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?
Sacrificial / replaceable wear components
Passive
One of 2 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Designing the cheapest, most exposed part (sill boards, splash boards at grade) to be the one that wears and gets replaced, rather than the structure behind it.
Build it
Nothing separate is built here: this is a choice about how the home is designed or used.
Cost
Low
Upkeep
Occasional
Skill to build
Basic
Lifespan
Deliberately short and variable by design, the point is these parts are meant to wear out and be replaced (5-15 years typical for exposed sill/splash boards) so the structure behind them doesn't have to
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Sacrificial / replaceable wear components (This page) 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: Yes Choose it if you want the parts that wear first to be cheap and quick to replace.
Mechanically fastened, non-glued assemblies Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want every part to come apart again for repair or reuse.
Sources
No sources recorded yet.
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.