Earthbag Building Guide Now Available!

Earthbag Building Guide: Vertical Walls Step-by-Step By Owen Geiger Much has been learned about earthbag building over the last few decades through research, trial and error, and sharing of information. It is becoming increasingly clear what works best and why. And now with engineer-approved methods for building in code-enforced areas, it is time to pull … Read more

Designing Your Affordable, Energy-Efficient, Eco-Friendly Home

There’s a huge groundswell of interest in living more lightly on the earth. On the one hand, conscientious homeowners want to pollute less and protect natural resources. But they also want to save money on construction and energy costs and still have a beautiful, safe and comfortable home. Whether you call it natural building, green … Read more

Why is there an Energy Crisis?

A BIG issue in everyone’s lives today is increasing fuel costs. (Don’t be fooled by [temporary] low prices. They’ll be going back up shortly due to limitations in oil production.) High oil prices are connected to peak oil and gas production, wars to secure limited resources and climate change. These problems are all a consequence … Read more

Save Money with Common Plumbing Walls

Plumbing is typically a major expense in any new building. Price hikes in copper and plumbing parts in general continue to drive costs higher. And at $50/hour for journeyman plumbers, costs add up quickly. Consolidating the plumbing in one plumbing wall (also called a wet wall) will reduce costs and labor. This reduces the lineal … Read more

Fusion Dry-Stack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwnQwpVDlE Here’s an innovative way to cover walls. Fusion stone doesn’t require mortar. Stones are held in place with clips and screws. You can see a close-up of the stone and mounting system at about 50 seconds. It’s possible to do something similar with cast thin geopolymer stone with grooves in the edges.