[Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague

[kyria thalia]

One of the things that interests me is home construction.  Folks in the
southernmost reaches of Artemisia *might* be okay, but in the northern parts
how do you keep your homes warm in the winter?  Wood-burning stoves have
been mentioned already, but it takes a lot of effort over the course of the
year to stockpile wood.  Central heating probably won't last too long.  One
of the ways to get around this is to take advantage of natural insulation as
much as possible. The pit homes used by some of the Native American/First
Nations people seem like a good solution to me and are designed to house an
entire clan.  Which is good...because it's going to take a lot of digging.
After a suitably deep and wide pit is constructed, a few logs and several
layers of branches are laid on top to create a shallow dome, which is then
slathered with mud and could probably have sod laid over the top, leaving a
central opening to release smoke for the cooking fire and allow fresh air
inside.  That can be covered over in event of a blizzard or rainshower.  I
imagine a couple layers of modern-day insulation and canvas or tarpaulin
could be added as well.  Sounds a lot warmer than a free-standing structure
to me and it has the added advantage of natural camouflage if people don't
know what they're looking for.  Keep a dutch oven or stewpot going over a
low fire constantly and it should be pretty comfy.

Grainne Dhonn