In 2021, Mathieu Munsch walked away from the “normal” script— rent, bills, loans, a regular job— and headed for a sloping meadow in northeast France to build something radically simple: a small home made from the earth under his feet, wood from nearby, and straw bales from local farmers. He kept it to 50 m² … Read more
While vacationing, Nicole and Gav decided they “might as well” view some smallholdings for sale to simply indulge in a dream they had long carried. They were attracted to a 13-acre smallholding in west Wales, with a crumbling farmhouse and a yard full of derelict outbuildings. The couple immediately fell in love with it and … Read more
Built in 1864 by Charles White, the Courtenay Hotel was one of the first “coaching inns” between Christchurch and the goldfields on the West Coast of New Zealand. It was a center of activity in the region, hosting travelers, social activities and council meetings. The building had fallen into disrepair over the decades until a … Read more
Grant Johnson moved to Utah in his 20s, purchased a piece of land that would become an inholding of a National Monument, and spent the next 40 years creating an off-grid homestead with a 5,000 square foot cave house. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com
The Rijnvliet housing development in the Netherlands has around 1,000 fruit trees and 220 species of edible flora. The development has 1,000 homes surrounded by parks, rivers and forestry with the aim of including as much food producing plants as possible. “The idea of an edible neighborhood originated from the residents themselves”, says the landscape … Read more
Hazelmead is the UK’s largest completed cohousing development, designed by Barefoot Architects for Bridport Cohousing. There are 53 affordable, net-zero carbon homes—mixing flats and terraced houses—along car-free streets, shared vegetable gardens, and a community microgrid with solar panels and battery storage. Built to rigorous sustainability standards, the timber-framed buildings have passive solar orientation, high insulation, … Read more