It’s good to know a variety of building ideas to draw from as you design your dream home. Box beams are hollow, nonstructural members made from ¾” plywood or solid wood. They add a beautiful look that can dress up an otherwise boring ceiling without too much time, cost and labor. You could build box … Read more
Here’s a great way to add color in your home. Add some crushed recycled glass in the final coat of plaster to make your house sparkle. The text below is from a Chinese supplier (edited for clarity). Color: clear, dark blue, light blue, aqua blue, light green, dark green, black, white, golden yellow, yellow, purple, … Read more
The diagram above shows how sustainable building is one important part of having a good life.
Ferrocement doesn’t have to mean gray and boring. Here are just a few options for finishing ferrocement ceilings, beams, columns and walls. Image source: Arquitectura Organica (Nautilus House) Image source: Flying Concrete
This is the largest, most successful earthbag project in Haiti so far. They’re doing a great job in an extremely difficult situation. “At this village in Bongnol, Haiti, Haiti Christian Development Project has completed 10 of 14 planned earthbag houses for earthquake refugees at the cost of $2200 each. Men of the community were hired … Read more
The blog post the other day about Temporary Shelters made with straw bales was a big hit and so I located this old instructional video and got it uploaded to my YouTube channel. I’ve already received more positive comments than most any of my other videos. This video has an incredible story. It was almost … Read more