Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Passive-surveillance site layout
Passive · New build only
One of 3 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Placing the entrances, paths and windows so that the house and its approaches can be seen from the road and from inside. Someone coming to the door is in plain view rather than hidden. It discourages intruders at no cost, simply through how the site is laid out.
Build it
Nothing separate is built here: this is a choice about how the home is designed or used.
Cost
Low
Upkeep
None
Skill to build
None
Lifespan
Matches site layout lifespan (a design/layout choice, not a wearing component)
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Passive-surveillance site layout (This page) Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: None · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you are laying out a new site and want to deter intruders at no cost.
Mechanical locking hardware + shutters Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want protection that works without power, with shutters that also guard the glass and keep heat in.
Motion-activated exterior lighting Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want dark approaches lit only when someone comes, for very little power.
Sources
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Limitations of this page
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.