The McMushrooms are the latest series of buildings at La Loma built and designed by Mike McCain. They are one-roomed sleeping spaces and living rooms. Construction is from OSB 8x4' sheets, tar paper on the roof and a perlite-paint mix for walls. Each are incredibly built for only $200 in only a few days - following McCain's thread of fast and quick emergency shelter.
We recently moved all the currently unused McMushrooms to the caravansary street, so far including the Beehive, a rocket stove, the beehive garden and solar panels. The street leads roughly from the Goatshed (the hostel building and main community kitchen and bathroom) to the Sun house (the biggest house on the property where Mike Campbell makes food for the rest of the wwoofers some nights.) We are working on extending this street with a meeting dome space at the mid-point between the Goatshed and the Sun-house - discussed in another post. We have placed 3 generic McMushrooms as bedrooms and one larger McMushoom as a study and hang-out on the street following the Beehive. We have treated Mike McCain's 3 Mushrooms differently, to record the various effects.
The larger Mushroom, the study, has been given a recycled sheet metal roof, painted white, a lime wash, screen on the many windows and openings, a door with window insertion, gutters, awnings over the windows and the entrance. internet and extension cord electricity have been wired to the building and the interior has been partially wall-papered with pages of books bought from the local co-op 'Made-In-Marathon' for 50 cents or $1.00 each. Two bed platforms, pre-made by Mike McCain can be inserted into this building if extra bed space is needed.
The first regular Mushroom, we have invested $100.00 extra dollars in - on foam insulation board (1/2 inch). On the exterior Eric attached the insulation (comes in the same panel size as the OSB - 8x4',) followed by an extra weatherproofing layer of recycled OSB that was used as a scaffolding inside the Kiva at La Loma. Jarrett also made a shutter for the window and a screen door for use in the summer months has been added. Recycled metal gutter pieces have been added to the sides that will eventually run the collected water into planter patches with shade trees.
The second Mushroom has not had money invested into it. Instead of insulation, firstly we are working on a porch on the south-west side (the side that sends the most heat during the hot, hot summer's here.) The porch is made from cedar posts, donated free from the Gage hotel and constructed by lashings...no-nails or screws, from a sisal twine that cost $20.00 for 1200'. The porch and continuing over on the Mushroom roof will be a grass roof, and next spring may have useful produce planted. A screen door and window shutter have been added to this Mushroom also.
