The Build Library · 56 hands-on modules
Build · Sep 2026
How we build every piece — step by step.
Fifty-six build modules, grouped into twelve zones, each with an illustrated step-by-step guide. Filter by zone, difficulty, cost or whether volunteers can help — and open any tile for the full build.
- 56 modules
- 12 zones
- EN + PT
- Reclaimed-first
In motion
An animated tour through the builds documented so far.
💧Water SystemsIBC Food-Grade Rainwater Cascade
💧Water SystemsFirst-Flush Diverter for Guttering
💧Water SystemsGreywater Reed-Bed Filter
💧Water SystemsBarrel First-Flush Diverter
💧Water SystemsHeader Tank on Stone Plinth
💧Water SystemsSwale / Natural Infiltration Zone
🚿Dry Toilet & ShowerCompost Dry Toilet (Twin-chamber)
🚿Dry Toilet & ShowerUrine Diversion Soak-Away
🚿Dry Toilet & ShowerSolar Shower (Gravity + heating)
🚿Dry Toilet & ShowerOutdoor Shower Stone Wall
🚿Dry Toilet & ShowerHandwashing Station
🪨Pathways & SignageGranite Stepping-Stone Path
🪨Pathways & SignageWoodchip + Log-Edge Soft Path
🪨Pathways & SignagePallet-Wood Directional Signs
🪨Pathways & SignageReclaimed-Slate Engraved Markers
🪨Pathways & SignageBottle / Glass Border Edging
🔥Fire & GatheringRustic Premium Fire Circle
🔥Fire & GatheringIntimate Fire Pit with Seating
🔥Fire & GatheringGabion + Tyre Seating Ring
🔥Fire & GatheringCable-Drum + Upcycled-Wood Side Tables
🧖Sauna & WellnessStone Plinth for Sauna Building
🧖Sauna & WellnessPallet-Clad Sauna Cabin Walls
🧖Sauna & WellnessReclaimed-Window Glazing for Chill Shelter
🧖Sauna & WellnessCable-Drum Plunge Tub Surround
🍳Outdoor KitchenPallet + Granite Counter Base
🍳Outdoor KitchenIBC-Cage Larder Shelving
🍳Outdoor KitchenReclaimed-Door Pantry Hutch
🍳Outdoor KitchenWine-Barrel Sink Stand + Greywater
🍳Outdoor KitchenScaffold-Board Open Shelves
🍳Outdoor KitchenBrick or Can Rocket Stove
💪Natural GymScaffold-Tube Pull-Up & Dip Rig
💪Natural GymAtlas Lifting Stones + Casting Circle
💪Natural GymCharred Log Press Bar
💪Natural GymSandbag Set + Storage Rack
🌱Garden & AquaponicsTwo-Tank Staged Aquaponics MVP
🌱Garden & AquaponicsStone Herb-Garden Spiral
🌱Garden & AquaponicsPallet Vertical Planters
🌱Garden & AquaponicsBathtub Raised Beds
🌱Garden & AquaponicsTyre Potato Towers
🚐Caravan & StayPallet Cladding & Skirting
🚐Caravan & StayReclaimed-Window Porch/Awning
🚐Caravan & StayPallet Deck + Steps
🚐Caravan & StayTyre + Board Levelling Pads
🚐Caravan & StaySalvaged-Door Interior Refit
🔧Storage & WorkshopPallet Tool Wall + Shadow Board
🔧Storage & WorkshopIBC-Cage Material Lockers
🔧Storage & WorkshopReclaimed-Door Workshop Shed
🔧Storage & WorkshopCable-Drum Workbench
🔧Storage & WorkshopPallet Timber Rack
🛖Guest ExperienceReclaimed-Furniture Refurbishment
🛖Guest ExperiencePallet Daybed / Lounge Platform
🛖Guest ExperienceBottle / Jar Solar Lanterns
🛖Guest ExperienceCable-Reel Coffee Tables
📸Content & BrandingSecond Life Object Story Tags / QR Codes
📸Content & BrandingBefore / After Photo Stations
📸Content & BrandingReclaimed-Wood Signage / Logo WallAudio guide
Listen to the library while you work
A narrated walkthrough of the build — for the road, or hands-busy on site.
Map of the projectThe whole library as a mind map — expand the branches to explore zones and systems.
Sistema de Uso de Pedra
Princípios de Design
- Material Gratuito: Granito local
- Criação à volta de formas naturais
- Técnica Plug & Feather (baixo ruído/pó)
Classificação de Segurança
- Verde: Seguro (Caminhos, Espirais de ervas)
- Laranja: Verificar (Plintos, Degraus, Muros <0.6m)
- Vermelho: Estrutural/Fogo (Lareiras, Muros >0.6m)
Catálogo de Padrões (Exemplos)
- Círculo de Fogo Premium
- Caminho Caravana para Sauna
- Muros de Alvenaria Seca
- Plinto de Entrada da Sauna
Estação de Lançamento de Machado
Conceito e Versões
- Versão A: MVP Seguro (Plástico/Cerdas)
- Versão B: Estação Desportiva (Madeira real)
- Versão C: Premium Rústico (Pérgula e Granito)
Especificações Técnicas (WATL)
- Distância de lançamento: 3.66m
- Altura do centro do alvo: 1.52m
- Madeira do alvo: Pinho/Choupo (grão vertical)
Segurança e Legal
- Apenas supervisão treinada
- Armazenamento trancado de machados
- Verificação de seguro Responsabilidade Civil
- Regra Estrita: Álcool zero
Estratégia de Upcycling
Pilares da Marca
- Honestidade (manter marcas de desgaste)
- Rústico por Design (simplicidade intencional)
- Focado na Terra (materiais locais)
Banco de Materiais Reutilizados
- Paletes HT (Camas de jardim, decks)
- Blocos de EPS (Isolamento de paredes)
- Contentores IBC (Aquaponia, recolha de água)
- Pneus (Lixeiras, lastro, exercícios)
Infraestrutura e Sistemas
Sistema de Água
- Cascata de IBCs para água da chuva
- Filtro de zona de raízes (águas cinzentas)
- Tanque elevado (distribuição gravítica)
Higiene e Bem-estar
- Toilete Seco Compostável
- Duche Solar (aquecimento passivo)
- Ginásio de Pedra (Pedra Forte)
Browse by zone
56 modules · 12 zones
Each zone gathers the modules that build one part of the retreat — and explains the principle behind them.
