Design & Implementation
The frame
To do this design I use 2 left over sizes (measures are (in cm)):
90 x 90 x 110 90 x 90 x 75 So I use the long ones to build the sides of the frame and the shortest to make the base and the top, this way I have two different frame sizes and I have a bit more options to play with prices. As you can see inside the circle of the right picture, at the piece forming the frame I drill a hole of twenty millimeters diameter and thirty deep to the top and base corner in order to do not be possible to see from the outside once they are fixed together, I drill another hole that goes through one piece to the other to introduce after a screw (8mm x 120mm) that will fix them solidly together. |
To cover the back side I use flat wood boards (1cm thick), and to protect from the rain I add another board on top (2cm thick) and a couple of centimeters larger in each side to give a bit more of rainfall protection.
To maximize the habitable spaces (in this case for solidarity bees) I drill holes all around the frame, leaving only the top piece to put the school name. As you can see on the left picture I drill these holes following different patterns to make the final work more visually attractive, and I use at least four different sizes of drill to have more game in creating patterns and diversity to host different guests. The insideFor the inside I divide the space into several compartments using the leftover from the boards of the back cover, and I fill these compartments with different materials to provide a variety of habitats to integrate our guest bugs with a value of diversity.
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I try to buy as less materials as possible, unfortunately I don't grow straw or bamboo, but we use willow from the leftovers of the living structures we build at the schools, and we pick different sticks and woods from the proximity.
Any way I try to put as many elements with holes as possible as I learned from most of others evaluations that these are the first to be occupied and the fastest way to obtain a yield. The tools I use are a meter tape, pencil, hand and disc saw, drill, secateurs and hammer. Especially the disc saw saved me a lot of time on cutting hundreds of sticks and wood pieces in the same size. |
Finally all the materials I have used to fill the inside are:
One material it's been missed in this model is the straw, because lack of time and resource I could not add this, but I hope soon I'll find a provider and add this favorite element for insects as lacewing and devil's coach horse. At the left picture you can see the Bug Hotel just after being finished. I also add two little legs at the bottom to protect the frame from dirt and rain water moisture. One time the bug hotel is placed it's good to have the frame fixed to the wall, this way we can prevent it from falling down, especially making sure that any kid at the school doens't get an injury from accidents. |
Cost
Finding the right price is always a dilemma, so I rely on counting the hours of effort in collecting all the elements, the cost of the materials I buy, the hours of work in assembling all the final product and at the end I add the transport expenses.
I have made an average because not all the schools or all the bug hotels will be the same, it's all depending on different circumstances as if we are already working at the same district and we don't have to do long distances, if we have or not to pay for food or host, depending on the size and the complexity of the design.
Large Bug Hotel price
The product at the marked should cost around £412 (taxes not included) or £478 approx (with 16% taxes included)
(£20 Per hour worked)
As you can see at our web page it have a cost of £ 465
www.organicplaygrounds.com/price-list
I have made an average because not all the schools or all the bug hotels will be the same, it's all depending on different circumstances as if we are already working at the same district and we don't have to do long distances, if we have or not to pay for food or host, depending on the size and the complexity of the design.
Large Bug Hotel price
The product at the marked should cost around £412 (taxes not included) or £478 approx (with 16% taxes included)
(£20 Per hour worked)
- Wood frame : £ 0
- Screws, extra woods, etc ... £ 12
- Time to collect materials: £ 40 (2h)
- Time to assembly: £ 160 (8h)
- Van, workshop, tools, etc maintenance: £ 15
- Transport: £ 35 petrol and £ 60 driving hours= £ 95
- Diets and host: £ 40
- Installation: £ 40
- Business as insurance, web page, emailing time, etc cost: £ 10
As you can see at our web page it have a cost of £ 465
www.organicplaygrounds.com/price-list
Ethics
Earth CareMicroorganisms are essential in any ecosystem, and help us to do a lot of important work near our house or garden, such as pest control, pollinators, decomposers...
Having them integrated into schools give an example to teachers and students to go into a small world that is unseen to the naked eye, but is part of our daily lives and keeps our planet in harmony. Especially dedicated to bees because in recent years these are having a sharp decline in population. |
People CareWorking for children is always a pleasure, ensuring that future generations grow from young with a concept of love and understanding for nature.
I hope that this design helps them to understand the micro-world that's living around us, and the importance of them in our lives. I also hope that school teachers will be inspired, and enjoy having another tool to communicate the school criteria with this micro ecosystem. |
Fair ShareI try to put the price affordable for schools and at the same time, I can feel satisfied with my economic reward inside my moral margins. Most of the materials for this product have been recycled or extracted from natural and renewable resources. We try to order all the jobs we have by districts so we don't have to drive long distances to bring only one product. This way we are saving in money and environmental cost. |
My main influence
Searching and searching the best way to use the free poles ("waste") I had, I found these videos and I got much inspiration to decide to do this design, the frame type was the most appropriate to make what I had thought and gave me good ideas to decorate these with practical patterns.
The video also makes an assessment of how effective are this type of bug hotels.
The video also makes an assessment of how effective are this type of bug hotels.
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