IceLand Turf House. How it's made and what it is made from. How you keep it warm and cold. How they live.

1. Iceland Turf Houses By: Candace Hilton

2. Materials that the houses were built from. The turf houses are made of flat stones, and upon this was built a wooden frame which holds the load of turf. The turf would then be fitted around the frame in blocks often with a second layer, or in the more fashionable herringbone style. The floors of turf houses could either be covered with wood, stone or earth depending on the purpose of the building The doors are made of wood and they are the only external wood on the house. Another interesting part of the Icelandic turf house was the introduction of attached toilets, which were communal and the act of going to the attached toilet was often done in large groups.

3. How are the houses kept cool/warm and dry? Commonly great fire sometimes places in the lowest end of the house Even thought they had a great fire in the winter it was still hard to keep warm. The houses were usually dry. The only time water got in was when it rained and they had a leek.

4. How does the food get cooked, water supplied? It is often said that they do not have good food. Food was cooked over an open fire in a separate kitchen space ventilated by a chimney. Water is supplied by a local well.

5. What type of roof do they have? The common Iceland turf house would have a large foundation made of flat stones, Wooden frame which would hold the load of the turf The have large pillars that went on the inside and out to hold up the foundation of the house. The pillars were held in places with notches and peg cut out of them so that they snapped in place

6. How are the house put together? The house begins with the construction of stone footings The support for the house was provided by wooden interior posts and beams wooden beams locked together using pegs and notches 2 large pillars Support the house and keep it standing.

7. Would this type of house work here in Caldwell County These type of houses would work in the environment that we live in today. The house would work because You could put running water in the house and electricity jus like a regular house You Could also update the house to have all of the appliances and newest technology so that it would be up to date.

8. What can we learn from/ adapt to this type of house? We can learn that we don’t have to have all of the newest technology and everything to survive in the world that you can use things that you find everyday and have a decent living We can adapt to the house by filling it with the latest technology and appliances. We could also have furniture in this house and electricity so that it could be like a regular house in this community.

9. Work Sited page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_turf_houses http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:QicgGhmQCJIJ:victoria.tc.ca/Community/Icelanders/documents/ http://ffffound.com/image/9796740ee9824610e8020f72306231468d79cd2f