Tree Bogs

[Wendelspanswick]

I did ponder your comments on the door hinging, it just seemed the natural way being right handed.


Finally finished the toilet! Just in time for the party:

image.jpg

I have added steps since taking this picture.

Looks good, but the diagonals on the door should go in the opposite direction (i.e. up and out from the rail) to prevent the door sagging with time.

To be fair the door is light and small enough not to bother with braces but there was a large knot hole that needed covering and I realised that adding bracing, albeit in the untraditional hand, would cover the hole.
(One of my jobs when I worked in the timber mill was making all the ledged and braced doors!)

[Tarrel]

Having been inspired by Davetb's tree-supported bog, I've started construction on our own. Our noble firs are planted at 2m spacings fairly accurately, and are brashed up to a height of 8 feet, so four of them made a natural support.

I started with two lengths of 4x4 larch, coach-screwed into the trunks of the trees, then laid 3x2 joists on these, finishing with a floor of 6x1 larch. The walls will be clad in feather edge boards up to around a metre above floor level, with reed screening above that. The roof is corrugated transparent sheeting which will catch rainwater for collection into a water butt for hand washing.

Here's the progress so far:



The ground slopes gently downwards from the camera position towards the bog, so the steps will be at the front (where the ground is highest) and the "hole" at the back to give a good 1 metre drop. The bottom area will also be screened with reed screening.

The larch is not ours. It comes from a local sawmill. Great material to work with, and resistant to rot. Half the price of the equivalent size treated softwood in B&Q.

I'm really using this as an experiment in construction techniques, as I'd quite like to build and set up an art studio deep in our woodland. Ideally for this I'd get hold of a chainsaw mill and produce our own planks and beams. That's a project for the next year or so.

Making slow progress as I'm having to combine it with all the other stuff that needs doing in the woodland at the moment.

Here's the - ahem - hole..



And here's the view looking up through the roof..

[Rankinswood]

Hi,

I like the idea of building using existing trees and a good tree house house example of this is shown on the Oxfordshire Woodland Group Forum.

However !!! what happens when the trees grow ???

Rankinswood

[Tarrel]

Hi,

I like the idea of building using existing trees and a good tree house house example of this is shown on the Oxfordshire Woodland Group Forum.

However !!! what happens when the trees grow ???

Rankinswood

Well, I suppose that will be one of life's little excitements!

My wife made the same observation. I did think about it. The trees are already mature and I think any growth in the critical area will be via increased tree diameter. Looking at the amount that each tree puts on per year, and given the natural slack and flexibility in the wood, I should have a good few years of use. It's only attached to the trees via the two large bearers. The rest is free standing.

If it starts to become a problem, I could retrofit four ground-mounted supports, braced with cross-bracing.

[Wendelspanswick]

Looks good. Ours has blended in well with the landscape, the bracken is now about 8 feet high around the bog negating the need to plant any willow.
No smells or flies either which was a concern.

[smojo]

To be honest I wasn't going to bother with "taking the p1ss" elsewhere as I can pee against a tree

Funny how we seem to gravitate to peeing on a tree or a wall if no trees, as if we need something to aim for or halt it's progress. Probably just for a modicum or privacy but when you're on your own, it's not necessary. Isn't it liberating when you can just pee freely on open ground Just make sure you're in the woods and not Tescos car park though. And isn't it odd that we don't think twice about dogs, cats, horses etc just taking a dump or a pee wherever they like, but if we did that we'd be locked up, even if we picked it up in a poo bag and put it in a bin after.

Actually I came here looking for a simple woodland bog solution. Something in between digging a hole, crapping in it and burying it and something a little more permanent but not so elaborate as the sheds seen on here. I'm thinking a hole in the ground with a wattle fence around for privacy and some sort of primitive seat to sit on. I guess a baffle of some sort at the front to stop the ladies peeing in there drawers or splatter from a last-night-curry-poo. A dustbin at the side with wood ashes or soil to throw over the evidence when done. What do you reckon?

[Zathras]

A tree bog as being built here is a safe and sustainable solution which turns the waste into biomass.
Much better than digging a hole, and I'm keen to take this project on myself.

Tarrel, looks great!

[davetb]

Looks fantastic.
Your building skills far exceed mine.
I have several buildings built on trees. My oldest is about 5 years. As the tree grows the tree envelops the wood / bolt and the whole thing gets stronger. It all becomes very organic.
The one slight concern I have ( and hopefully I'm wrong ) is the plastic corrugated roof isn't strong enough to cope with the fallen branches / trees moving in winter storms. I would love to have a transparent roof but used corrugated metal.
My roof is always covered in fallen leaves / big branches etc. and in high winds it all moves / twists. The metal roofs cope well.
If your roof does well I will have to change.
Great structure, well done.

[smojo]

Yes, really nice work. What do you put over the poo to break it down - is it lime or ashes or what? How often do they need digging out and replenishing?

[Rich]

I think it's a question of balancing out the excess nitrogen of the 'poo'! with carbon, other sites I've read have often complained that people tend to overdo this a bit I think a handful of sawdust per 'go' is about right, no need to cover it all up!
I guess how often you dig it out would depend on how much use it gets! If it was at Glastonbury I guess every hour or so??? I'm hoping I won't have to dig mine out at all as, at the moment, it's only me using it 3 or 4 times a week........... we'll see.

Actually I've been a bit slack finishing it to be honest. The view is quite nice seems a shame to put a door on it!