Lean-to's seem to have been a Dan Beard favority for quick shelter---for
more permanent use and to withstand pretty serious storms, a well
tied-down conical thatch hut configuration is best---any other is more
subject to the roof being blown off.
http://www.junglephotos.com/africa/afpeople/afwork/hutconstructmore.shtml
(any wood or thatch structure in a warm climate is going to succumb to
termite attack, and be so weakened it will fall down---more likely blow
down in a storm---one came down around my ears during a big blow when I
lived in India, the wind-driven rain drenched me and everything I
owned---had a hell of a time with the IRS to categorize it as a storm
loss. But treating wood and thatch with euphorbia sap makes it pretty
impervious to termite damage---other sap treatments would likely do the
same, but one good one (if locally available) is enough. Some species of
wood are naturally termite and borer-resistant, don't need further
treatment.) And cook outside the damned house as is always done in a
tropical climate, and should be done in a temperate zone as well.)
Some good links here, FAO is always a fantastically useful store of
information on any agriculture, maritime occupation (including
fiberglass fishing catamaran building), and in this instance,
housebuilding) http://www.fao.org/docrep/v5360e/v5360e0f.htm
In a wet tropical climate, palm-fronds make a quicker cover than tryig
to accumulate and tie down grass thatch---don't deteriorate quite as
fast either.)
http://www.thatch.org/guest.htm (read the sidebars for more detailed
thatch information---reeds near waterways were readily available in
common use throughout Britain.)
http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/article003.htm (life of a thatch roof
basically depends on pitch---if high enough and no slippage, will last
fifty years. Vocabulary and tools of thatching. Sparks from chimneys
may cause fires, but a more common cause is poor chimney construction
which causes hot gases to leak out and set fire to surrounding thatch.)
http://www.nrdcindia.com/pages/thatchedroof.htm (clay is always
available, and does a fair job of fireproofing thatch rooftops---however
you have to protect the clay from being washed off by rain---for that
purpose, if available, use bitumen thinned with kerosene---cow dung on
top of the bitumen probably helps, you know how fibrous a fresh cow pie
becomes as it dries.)
http://www.museums.org.za/vassa/style.html (the magic of the right word
in search engines---vernaculat architecture in particular when you want
to find out about primitive shelter all around the world---and early
means of preventing fires in thatch roofs.)
Thatch is inflammable, and fire, whether by Act of God or deed of
vengeful slave, was a frequent occurrence: for protection, there was
the BRANDZOLDER, a fireproof loft-floor on to which burning thatch can
fall without danger. It consists of beams supporting boards - or
perhaps unshaped poles supporting a layer of rushes: on top of this lies
a bed of puddled clay in which tiles or bricks are embedded. The ends
of the beams themselves are sometimes lodged in slots in the wall and
covered with sand. Not every old house had a brandzolder: the lack of
one at Groot Constantia contributed to the completeness of the
destruction of that house by fire in 1925.
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2001-05-23/triangles.html (cob houses
are easy to build, but unmercifully slow. Sawmill waste is free or
cheap, since if they use it at all, sawmills usually burn it. Pretty
difficult to cobble up a roof structure with short pieces, unless you
fashion them into a gable or floor truss with lots of metal or glued
gussets.)
[Homestead] Quick shelter if your stickbuilt house blows down,
Tvoivozhd, 09/13/2004