⬇ Download PDF — all infographics ⬇ Slide deck💧 Water Systems
Catch it, clean it, move it by gravity.
Every retreat lives or dies by its water. Before any comfort is built, we harvest rain from roofs into food-grade IBCs, divert the dirty first flush, and let gravity carry clean water downhill — no pumps, no grid.
- First-flush diverter is mandatory
- Food-grade IBCs only, kept in shade
- Level the plinth — water seeks level
🚿 Dry Toilet & Shower
Closing the loop, hygienically.
Off-grid sanitation that turns waste into fertility without contaminating water. Twin-chamber compost toilets, urine-diversion soak-aways and sun-warmed gravity showers — sited carefully, vented properly.
- Separate solids from urine
- ≥10–15 m from any water source
- 20-minute hygiene induction first
🪨 Pathways & Signage
How guests move and find their way.
The land becomes navigable: granite stepping-stones for permanence, woodchip-and-log paths for soft forest routes, hand-painted pallet signs and engraved slate markers to guide and tell stories.
- Non-slip finish, ≤5 cm joint gaps
- 2% cross-fall for drainage
- No sharp edges at guest height
🔥 Fire & Gathering
The social heart of the retreat.
Where the day ends. Granite fire circles, intimate seating pits and upcycled side tables built from the land's own stone — designed for golden-hour gatherings around a contained flame.
- Fire design requires sign-off
- Wildfire clearance ≥10 m
- Non-combustible base mandatory
🧖 Sauna & Wellness
Heat, cold, and the space between.
A wellness ritual built from pallets and salvage: a stone plinth foundation, pallet-clad cabin walls, reclaimed-window chill shelters and a cable-drum cold-plunge surround.
- DPC under the plinth is mandatory
- HT pallets only — never MB
- Safety glass in all guest areas
🍳 Outdoor Kitchen
The heart of every shared day.
Pallet-and-granite counters, IBC-cage larders, salvaged-door pantries, wine-barrel sinks with greywater, and a brick rocket stove — a full working kitchen at close to zero material cost.
- HT pallets + food-grade only
- Non-combustible worktop near flame
- Rocket stove outdoors, reviewed flue
💪 Natural Gym
An open-air strength garden.
Scaffold-tube pull-up rigs, cast atlas stones, charred log press bars and sandbag sets — a complete strength park built from galvanised tube, concrete and reclaimed timber to EN 16630 thinking.
- Footings ≥600 mm deep
- Concrete cures the full 28 days
- ≥1.5 m fall zone around rigs
🌱 Garden & Aquaponics
Food that grows itself.
A two-tank aquaponics MVP where fish feed plants and plants clean water, plus stone herb spirals, pallet vertical planters, bathtub beds and tyre potato towers — layered, productive, photogenic.
- Food-grade IBC + backup air pump
- Cycle 6 weeks before adding fish
- Verify fish legality (DGAV/ICNF)
🚐 Caravan & Stay
Turning a caravan into a home in the land.
Pallet cladding and skirting, reclaimed-window porches, pallet decks with steps, tyre levelling pads and salvaged-door interior refits — wrapping a basic caravan in warmth and belonging.
- Never cover vents or gas outlets
- Joists on stone/concrete, not soil
- Even step rise ≤18 cm, anti-slip
🔧 Storage & Workshop
Where the build keeps itself organised.
Pallet tool walls with shadow boards, IBC-cage lockers, a salvaged-door workshop shed, cable-drum workbenches and pallet timber racks — order that makes every other build faster.
- Hooks rated for tool weight
- Sharp tools at chest height
- Shed roof ≥15° pitch
🛖 Guest Experience
The comfort guests remember.
Refurbished reclaimed furniture, pallet daybeds, bottle solar lanterns and cable-reel coffee tables — the soft, finishing layer that turns a build site into a place people want to stay.
- Sand smooth, finishes non-toxic
- Tempered glass on tops
- Edge-rail raised platforms
📸 Content & Branding
Telling the story as you build it.
Object story-tags with QR codes, before/after photo stations and a reclaimed-wood logo wall — the layer that captures every transformation and turns the build itself into the brand.
- Guest consent before featuring
- Weatherproof labels, smooth edges
- Test every QR link before deploy
On video
The build library in motion
Lusitano Retreat
Build it with us
These modules are raised by hand during our 21-day September build sprint. Come and learn them on the land.