure, hammer, and snap string line for marking - if you have one. Based on your responses - we'll get more of the above.

If you haven't filled out the Logistics form yet - please do so now so we can coordinate better. Or if you have - please respond and update me with the cordless saw, string line, tape, and hammer.

Thanks,
Marcin

==Email 1==
<html>
<div>Hello Friends,</div>
<div><br />Welcome to the <a href="https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0tenKRx9DF5vsD8kRtXfZf">Future Builders Crash Course for December 1-14</a>, 2025. Here are some prep notes.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We have massive turnout for the Future Builders Crash Course due to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPTpHWzjMN3/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/p/DPTpHWzjMN3/&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0xg5NJ1WMBpAd1CTRNRn6k">video that went viral</a>. We currently have about 40 people registered for the course. This means that we will have more fun - as the entire swarm build will be easier and faster. This will perhaps be the most exciting build since 2016, when we built the first Seed Eco-Home with 48 people.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>To get the most out of it - here are prep steps:</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>1. Join preparatory video calls </strong></div>
<div><strong>2. Download and study the master CAD file</strong></div>
<div><strong> </strong></div>
<div><strong>We will hold the first one tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 6 - 7 PM CST USA time.</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you are a direct or remote participant - join us and learn about the house, the CAD file, the FreeCAD, the subsystems. It's all optional. You'll get more out of the build if you join. We will record and publish each session if you cannot make it. Same link as above for all meetings. Meetings will run 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for discussion and Q&A. You can ask various questions outside of the actual build procedures.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Rough schedule for the video calls is:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>1. Thursday, November 6, 7 PM CST USA time (same link for all meetings). Downloading FreeCAD, CAD file, and viewing the file. Generating build instructions in Google Slides.</div>
<div>2. Friday, November 7, 7 PM CST USA time. Build Breakdown: 3 main house sections, how to organize the swarm build process.</div>
<div>3. Thursday, November 13, 7 PM CST USA time. Materials used. Going through the CAD file to extract materials information. Overview of tools and techniques. The philosophy of how to build: measure, mark, cut. </div>
<div>4. Friday, November 14, 7 PM CST USA time. Wall modules, roof, and exterior finish procedures..</div>
<div>5. Thursday, November 20, 7 PM CST USA time. Build order. Upgrading and manipulating the CAD file for extraction of build procedures. Team formation for swarm build: modular build teams.</div>
<div>6. Friday, November 21, 7 PM CST USA time. Plumbing and electrical build.</div>
<div>7. Wednesday, November 26, 7 PM CST USA time. Heat pump, water heaters, induction cooktop, vents and penetrations. </div>
<div>8. Friday, November 28 (Thurday the 27th is Thanksgiving), 7 PM CST USA time. Subsystems: PV, electrical, biodigester, thermal battery.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p>The above are for all registrants where we get into the nitty-gritty of viewing the master CAD file. We will teach you how to view and analyze the design fully. All the details are in the CAD. During the workshop, we plan on setting up 6 computer terminals with the file - for the different teams to view. In conjunction with other documentation - you can see all the build details transparently. It's all in the CAD file. This requires a basic level of computer literacy, and can be learned in a few hours.</p>
<p>To get inolved in this part - do steps 1-3 below if you want to review the whole design in CAD. Do 4-7 if you would like to contribute to documentation. Documentation is never done. We work on it constantly to make the build easier.</p>
<ol>
<li>Download <a title="FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3Q2GkLYjv1IPa_n-6eJBsG">FreeCAD</a>. FreeCAD 1 is the version you want.</li>
