Comments on: The Mad Housers – Not Your Average Cup of Tea

By: Jamey Burrell

Jamey Burrell — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:00:11 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing
Thank you so much for sharing. As an Atlanta native (now living in Charleston) and part owner of a business based in Atlanta, this hits really close to home. This is a great example of ordinary citizens recognizing a problem and creating an efficient and effective solution for it. Definitely will share with my partners to see if we can somehow help out.

Jamey

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:53:40 +0000

Kim S.: I
Kim S.: I share your concerns, but I think their safety record is pretty good so far. As I get more involved, I'll know more about how the stoves work and how they're used. For now, here's a link to their page on the stoves they build:

Mad Housers Heating Stoves
.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:42:49 +0000

Tom M.:
Tom M.: The Horizon House sounds like a great organization that would be a good complement for what the Mad Housers do.

John P.: Good question! I don't know all the details, but they use foamboard in some places (in what is basically a homemade structural insulated panel) and a soundproofing sheathing (QuietBrace by Temple-Inland) on the floors. They don't insulate the walls in the heated huts because they tend to overheat in the wintertime if they do. In the 6th paragraph of the article above, there's a link to the stove details.

And yes, I will be writing more about how they deal with heating and cooling because building science matters even for such tiny homes.

By: Kim Scarlett

Kim Scarlett — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:40:44 +0000

I'm curious about the heating
I'm curious about the heating as well? How is this not a fire hazard?

By: John Poole

John Poole — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:20:34 +0000

How do they insulate and
How do they insulate and safely heat these structures? (Actually, that might make for a good forthcoming blog post of yours on this topic)

By: Tom Miller

Tom Miller — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:25:17 +0000

Brilliant. A creative
Brilliant. A creative solution that actually gives people a chance to restore some semblance of normality. In Indianapolis, there is a wonderful organization called The Horizon House that offers day services to the homeless...a place to receive mail, get clothes washed, counseling services etc. Together they could be a powerful combination.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:20:41 +0000

Eric A.: I
Eric A.: I'm going to help however I can. I'm going to volunteer on some builds and deploys as well as seeing if there's anything we can do to help with their designs. I'd also like to help with their web and social media presence and help them raise awareness and donations.

By: Eric Aune

Eric Aune — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:09:34 +0000

Excellent organization, how
Excellent organization, how have you decided to get involved? What will you do?