Question about Light Straw/Clay Answered

As many of you know I maintain an “Ask the Experts” opportunity at www.greenhomebuilding.com for people to post specific questions that they might have regarding various aspects of natural building and sustainable architecture. I have been doing this for about two decades and some of the experts have been helping me with this for about … Read more

Survival Shelter Ideas

I just found this YouTube channel called Survival Shelter Ideas that has some amazing videos like the one posted below. The channel itself has very little information about who is actually doing the work, but it appears to be an Asian couple in their 30’s (although she looks much younger in this video. Their interests … Read more

Building a Straw/Clay House in Canada

Ten years ago when Tim Kroeker’s last child finally graduated high school, he and his wife decided it was now or never to follow through on their many years-long dream of building a house…an alternative house…in “the country”. They had investigated a number of construction methods…straw bale, cordwood masonry, rammed earth, Earthship, log, etc. …and … Read more

The Making of an Earthbag House in India

In the last post I referenced the work of Sindhu Bhaskar as part of the Thannal Mud Homes Trust in India.  She and her architect husband Biju built their own earthbag home made almost entirely with natural materials. In this video you can see how they made this 550 Sq Ft  home in one and … Read more

Natural Building as a Solution for India

Over one-third of the world’s population still lives in mud homes made with mud, but their popularity has been steadily declining. A recent survey conducted by scientists from India and The Netherlands found that cement’s popularity and availability were the main reason. It is a matter of “societal image” that is the key barrier to … Read more