Ideas: choosing what type of fort to build . . .

[Raven]

So, I will get to some of the discussion topics we've been working on. I've been sick with pneumonia and haven't been on top of some things like I'd like to be. But I wanted to make this thread as a kind of new form of "the floating island and other neat places to live" thread. In that thread, I collect examples of interesting dwelling choices.

In this thread, I want to discuss making the best fort. When I was a kid, I used to build forts in the woods. This was the most fun done with friends. As an adult working on a new career and day-dreaming about my family's future, I've begun thinking again, not just about what kind of home to live in, but also certain things that are more childlike. . . Building forts. I recently had a discussion about this topic with a childhood friend I used to build forts with. There will be some overlap between this and the "interesting places to live" thread. But this is more focused on building a really fun structure, not necessarily to be lived in. One rule: this has to be doable by ourselves -- one individual or small group of individuals with no prior construction knowledge.

Posts to follow describing various methods I have found.

[Raven]

So, the next post is on Cob homes. Cob is a construction method that involves mixing (maybe by foot) clay, sand, and straw and using it to build a home. It can be done by one person. It is a little bit labor intensive as a downside, but as a plus side can be used to create really neat designs (see the link), fullscale houses or forts, is inexpensive because the materials are inexpensive and/or salvageable, and I think this could be implemented in creating a hobbit hole type of construction, or a free range structure. But anything big would take a significant amount of labor.

http://naturalhomes.org/cobhouses.htm

[Raven]

Straw bale construction.

Straw bale construction has some similarity to cob construction in so far as straw is involved. But in this method, you literally stack straw bales for walls and then sort of plaster over them to seal them. This kind of construction can last a long, long time if sealed well, and it is easily heated as well (and not really a fire danger). Because you can literally just stack straw bales, which are cheap at the most, you can build a larger, more expansive structure. If I was going to build a castle fort, this would be my go to method for walls and keep.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw-bale_construction

[Raven]

The green roof.

The green roof would be a necessary element of any hobbit hole or subterranean fort, or could also be a feature in above ground structures. The green roof involves creating a roof that is growing with vegetables/plants and is essentially partly living.
I really like green roof ideas, and this idea is now being used in cities and buildings with flat roofs to create green space, and I suppose there are other benefits as well.

http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/green-roofs-and-walls

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

These definitely look like ideal places to work on. However, I have some difficulty relating to this because, having grown up with no real close friends in areas with few natural resources (i.e., a town/city), I've never participated in forts. All this seems rather alien to me, compounded by the fact that I feel that I'm past the point of caring about it. By no means am I trying to belittle anyone else's interest in it; I'm just saying that I never grew up with it, so I can't really contribute to it.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one of these forts of my own. I can't say I have a particular favorite, although I'm partial to the "Hobbit holes" for self-evident reasons. I just have no means to build one, nor anyone to work on it with, so this topic is rather bittersweet.

I apologize if I've been discouraging. I like this topic regardless of my personal relation to it.

[Raven]

No problem, Coir.

I have considered one day buying some land up in the central thumb of Michigan, hunting land, back-up resource land, whatever. One thing I have considered is using a yurt as a camp up there, or constructing some other kind of structure.
But yurts are really a great option for cold weather and portability. This is the home of the steppe nomads of Mongolia, who survive in extreme temperatures while moving with herds.
Find out more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt