4 ms·
To the latter part of your question, the main strategy was: - Build incredibly insulated turf+stone housing - Put livestock in the basement - Body warmth of
by probablypower 4y ago
To the latter part of your question, the main strategy was:
- Build incredibly insulated turf+stone housing
- Put livestock in the basement
- Body warmth of livestock heats up the house during winter
- The good insulation keeps the home temperature liveable all winter
Rather than relying on the aggresive burning of wood in a fireplace, they relied on the consistent burning of livestock's body temperatures fed by a store of feedstock grown in the prior Summer.
- meheleventyone 4y agoThe turf and stone houses didn’t have a basement AFAIK. Livestock in the basement was always a later thing I think. As well as basically everyone living and sleeping in the same room. Our house was originally built in 1897 and had only been renovated a bit by the family that owned it when we bought it. I’ve always marvelled at the number of people that lived in it and how cold it must have been before hot water heating became ubiquitous. It was mostly clad in wood from shipping crates and insulated with the packing material and wasps nests. Pretty draughty with a whole large family living in about 40 sqm.