<li>Download the master file for the home - SEH6 - Assembly.fcstd is the file you want from <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ0AV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ0AV&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw1TXssatUe_DYXogxT_3hcS">https://drive.google.com/<wbr />drive/folders/<wbr />1ZVXjMMDMpyf0OuwnUzpeGdPN9QGeJ<wbr />0AV</a></li>
<li>Practice <a title="Hiding and Unhiding Parts in FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Hiding_and_Unhiding_Parts_in_FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Hiding_and_Unhiding_Parts_in_FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2gZZ8M-Jpw5KjNJqIJQu7v">Hiding and Unhiding Parts in FreeCAD</a>.</li>
<li>Practice generating <a title="Technical Drawings from FreeCAD" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Technical_Drawings_from_FreeCAD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Technical_Drawings_from_FreeCAD&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2KuwUemveYKkQ7ysi-qiqG">Technical Drawings from FreeCAD</a> - if you dare! We will cover this in the prep session.</li>
<li>Get familiar with <a title="Google Slides" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Google_Slides" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Google_Slides&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3PIsudZRO6Mt1ejXyiQ53K">Google Slides</a> - such as writing and formatting text, inserting pictures, using various drawing tools within Google Slides, adding hyperlinks, embedding YouTube videos, etc.</li>
<li>Start a <a title="Work Log" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Work_Log" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Work_Log&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw0A3QKQI11ngvmX9XvKialF">Work Log</a> if you would like to contribute to upgradeable documentation, so that you can share your work with others. Embed a <a title="Time Log" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Time_Log" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Time_Log&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw3WTRnsYG3LxKBfNJr7ByyG">Time Log</a> if you would like to count in the overall development of open source civilization. We will produce screenshots from FreeCAD for build instructions. The entire build process can be extracted from the master file!</li>
<li>Learn to upload files to the OSE wiki. See <a title="Wiki Instructions" href="https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wiki_Instructions" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wiki_Instructions&source=gmail&ust=1762562993448000&usg=AOvVaw2Vns9FB9Bj_Mk6EMuxl--C">Wiki Instructions</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you do one thing to prepare - download FreeCAD for your computer, and study it. It is the full house. We plan to build EVERYTHING that you see in that file. So the more you know about the design, the more you will get out of the workshop. I suggest you open the file, click view/hide for each part in the part tree - and you can examine every single detail at the module level. The file has about 400 parts. These are in about 50 sub-folders. These are in 8 folders. Start by hiding and un-hiding the 8 main folders. Then hide all the folders, and view one at a time. Such as Kitchen. Unfold that folder - and go through the same exercise hiding and unhiding all of its subfolders.<br /><br />You can do this ad infinitum. We suggest you spend hours doing this. At the workshop, we will ask you first - how many hours did you spend on this exercise? This is actually data for us. Do people care? Do people review the materials beforehand? If not, what are the blocks?<br /><br />On logistics -  </div>
<div>1. Please confirm with me how many people are in your group if more than one so I can verify my count. </div>
<div>2. And summarize which specific parts of the build are most interesting to you. If you have build experience - let us know what your experience is and let us know what you are proficient at - and what you would like to learn more about. We are planning the event to allocate build roles as effectively as possible, so that we get the most out of the workshop and guarantee the highest level of completion possible.</div>
<div>3. If a person who should be receiving this email did not receive it - send me their email so I can add them.<br /><br />Thanks, and see you tomorrow,</div>
<div><br />Marcin</div></html>

