Kris Harbour’s timber-frame 8.4kWp PV ground mount

[Stan]

See all of the practical work being done.

[billi]

well , as much as i like his style sometimes , but this is a complete overkill of a mounting idea ....and looks like a financial inappropriate way too

[Mr Gus]

It will be a nice storage shed when it's finished.

[Joeboy]

Good build,
I'd next buy goat's or chickens for the shed space. Best of fortune to the lad.

[billi]

is that so , i wish it would have been the intention ! Not a great example to get a ground mount PV installed, as it suggests its highly skilled and complex beside the 2 tons of concrete and the 2 tons of timber involved ... beside extensive labor time and costs ....

[Joeboy]

is that so , i wish it would have been the intention ! Not a great example to get a ground mount PV installed, as it suggests its highly skilled and complex beside the 2 tons of concrete and the 2 tons of timber involved ... beside extensive labor time and costs ....

So how is that a problem? His groundmount, his choice.

I don't know his site conditions but he did say he is looking for twenty to twenty five years so he has went highspec and well engineered.

You build your own way in these things, didn't know there was a requirement for a build police Billi?

So yes indeed, that is so.

[Mr Gus]

Billi, I've not watched the channel so am unaware of its history making stuff! ...is he an offgridder? Did he craft his own home? ..His workshop looks handily via the land? ..if so it will be hard to break from the build it once in a continuation of the manner of everything else around him?

Personally think it will be storage so built stupidly (sp) *sturdily* for multiple reasons of a small landowner with space enough not to need nor want a modern plastic shed.

If he'd fenced off an area around it (interfering with the work & ruining camera angles) he'd likely not hear much complaint, yeah it's construction may be overkill but he might also be putting to use left over project material to use rather than eBay it, unless he states that we never know, ..or he may simply be in overkill you tube material making desperation ....plasma cutter is kind of indicative of that imho, but prepared to give him benefit of the doubt, ..it's not getting blown over in a hurry, build strong means second life after all.

Do like the use of slurry tanking for preservation, as he says the ground is ready for a building or panels now & down the road, ..I like pre-emptive planning with minimal conversion hassle down the line, who wouldn't (spend to save)

[ALAN/ALAN D]

I cant understand why it would be made of wood.
Now you cant buy paint that will make it last a bit longer.

Make it from mild steel pipe. Very easy to weld together.
Paint it with Galvafroid paint. Will last many years with out maintenance.

[Oldgreybeard]

Some added background that may quell the more critical comments.

He is off-grid, has been for years.

He built his earth bag roundhouse on the land and this is his second PV installation - the first the posts rotted out after a few years. He needed ground mount because of of the way his roundhouse is constructed. He used wood because he owns some woodland and using this avoided buying steel.

The timber came from his own trees, that he felled and milled using his home made timber mill. Even the brackets holding the timbers together were home made using his home built CNC plasma cutter, that he built so he could better build stuff for his small holding.

He's pretty much self-sufficient, left the rat race in London years ago and lived in a tent on that bit of land in Wales until he finished the round house. He keeps a range of animals on the land as well, has a home made hydro system he built for winter electricity and pretty much exemplifies low impact living.

[Stinsy]

First time I’ve noticed this thread. At first sight that structure looks beautiful but all those metal joints are utterly unnecessary. Maybe he’s trying to keep his local blacksmith in business?