Economics professor Richard Wolff warns housing crash would be worse than Great Depression

Economics professor Richard Wolff warns housing crash would be worse than Great Depression

https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/507499-economics-professor-richard-wolff-warns-housing-crash-will-be-worse-than-great

"We’re going to have this spectacle — on top of everything else happening to us — of that American situation in which we have homeless people sitting on the curb, across the street from unoccupied apartments and homes," he said."

Experiments in Prototyping a 6' Hexayurt Shelter from Kingspan Metal Sided Sandwich Panels to Bear a Snow Load for Winter Storage use

Building a Prototype for a 6' Hexayurt from Kingspan Metal Sided Sandwich Panels for Winter Storage  use to Bear a Snow Load

Please Note: at this stage we are experimenting with loose ideas from off cuts of older metal sided Kingspan brand rigid foam sheets & reused drywall framing

Original Plans for building a 6' Hexayurt (from foil sided rigid foam board)

From looking at instructions & info at Hexayurt.com and Hexayurt playa

We decided to have a go at this.  There are over 30 Hexayurt designs. we started with the smallest for practicality

Given a potential virus caused economic depression & further crisis with a lack of low cost / easy build shelter for temp housing / work space / storage  perhaps Hexayurt designs will become more popular

Previously, I experimented with stronger Hexayurt corners with beams inside to take the weight of a mezzanine floor , for sleeping or storage

I also experimented with grp & mgo board clad hexayurts over a drywall stud frame org plastic / grp door off cuts with plastic bottle insualtion infill

We first cut and propped the 1m x 1m + size kspan sheets (80mm thick wall & 45mm thick roof ) and propped them up to explore ideas

The First idea was to have an enclosed gutter & raised edge (this was already on the offcut panels edge) The thought being that this would hold snow on the roof in winter as extra insualtion . However a very good seam seal would be required to stop leaks to inside 

Wider pics

Close up of roof seam , cut straignt at first

Top edge was cut off to make it flat against the foam end and drwall frame I beam laid on top .
Folded edge on one side, useful for fitting to wall. perhaps with drywall frame I stud as shown in pic (146mm wide )

146mm wide I stud on top of wall is too wode , but if wall was cut at an angle to mount roof, it would fit more tightly

lay up of 2 longer wall drywall studs (92mm wide) scrwed back to back to form dee pwall I beam for joining roof sheets

Wider pic

Cttting & fastening wall panels together

Peel steel on inside away from foam by hand & cut by hand with sharp kitchen knife

Note: a thin strip of folded metal had to be cut off the edge

Marking shown

Method shown for bending metal along supporting metal bar 

Wood used to keep it straignt when pressing down

Finishing by hand

Top view of seam with meatal bent, ready to be screwed in place

Inside view

External view
Note: After cutting & bending, it was a great fit,
utilizing the exisiting overlapping flap

Screwed im place with 3 rows of self drilling flange head screws inside & out

A 92mm  drywall frame stud beam was cut & bent ove the wall ridge to cover the top awaying connection of the roof panels

other top views of top plate

Original Plans for building a 6' Hexayurt (from foil sided rigid foam board)

Cabinz are Creatively Reusing Items & selling new materials to make sneeze resistant screens for community groups & small biz

We wish to hear from community groups and small biz who may be able to use these as screens. They can buy them at the low cost below, discount for quantity

We offer no guarantees on the suitability of materials or screens, buyers do so entirely at their own risk

These are foldway used Polling station Booths that have alumium frames with telescopic legs (so can also be mounted on table tops) , and plastic sheets . They cost over £300 new ! Some of the plastic sheets need replacing (esasily done)

Frames have some marks & scratches .

£50 each some have more wear and are £40 each

Table top aluminium hinged frames that came with the Polling Booths above. They need a new plastic sheet installed,work ok, but have marks & scratches. flat bars may need bending back (easily done) 

£15 each

We can supply new old stock Opaque Composite Plastic Grp sheets at £4 per m ( this is £17 to £30 a mtr elsewhere)

and new strong 2m long composite plastic frames and all the fixings for groups to make their own screens to their own size.

£3 for 2m for thinner beams / frames (1.50 a metre) Thicker Beams are £4 (£2 a mtr ) 

Below is a green house kit prototype made from these plastic composite materials   . low cost screws & fixings also available

Cabinz also have air extraction equipment for sale.

Please contact us for further info.

Raised Beds Installed - Part 2 - Low Cost Rot Proof Materials to Build a Garden Cloche, Greenhouse or Raised Bed for Growing Veg for Food Security and Self Reliance

Following on from Part 1, Part 2 shows pics of the raised bed to Simons design installed in the Newtown Chester Allotment 

Thanks Simon !

Following on from Part 1

First prototype for a Low Cost DIY Cool Box Made from Insulated Composite Door Off Cuts

 First prototype for a DIY Cool Box Made from Insulated Composite Door Off Cuts.

This reuses materials materials that cannot be recycled and would become waste if not reused.

It acan be made to most shapes , but in this case utilises window cut outs in the most common existing shapes.

As well as insulating food (how well remains to be tested) it can help stop rodents & pests eating the food.

  We also hope to make a  DIY Backyard Root Cellar in a similar style 

Low Cost Rot Proof Materials to Build a Garden Cloche, Greenhouse or Raised Bed for Growing Veg for Food Security and Self Reliance

With people being at home due to the virus at present, some working on the veg garden or allotment, we aim to support this, as well as contribute to helping reduce food scarcity, food poverty and promote self reliance.



 We have been fortunate to buy at extremely low cost, approx. 800 square metres clearance stock of very strong GRP fibreglass opaque roof sheets. These normally sell for £17 to £30 a metre

We are selling these for £5 a metre (lengths vary from 1.6 to 3m , 1.6m long shown in pic would cost £8)  and 2m long grp & plastic wood strips for pegs and side supports for £1.50 each.

Reductions will be given to bulk purchases from low income groups, community & allotment groups.

We have donated these rot proof materials to Allotments and Mens sheds groups previously and built Green houses Raised beds and fencing 


Thes sheets can be screwed to the grp sheet and attached to the peg with string or cable ties to stop them being blown away.
We have been working on a design for a garden cloche to protect veg for the home garden or allotment, variations are shown in th pics below.

It is not finished yet, and will require testing and feedback.

 We are selling the materials to charities, allotments & small biz to distribute to their network to make their own designs

We have a wide range of screws & fixings also available at very low cost to make these  .

A 2m strip on the top may be required , but we are debating on how to attach this in the pic below.

We show 4 different types of end panel, both in grp & pvc

Update 2-4-20

Being trialled in Newtown Allotment chester

Thanks to Simon

 These are just laid out on the plot, not installed or fixed
yet .
They may be used with a raised bed frame, made from composite plastic door offcuts
These were previously tried with Hanbridge allotment. Chester

Materials delivered below + fixings

Previously on the same allotment composite plastic door offcuts (DES -Door edge strips) have been used as raised bed pegs and poly tunnel door frames (pics below)