This rolling welder joins two panels of a SoftHouse together.
The loft floor was a sea of green for a couple of weeks, with many piles of softhouse walls in various stages of completion. For a project like this, we work in assembly line mode, with every person in charge of a different stage of production. From cutting to welding to door, window, and wall production, there were logistic and efficiency experiments at every turn. About halfway through the SoftHouse production process, we really got the hang of assembling them and the whole process picked up quite a bit.
The hardware and glass skylight plates will be packaged separately.
The soft parts of the SoftHouses are now ready for shipping, and await their frames and accessories. Each softhouse is bagged
individually and includes:
1 wall with door
2 walls with windows
3 solid walls
These SoftHouses are a truly practical and well thought-out design. The space that results from these few parts is welcoming and spacious. The high ceiling will allow for bunked or raised beds to increase floor and storage space. Once anchored, each SoftHouse will be a sturdy little unit, clinging to the earth faithfully despite the weather.
Oscar inspects the softness of the Haiti SoftHouse and finds it quite pleasant.
The cross-breeze through the windows will be pleasant, and the skylight vent is ingenious – allowing light in, while simultaneously allowing hot air or fire-smoke to exit. A sturdy door with a lock on the inside adds security and comfort, and the UV resistant thread will lengthen the expected lifespan of each House.
Although we will be shipping the SoftHouses very soon, we do not have a firm estimate about their arrival. We are crossing our collective fingers that the flow of packages through customs has improved since our last shipment to Haiti last year.
Another exciting option for the SoftHouses can be found on the SoftHouse Haiti facebook, in diagrams for solar powered accessories. We’ll be finding out more about the plans for the SoftHouses in the coming weeks, and hopefully receiving some feedback about them from residents. We look forward to them arriving and becoming helpful homes, after so much planning.