=Audience Feedback and Testimonials=
*Tim Dooley - My name is Tim Dooley, I'm signed up for the December crash course. I'm responding to your logistics inquiries from your previous email. I have my own compliment of hand tools, drill and driver, and cordless saw.

I'm a carpenter and spent about 5 years working for a remodeling company in Minneapolis. I'm familiar with the fundamentals of carpentry and framing, but no experience with plumbing, electrical, HVAC, ect. The aspects of the build I'm interested in are first, the design. I'd like to become proficient in using the freeCAD software with the intention of using it in my own work. Additionally, I'm interested in expanding my understanding of the various other trades required for home building. Overall, I'm eager to learn this system of home building, see it implemented, and hopefully I can take what I learn here and integrate it in my own work.

In my experience working in the trades, I've been pretty disappointed in how little I've learned about the home building process beyond the tasks of a carpenter. Each aspect of a build is so compartmentalized, it's hard to gain an understanding of how the whole system works together. Additionally, one of the draws for working in the trades was the value that building and fixing homes can bring to individuals and families, and by extension, communities and society at large. But in my albeit limited experience, the only people that could afford the kind of work the companies I've worked for offered were people that already owned homes. They just wanted nicer ones. There was never any prospect that the work I was would to provide value for people who didn't already have access to sufficient housing to begin with. In a relatively small way, I felt that my work was only broadening the socioeconomic gap that's preventing any real upward mobility for lower and middle class Americans. I left the company I was working for a while back feeling pretty disenchanted, and with a strong belief that in order to alleviate the issue of affordable housing, new systems will have to be developed, parallel to the existing ones, and outside the prevailing industry paradigms. I think the vision of your organization and the goals of this course align with my own ambitions, and I'm excited to learn as much as I can and see what happens next.

=Links=
*{{check}}[[Seed Eco-Home Future Builder Crash Course]]
*registration - [https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/#registration]
*Appernticeship - [https://learn.opensourceecology.org/]
*[[Future Builders Academy]]
*[[September 2025 Future Builders Crash Course]]

Seed Eco-Home Future Builder Crash Course

2025-12-05T07:07:31Z

Goto: /* History */

=More Info=
See info here - https://learn.opensourceecology.org/

=Work Doc=
<html> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vS0tlYjQgYeHxGXAxhit0yQhQ12LkhDT_scwCLtOTn4y8_xWe_upDwjGK1WUEqSlPdwoW7iD1UP7R0d/pubembed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="480" height="389" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </html>

[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10tPwEa_B8MqIVGYKhP3-JYvfBJcMC06Ec3X4arX7Cu0/edit?slide=id.g2d1808d871e_0_6#slide=id.g2d1808d871e_0_6 edit]

=Organization Doc=

<html> <<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRGoGLWqSZ6ArsOUt2OTh4EfRCxMMb8MUt0k0vdFVJAhhvq_1PyVrRsCHwCKgUuK34iKxHUyK-6cohJ/pubembed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="480" height="389" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </html>

[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jEyFjgtpB1Z2GpmaXS2Gy82uWKLau-wBhd8NHiYuSGI/edit?slide=id.g2d1808d871e_0_6#slide=id.g2d1808d871e_0_6 edit]

=Curriculum=
*Day 1, 4 hours - [[Modular House Design 101]]

=5 Step Owner-Builder Process=
*'''Study'''. Condensed set of 20 trades - [[Seed Eco-Home Builder Crash Course Documentation]].
*'''Rapid Learning Facility''' - Access to the [[Rapid Learning Facility]] for the ~100 required build modules. Includes scale models, realtime printing, and real-size builds, jigs, swarm tasks.
*'''Practice''' - Once you have all the technique, visit a real 5 day build on one of several build sites. Participate for 5 days in real builds in your local area.
*'''Get Materials'''You purchase all the materials and tools from our exhaustive Distributed Bill of Materials.
*'''[[BYOL]] and Build!''' We send you a professionally designed Building Department Package for your local building department, including site plan and all necessary materials.
Build!

