General – Page 111 – Natural Building Blog

Creating a Ferrocement Boat

June 3, 2022March 2, 2013 by Owen Geiger

Creating a ferro cement boat from EMAS on Vimeo.

Another great project by Wolfgang Buchner of EMAS in Bolivia, the inventor of the EMAS pump. I want one of these! This ferrocement boat could be built for around $50, depending on where you live. (Adjust for costs in your area.) Try finding a sturdy boat for that price. And it’s so simple to do! Once you’ve mastered the basic steps, you could build many other types of boats. What about a houseboat made one section at a time? This would be a great cottage industry product for certain areas.

The Sustainable Farmer

June 3, 2022February 24, 2013 by Owen Geiger

The Sustainable Farmer from Humanity.TV on Vimeo.

“After years of being a mechanical engineer, Sandot quit his job and moved back to this family farm in Northern Thailand. Now, he works to reforest the area and create a sustainable lifestyle and culture for both his neighbors and his family by growing his own food, building bamboo houses, and living the simple life.”

Tiny House Infographic

June 3, 2022February 14, 2013 by Owen Geiger

“About a week and a half ago I did a post along with many other of the tiny house bloggers where we conducted a survey of tiny house people. It asked things like income, savings, etc. so we could get a better idea of what a tiny house person is like and how they compare to the typical American.

Straw Bale Roundhouse in Taos, NM

June 3, 2022February 10, 2013 by Owen Geiger

We were just talking about strawbale roundhouses the other day. (See: Straw Bale Roundhouses Built in One Day.) This one is in New Mexico. I highly encourage people to try gravel bag foundations. (Polypropylene bags or tubes filled with gravel.) They could have saved a great deal of time, money and effort. A small, simple foundation like this one can be built in one day with two workers. Our free websites and articles explain the details.

Log Cabin Simplicity: recrafting pioneer tiny homes in corn Iowa

June 3, 2022February 8, 2013 by Owen Geiger

“Paul Cutting bought his first log cabin for $600 and with no background in construction, he began to meticulously take it apart, documenting where each piece was placed so some day he could put it back together in an authentic fashion.

Tiny Off-Grid Cabin in Maine is Completely Self-Sustaining

June 3, 2022February 7, 2013 by Owen Geiger

Tiny off-grid cabin on a coastal island in Maine

“A project 30 years in the making, this tiny off-grid retreat on a coastal island in Maine is almost entirely self-sufficient. Designed and built by Alex Porter for her father, the project features a shed roof and is wrapped in a distinctive blue-grey corrugated skin. Dwell recently profiled the home, which is the only solar-powered retreat on the isolated island – its sustainable power source actually makes life a lot more leisurely, as the family does not need to schlep in fuel to run a noisy generator. They didn’t give anything up, as they have all the conveniences of a regular home — but with a view you don’t get in an everyday residence.”