‘Lease-proof’ farm construction – with Natasha Danenhower

Natasha Danenhower is a Red Seal Carpenter operating in the southern interior of BC, on the unceded territory of the Syilx and Sməlqmíx peoples. She currently operates SUN MUD JOY studio, where she executes custom carpentry projects using natural building approaches. Her recent work includes small-scale infrastructure for farmers on leased land, as well as renovations, a house deconstruction and custom furniture. 

Natasha called in to speak with us from her home in Cawston, BC, after a day of pruning peaches for her neighbour. Natasha has always had one foot in the agricultural world, but her journey in carpentry began when she watched land prices skyrocket in the Similkameen Valley and started thinking about building her own house someday. Natasha started out in a fine woodworking program, and later obtained a permaculture design certificate. A straw bale home building workshop introduced her to natural building (or, building using natural and locally-sourced materials). 

Throughout her carpentry apprenticeship, Natasha felt dismayed by how much waste is produced in the construction industry, leading her to pursue a six-month sustainable building program at The Endeavor Centre. She learned that with changes to the materials used, buildings can actually be carbon-sequestering. In other words, the construction process can store carbon, rather than adding more carbon into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases (which worsen climate change). When built using bio-based, natural and/or reused materials that would otherwise break down and release greenhouse gases – instead of new and/or synthetic materials that emit greenhouse gases during manufacturing – buildings can be part of the climate solution, rather than part of the problem. To see this concept in action, check out this example: The Zero House by The Endeavor Centre. 

Now a Red Seal Carpenter operating her own studio, Natasha continues to implement natural building practices. Some of her first projects as a sole proprietorship were for Puzzlegrass Farm, a no-till farm operating on leased land (matched through the B.C. Land Matching Program) in Naramata, BC. Puzzlegrass Farm hired Natasha to build a cold frame (essentially, a miniature greenhouse), a cold storage area for their produce, and a pickup area for their community-supported agriculture (CSA) customers to visit when collecting their weekly produce boxes. At the time, there was an old house on the property that was going to be deconstructed. Natasha got the go-ahead from the landholder (whom she had quickly grown close with) to deconstruct the old house and pull materials from it for projects.

For all three projects at Puzzlegrass Farm, Natasha used wood from the old house, helping to minimize costs for the farmers, who were still in their first two years of business. Reusing wood also prevented it from decomposing (and releasing greenhouse gases) in a landfill. Knowing the farmers were leasing the land, Natasha used post and beam construction for the cold frame to create a structure that could be deconstructed and moved, leaving only the footings and piers (components of the foundation) behind. She repurposed glass from patio door sliders, and she also reused old insulation – both pulled from the house deconstruction. To finish the interior of the pickup area, Natasha used lime plaster, a natural finish made of sand, water, and lime that has been used in construction for thousands of years. Natasha’s modular building approach provides a win-win for both parties: the farmers can take their infrastructure with them, and the landholder rests assured they won’t end up with unwanted structures on the property. 

Natasha also worked on a couple of projects for Medley Organics, a certified organic mixed vegetable farm operating on leased land (also matched by the B.C. Land Matching Program) in Summerland, BC. To insulate a barn, Natasha filled the walls with light straw clay made from a pile of straw that was already on the property. Straw clay is made by creating a slurry of clay and water, mixing it into the straw, then packing down the mixture into a form to let it dry, resulting in a hardened insulation material. “When we’re under a farm permit and addressing unconditioned space, I’m happy to use materials the farmer has available and practice ancient ways of building, to keep things affordable”, Natasha says. Natasha also transformed a shed on the property into a cold storage space, using reused insulation.

By using straw and reused insulation for these projects, Natasha avoided buying new, synthetic insulation material (which would have produced greenhouse gases during manufacturing). And because the farmer was on a long-term lease and not likely to move from the property anytime soon, it made sense to save on costs by repurposing existing infrastructure. 

Natasha’s advice for the construction of ‘lease-proof’ farm infrastructure is:

1. For short-term leases, build using a modular approach and think of what you’re building as an asset to be used in the future, regardless of where you’re located. Focus on building small components that can be pieced together, and later deconstructed and moved.
2. For long-term leases, consider repurposing existing infrastructure on the land. To make this a possibility, prioritize building a positive relationship with the landholder.
3. For any lease, consider the life cycle of the building materials you’re using  – if anything changed in the future, could you use the building material for something else? Also, consider sourcing used materials to help keep the costs of construction down. You may be surprised at the places you can find locally-sourced material – don’t be afraid to reach out to people in your community and ask around!

Bonus Tip: If you’re hiring a contractor, ask them if they will let you help, so you can learn! Carpentry is a valuable skill, and your farm projects will become a lot cheaper if you can do the work yourself in the future. If you’re hiring someone to work on your farm, you might as well see if they’re open to sharing, and make the time and effort an investment into your own learning.

Natasha is currently available for work in and around the Similkameen Valley, on a part-time basis. To learn more and contact Natasha, visit her website: http://www.sunmudjoystudio.ca/

GOT LAND? WANT LAND?

Through the B.C. Land Matching Program, Young Agrarians offers support to farmers looking for land for their farm business, and landholders looking for farmers to farm their land. We’ve made more than 387 matches on over 12,958 acres to date!

To learn more about our land access resources, visit youngagrarians.org/tools/land.

To connect with the B.C. Land Matching Program, reach out to bclmp@youngagrarians.org.

The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in the Okanagan-Thompson by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, with additional support from the Real Estate Foundation of BC.