=[[Rapid Learning Facility]] Modules=

*'''Design Review''' - ability to take full CAD model and view it, extract dimensions, and generate cross sections for build details.
*'''Tool Use''' - Techniques for cordless drills, sliding saw, high amp circular saw, angle grinder, laser level, speed square, 4' bubble level, screwing things together, cutting housewrap. Cordless drill chuck replacement, sawblade replacement on circular and sliding saw, polisher use, sander, brad nailer operation, hammer stapler operation, masonry blade on a circular saw. Concrete grinder diamond wheel use. Grinder use. Multitool use.
*'''Foundation''' - grading using a bobcat, and backhoe for footer. Laser level and triangulation for corners. Ins and outs of form making, form assembly, rebar, rebar support, vapor barrier, and shallow insulated footer. Installing insulation, mudsill anchors, and accommodating rough-in plumbing.
*'''Painting'''- walnut and brown stain, white pain, exterior gloss for trim, and interior panels. Techniques for the correct coverage and workflow using an airless sprayer. Airless sprayer maintenance, operation, and teardown. Brushes and foam brush touchup. Paint mixtures with mineral spirits, diesel, and water. Paint formula for finish floor. Concrete sealer, densifier, self-leveling concrete floor options.
*'''Plumbing''' - understanding the design and building rough plumbing, and pressure testing for 5 psi for 15 minutes.
*'''Concrete Pour''' - ordering concrete, calculating concrete volume. Screeing, magnesium float, hand troweling, power troweling, watering, and protecting. Form removal. Form design.
*'''Concrete Polishing''' - using polishing buffers, going from 50-3000 grit for a shiny floor, including concrete densifier.
*'''Foundation to Wall Detail''' - waterproof, air proof details for junction from cement slab to walls. Includes insulation. Thorough understanding of sill plate detail and its design rationale.
*'''Walls''' - making pre-finished wall modules with included utilities and ability to assemble them and align them up to the top plate. Includes window and door modules, and preframed hidden doors for expansion. Window rain infiltration detail and base of door water infiltration detail. Understanding water infiltration detail using battens, self-adhering waterproof barrier, housewrap and flashing detail. Understanding of first principle wall bracing calculations.
*'''First Floor Ceiling''' - Installing joists for a second floor, with ceiling sheething
*'''2nd Story Floor''' - sanded plywood, stained, varnished plank floor with acoustic underlayment. Bevel, stain + varnish, brad nail.
*'''2nd Story Walls''' - building at height, these are procedures for using scaffolding and installing the second floor walls.
*'''Interior Walls''' - insulatd panels for interior walls, including doors.
*'''Bathroom''' - installing water heater, vent fan, shower, toilet, and sink
*'''Kitchen Cabinets''' - selecting and installing cabinets and furnishings for the kitchen
*'''Laundry''' - installing the laundry closet, washer, dryer, vent, and powering them from an appropriate outlet
*'''Electrical''' - preinstalling electrical in wall panels, finishing with externa applainces such as lights and fans, and installing the utility power meter and panel.
*'''Finish Plumbing''' - part of washer, dishwasher, bathroom, and kitchen connections. Testing with air for 50 PSI for 15 minutes.
*'''Stairway''' - installing stairway and landing.
*'''PV''' - installing an off-grid power system with transfer switch, not utility intertie but hybrid.
*'''Heat Pump''' - installing a split-air heat pump and connecting the necessary plumbing and electrical, prebuilding some of this into the wall modules. Hanging the heat pump on an exterior wall.
*'''Roof''' - installing an EPDM flat roof, gutter, and decorative band near roof.
*'''Driveway, grading. hardscaping''' - using geogrid with gravel for pervious pavement, graveling around house, proper grade for water, water drainage from gutter.
*'''Landscaping''' - planting trees, edible landscape, and ground cover. Seeding and mulching.

=History=
*[[Builder Crash Course - February 2026]]
*{{check}}[[Builder Crash Course - December 2025]]
*{{check}}'''[[Builder Crash Course - September 2025]]'''
*{{check}}[[Summer of Extreme Design-Build]] - 2021 workshop

=Links=
*Description from [[Summer X 2021]] - see the [[Summer X Schedule]] for day-by-day (no detail). See also schedule infographic for template - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ib0vr2tPQZqkGaEwWl-3JaG1tmDMwfnFrbeGyAm76WE/edit?slide=id.gdcffaf0620_0_0#slide=id.gdcffaf0620_0_0]
*[[OBI Webinars]]
*[[Seed Eco-Home Design Workbench]]
*Rosebud Model, built as [[Seed Eco-Home 2]] - '''[[Seed Eco-Home Build Book]]'''
*[[House Design Crash Course]]
*[[Seed Eco-Home Information Architecture]].

