| House |
April 24, 2017
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| He had a plan to make a house for less. He got married recently, and he and his wife lived in his parents' house. Recently, his wife and his mother weren't getting along with each other. His wife suggested that they should leave, and go live in an apartment. He didn't want to leave because his father wasn't healthy. He wanted his wife to help with his aging parents. He thought that if he built a house on the same lot of his parents' property, it would help them keep with their relationship. He talked to his wife about this. His wife sighed. "We don't have enough money for a deposit for a house. I don't think any banks would lend us the rest of the cost." He responded, "We can build a house with the money that we have in the bank now!" The wife became suspicious, "What do you mean?" He said that he was thinking to make their house from cardboard. She became nervous, "Cardboard! We're not homeless! Would there be any privacy in a cardboard house? On top of that, I don't think a cardboard house could stand up against the rain. Did you forget that we live in a rainy environment? I can imagine that our house would be washed away by a  heavy downpour and we'd go floating away like a leaf! How about an earthquake? I would hate to die under the weight of cardboard! Although you will probably respond by saying that cardboard is light, so we would manage to survive, right?"He stopped her and showed her a website on his smartphone. It was the website of a cardboard housing company. There were many pictures of their houses from all over the world. The message on the top read: "Our company is a venture business that many large companies are investing in. Why don't you try a partnership with us in this meaningful project, which is eco-friendly and high-tech … the cardboard has room between the two layers, so the rooms inside are protected from outside sound, and, in addition, adjust the temperature between the outside and the inside. Furthermore, the houses are stronger than you think. Our new paint that we have invented enables the house to be stronger than a normal house, even though the materials are very light. Lastly, if anyone would ever like to replace their cardboard house, the materials are a 100% recyclable! This cardboard material is the ultimate material for housing. Our company's skillful carpenters … " "See! This is amazing! Environmental friendly and money friendly, too! We can use the rest of the money for our future children," he excitedly exclaimed. The wife was still suspicious, but she really wanted to leave his parents' house. So she agreed with him. 10 days later, he received the materials for their house. The materials seemed less than what he had expected. He waited for the "skillful carpenters" to come, but nobody came. He called the company and an operator said that the carpenters required additional money, which is stated on their website. After he hung up the phone, he checked their website. It was written in small letters. Furthermore, it stated, in more small letters, that there was a non-refund policy. On his day off, he started to build the cardboard house by himself. But he couldn't build it suitably. There was a blueprint, but it was more like an illustration. He went to the police and explained what happened. The police said that this was a new type of fraud. The targeted people were usually curious by both environmental friendly products as well as the low cost aspects of the product. He fit the description. Because the company was headquartered in a different country, the only thing that the police could do was to report it to the International Agency. After a couple of weeks, he managed to finish building the house, and started to live in it. His wife and parents were against him moving in because it seemed unsafe. But he didn't listen to them. After a week, the house collapsed. As his wife predicted, it was light enough that he didn't get hurt. He cleaned up the debris. For him, it was kind of humorous that he could throw away all the materials along with the recyclable newspapers. The garbage truck's workers were astonished with the large amount of trash. Although they complained, they still hauled it all away. After the incident, the husband started to live in his camping tent on the same place that he built the cardboard house. He didn't want to return to his parents' house. His wife and parents were worried about his health. He was very stubborn. Thanks to this situation, his wife and mother became intimate, so the original goal for building the cardboard house was accomplished. He looked just like a pouting but determined child in his tent every night. Using his smartphone, he searched on the Internet every night and finally he found what he was looking for. He sent an e-mail to the particular website, and after a while he got a return mail. After a while, a professor and his students from the university came to his place and measured the land. They took many pictures of the location. A month later, the professor and his students came back with a truck and started their project. They unloaded the materials from the truck. It was mostly bamboo. They cut the bamboo according to their blueprints. The professor was a leading architect of bamboo building. Neighbors gathered around wondering what was happening. Some of them, including himself, asked the professor if they could help. He agreed. It was not easy work. They needed special skills in the collaboration between traditional techniques and new technology: Pillar & Beam: They used bounded bamboo. They calculated each strength according to the places that they were to be used. They used vines to bind everything together. Roof: They used thatch. In the past, thatch had been widely used in moderate and tropical countries. They are an ideal material to adjust to varying temperatures and humidity. They could keep for several decades. Wall: They used clay for the outside walls, which could also control humidity. They used new chemicals that made the wall stronger. First, they weaved the bamboo sticks across, and then put the clay over. For the inside walls, they used Japanese paper. Window: They used glass, which was the only pre-made material that they used. Base & Floor: They coated the bamboo with a new waterproof chemical on the base of the pillars and the roof. They set the floor one meter above the base so that the house could keep the humidity level down. After a month, the house was completed and a party was held in the new house. The husband made a speech thanking the professor and the others. The professor gave a return speech saying that it was a great opportunity to build a private house with the help of his neighbors. It started from a single email about a new marriage that was at risk, and might be ruined if he didn't accept the proposal. The email sounded so urgent. Now that the house has been built, the relationship won't ever be broken. There was a big laugh. |
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*for less :より少ない額で
*cardboard :段ボール
*get along with :仲良くやる
*pouting :ふくれっ面の
*determined :断固とした
*aspect :側面
*weave :編む