Hooray, the kitchen and composting toilet adjacent to Jim's Hut down at the river at Struan Farm are FINALLY finished!
Quite the little eco block this, with solar water heating and lights in addition to the Bioloo composting toilet.
The wee kitchen has a two burner gas cooktop, adequate enough to fry up some eggs, heat some baked beans or spaghetti, or saute a freshly caught trout, perhaps. The solar battery allows for just enough watts for a toaster, so the tea kettle is an old fashioned whistling version. We've redeployed the original stainless steel kitchen bench from the Homestead, which is perfect, really. While there is no refrigeration, I can run down supplies from up top or guests can bring chilly bins.
The shower is outside under the solar panels. We'll be hanging curtains for those guests who want privacy, but I suspect a fair number will prefer to look out directly on the hills and the Mangaotaki River!
It took us awhile to find and settle on the Bioloo composting toilet, which also happens to be used by the NZ Dept. of Conservation. Initially we were going to improvise a similar DIY system, but our builders and plumber encouraged us to find a more packaged solution. And this would be it. A vault under the floor is filled with a prescribed mix of organic matter (compost, spagnum peat moss, bark chips) before any usage. After guest visits, the housekeeper (aka Karen) will need to toss down a few handfuls of organic sawdust or wood shavings, which we've been saving as we've taken down trees for firewood. In a year we'll add some tiger composting worms to the vault. But it's quite low maintenance--we'll be emptying out compost every two years or so.
And so our rustic and sustainable little Jim's Hut down at the Mangaotaki River is now ready for prime time. (Okay, truth be told: Karen needs to sow some paddock grass seed around down there once the danger of frost is past, the builders still need to install a railing around the deck, and nephew Mike is digging in some steps down to the shower this week, but we're pretty much good to go....!)
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