=Links=
*Description from [[Summer X 2021]] - see the [[Summer X Schedule]] for day-by-day (no detail). See also schedule infographic for template - [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ib0vr2tPQZqkGaEwWl-3JaG1tmDMwfnFrbeGyAm76WE/edit?slide=id.gdcffaf0620_0_0#slide=id.gdcffaf0620_0_0]
*[[OBI Webinars]]
*[[Seed Eco-Home Design Workbench]]
*Rosebud Model, built as [[Seed Eco-Home 2]] - '''[[Seed Eco-Home Build Book]]'''
*[[House Design Crash Course]]
*[[Seed Eco-Home Information Architecture]].

Meta Design Guide

2025-12-05T06:56:40Z

Goto: /* About */

=About=
The CAD-BOM-Build technique refers to a design-build process involving consideration of all three aspects at the design phase - and documentation of the same with hyperlinked [[BOM]]s or [[vBOM]]s. The three aspects are what actual parts will be used in the design, and the process by which the product will be built. This enables drastic efficiency increase in the product design, performance, and cost. This is one of the essential aspects of [[Breaking the Iron Triangle]]. The 3 elements are mutually reinforcing, and each is potentially derivable from the others.

This is distinct from a typical process, where for example, the designer considers material choices only superficially - unless they are a designer-builder and include explicit part/build process choices in the essence of their design.

In the OSE case, the result is robust modular design, factory or DIY producible, manually or digitally producible, solo-buildable or swarmable, site or factory built, local materials or COTS-sourced, produced by skilled or unskilled labor, and always open and collaborative. Also, we include [[iEducation]], [[iDesign]], and [[iEnterprise]] around the product. {{check}}Note: the i refers to ''We'', not ''me'' like in Apple's products.

=Notes=
CAD-BOM-Build-Pictures (or Data Collection). Pictures show costs (receipts) and validate CAD and build. Build are the procedures, cheatsheets, tech drawings. See also [[OSE Documentation Philosophy]].

=Presentation=

This is a general doc about collaborative design - not specific to any project. It explains how to create design guides, and how to collaborate on a grand scale.

<html> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRvYk2Yb3FK9KxPKG7S7jRd_bU0FJRpfxt0Es5lqNRFcG0oPsoZv7eNryBXdt3432durlHivMnykufD/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="480" height="299" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </html>

[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KolzUcM5qiyuBtfNIDDaxs9WUOigQiEZb-CWgsFM0ug/edit#slide=id.g9d129c8278_0_109 edit]

=Links=
*[[Collaborative Design Guide]]

[[Category:Design Guide]]

Seed Eco-Home 7 Conceptual Design

2025-12-05T05:45:27Z

Goto: /* Integrated Feedback Changes */

== Integrated Feedback Changes ==

Changes integrated via feedback from building [[Seed Eco-Home 6]]:

* Raise ceiling height from 9ft to 10ft to accommodate roof slope in potential additions
* Floor is split into 6 instead of 3 modules for ease of building & handling
* Roof trusses are different (how?)
* Addition of 2 windows around the french door (why?)
* Instead of the window in the laundry room, there is now a door (why?)
* Second bathroom is pre-plumbed for a 2nd toilet to keep that option open. This was added after owners of SEH6 decided they would like a second toilet option.

Seed Eco-Home 7 Conceptual Design

2025-12-05T05:44:48Z

Goto: /* Integrated Feedback Changes */

== Integrated Feedback Changes ==

Changes integrated via feedback from building [[Seed_Eco-Home_6]]:

* Raise ceiling height from 9ft to 10ft to accommodate roof slope in potential additions
* Floor is split into 6 instead of 3 modules for ease of building & handling
* Roof trusses are different (how?)
* Addition of 2 windows around the french door (why?)
* Instead of the window in the laundry room, there is now a door (why?)
* Second bathroom is pre-plumbed for a 2nd toilet to keep that option open. This was added after owners of SEH6 decided they would like a second toilet option.

Seed Eco-Home 7 Conceptual Design

2025-12-05T05:40:53Z

Goto: Created page with "{{subst:Conceptual Design}}"

== Integrated Feedback Changes ==

Changes integrated via feedback from building [[The Last Iteration]]:

* One change
* Another change