PHOTOGRAPH BY RANDY HARRIS @PopularMechanics _ May 2019 67
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT used to be a falling-apart shed used
mostly for storing rusty yard tools and mouse droppings.
The floor had rotted out, the roof leaked, and if you were
standing in there when the wind blew, your hair moved. But
the structure was good—the bones, as they say. It’s about 18
by 12. It’s in a semirural backyard, about 200 yards from the
house, but it could well be in the middle of the woods, or on a
river, miles from any place. The idea came about to restore it
as a functional, self-sufficient escape, with heat and electric-
ity. No running water, but that could be
done if it was needed.
The woodstove is a Morsø 2B, a mod-
el produced by the Denmark-based
foundry from 1934 to 2000. This one
was on Craigslist for $240. The rotten
floor was ripped up and carted away,
replaced by a layer of Roxul insula-
tion (the vermin don’t like it, nor does
moisture) and this sweet tongue-in-
groove pine floor from a local (well,
two hours away) mill. The fire-rated
bricks are from Home Depot. The angle-iron penning in the
brick hearth was sold and cut by Mark & Son Metal Products
in Bedford Hills, New York, for $32.
The wood for the walls was reclaimed
from various houses around town. (You
can read about how it was installed on
page 8.) Behind the stove is a fireproof
wall of rescued sheet metal that once
lined the ceiling of the 1876 church
that now houses contributor Richard
Romanski’s woodshop. (There’s fire-
rated WonderBoard behind that, sepa-
rated by one-inch ceramic spacers.)
The rig over on the right is the
genius system from Goal Zero, which is bringing
solar power to the people—more about them on
the next page. Six hundred bucks, less than a day’s
work. The place now runs on sun and wood and is
to code and properly permitted.
The point is: You can do this. A shed, a cabin, a
cottage, a shipping container—they are out there,
and can sometimes be had for cheap, and you
could make one into a haven where you can spend
a few days away from the noise when you need to.
And, sure, in the back of your mind, you’re think-
ing, Hey, if they attack the grid, or if man, nature, or beast
inflicts some other kind of craziness on the world, we’ve got
a room, we’ve got electricity, and we’ve got a source of heat
for warmth and cooking. And we’ll be okay.EDITED BY PETER MARTIN