Things we build because we need them.
Real problems, experiments and practical solutions from life at Tanča Gora.
Problems are a good place to start.
Living here constantly gives us things to figure out. How do you keep stored rainwater clean? How do you stop a broken pipe from emptying a cistern? Can a greenhouse take care of itself while you’re away? And how do natural building techniques fit together with modern automation?
We usually start by building something for ourselves. We test it, change it, occasionally start again, and keep what works.
These are some of the projects currently growing out of Tanča Gora.
Eco loft
Natural building meets modern technology.
Eco Loft began as a hands-on experiment in creating a comfortable living space with natural materials, reclaimed elements and as much of our own work as possible.
Traditional and low-tech building techniques live alongside a very different layer: sensors, smart controls and IoT automation. The aim isn’t technology for its own sake, but a building that uses simple solutions where they work — and technology where it genuinely makes life easier.
Today, Eco Loft is both our home and a full-scale demonstration of ideas that can be touched, opened, examined and learned from.
NATURAL BUILDING · RECLAIMED MATERIALS · DIY · IoT · AUTOMATION
Want to learn how it’s done? →
Rainwater Ozone Treatment
Keeping stored rainwater clean — without constantly adding chemicals.
When your water comes from the sky, collecting it is only half the job. Stored rainwater can sit in a cistern for weeks or months, and keeping it clean becomes an important part of making the system reliable.
We built an ozone-based treatment system that periodically circulates and disinfects the stored water. Ozone is generated when needed, does its job and then breaks down back into oxygen — leaving no chemical disinfectant behind.
What started as a practical solution for our own water supply has gradually evolved into a compact system that can be adapted to different tanks and installations.
RAINWATER · OZONE · WATER TREATMENT · OFF-GRID · PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Smart tank protection
Stopping a small water problem from becoming an empty cistern.
When every litre of water matters, an open tap, a disconnected hose or a broken pipe can become a surprisingly big problem. A pump can keep running until an entire cistern is empty — often before anyone notices.
Our protection system monitors water flow and looks for consumption that doesn’t make sense. If water keeps flowing for too long or exceeds expected limits, the system shuts down the pump before the stored water is lost.
The idea is deliberately simple: detect unusual behaviour, react automatically and let us know what happened. It is being developed for places where water is limited and nobody may be around to notice a problem.
WATER · FLOW MONITORING · ELECTRONICS · AUTOMATION · PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Greenhouse Automation
Taking care of the greenhouse when we’re not there.
A greenhouse can change surprisingly quickly. A sunny morning can turn it into an oven, plants need water at different times, and leaving it unattended for even a few days can become a problem.
Our automation system brings together temperature and humidity monitoring, ventilation and irrigation, allowing the greenhouse to respond to changing conditions on its own.
The goal isn’t to remove people from growing food. It’s to automate the repetitive and time-critical jobs — while keeping the system simple, understandable and reliable enough to work without constant supervision.
GREENHOUSE · SENSORS · IRRIGATION · VENTILATION · IoT · AUTOMATION
Want to get your hands on it?
Some things make more sense when you build them yourself.
Many of these projects can be explored hands-on at Tanča Gora. Stay with us, choose what interests you, and we’ll spend the time taking it apart, explaining how it works — and showing you how you can build your own.