Build It Yourself
· Complete $67Build It Yourself
· Complete $67The frost isn’t the enemy. Standing water is.
Fourteen medieval techniques taken to real dimensions, modern materials, safety and code — so you can build it this season, not just watch it.
Instant PDF. No account. 30-day refund. The $37 book is PDF-only, on the pricing page.
The trap
The what and the why are all over YouTube. The how — the ratios, the depths, the modern material you can buy in 2026, the safety, the code — almost nobody finishes. So you watch, you get inspired, and you're left doing the research yourself.
You wanted a blueprint. You got a documentary.
The knowledge exists — scattered across papers, codes, and comment sections.
Most "ancient building" content quietly only works where winters are mild.
The idea that makes it work
Every chapter takes a technique through three layers — the same three the videos stop after layer one.
Why it actually works — the real enemy (usually water, not cold; heat, not air) — so you can adapt it to your site instead of copying blindly.
The exact "but how do I…" from thousands of comments — quantities, modern substitutes, where to buy, what climate it's for.
Real proportions, sourcing, tools, the step sequence, the safety, and how it maps to the building code — each pass cross-checked against the record.
Not a description — a real page
Representative build spec (final numbers keyed to your local frost line + soil):
| Trench width | 18–24 in |
| Depth | below frost line (12–48 in) |
| Floor slope to outlet | ≥ 1 in / 8 ft |
| Washed stone | ¾–1½ in, angular |
| Compaction lifts | ~8 in |
| Grade beam | 8–12 in W × 6–8 in D, #4 rebar |
What's inside
Not a syllabus of topics. Each chapter names what you'll be able to build, who it's for, and roughly what it takes.
The shift
The kind of self-reliant know-how you can use on your own land — and hand to your kids.
The math
One method you get right — or one mistake you don't make — is worth many times the price of the book.
| A contractor's frost-depth footing | $4,000–$15,000 |
| Fixing a foundation that heaved | $1,500–$10,000 |
| A structural engineer's afternoon | $300–$800 |
| The comparable underground-house book readers cite | $50+ |
| The Complete kit — all 14, plus the pages you take to the job | $67 |
Costs vary by region and project. This isn't a savings guarantee — it's the price of the decisions the book helps you make.
Straight from the audience
Real, unedited comments from the channel — the exact reactions that shaped this book. Typos left in on purpose.
"I really want to try this. I want to make a small, deeper one to serve as a root cellar and maybe later make a bigger one as a winter dwelling. It will be in the Scottish highlands…"
"I grew up helping my grandfather build 'dry' stone walls… when I go back to visit, 50 years later 2 of them are still in place."
"They only show buildings in areas that do not have bitterly cold winters… Please talk about how these techniques work in areas with real freeze/thaw cycles."
"Stunning knowledge. Inspiring and empowering technology. Is there maybe a book in the making?"
"I only know about it because I plan on building my house this way. I had to do the research myself of course."
"Vitruvius' recipe… a 1:3 ratio of lime to volcanic ash. For underwater structures, a 1:2 ratio, which cures in water, forming incredibly durable, self-healing structures."
Who's doing the work
Every chapter is built from a specific video in the archive, then taken further: a dedicated research pass adds the quantities, modern materials, safety, and code — cross-checked against the record (the MIT/Nature work on Roman concrete, the IRC on footings, Vitruvius on the originals). Where a popular claim is disputed, we say so instead of repeating it. That honesty is the whole point of a build book: get it wrong and someone gets hurt.
One kit for the job. A PDF if you only want to read.
Same 14 techniques. The $37 book is the PDF at the desk. Complete is the pages you carry to the supplier and the trench. Lifetime updates free.
PDF at the desk. No job-site files.
107-page PDF · 14 chapters
The book, plus the two things you take to the job.
The delivery that matches how the work actually happens
Instant PDF. No account. 30-day refund.
Buying the book first? Gumroad will offer the worksheets and sourcing pack before you pay — $24 instead of $30. Same files as Complete.
If it's still just an interesting tale to you, email within 30 days for a full refund — and keep every file you've downloaded. Less than one contractor's site visit, and the risk sits with us.
Reply to your receipt — no forms, no questions.
Straight answers
One decision left
Fourteen techniques. The kit you carry to the job.
Instant PDF. No account. 30-day refund.
Not ready?
The complete self-draining stone foundation — A-to-Z. No email. Decide for yourself.
Free PDF. No form.
Not ready to buy?
The self-draining stone foundation, complete. No email. The book is still here when you are.