From time to time, just for fun, we cover fascinating stories about ancient structures. I’m intrigued by the work of Michael Tellinger who’s been researching and documenting ancient stone structures in southern Africa. By his estimate the ancient stone circles in southern Africa comprise the largest, most extensive stone archaeological site on the planet. Mainstream archaeologists say this area was sparsely populated with just a few thousand people in ancient times. However, Tellinger estimates that the stone circles number in the millions. So who built these structures that strangely have no doors or entrances and ring like bells?
General
Manual Straw Bale Press
“The “Bali Baler” is a manual press that creates bales measuring 50 cm wide x 50 cm high x 100 cm long (19″ x 19″ x 39″). The bales are a bit wider than the standard bales in the USA. Designing in metric made everything simple and with the 6:1 ratio we were able to build the walls 3 meters high – close to 10′ tall.
Off-Grid Prospector-Style Tent: A Tiny House Alternative
“In this video, we give you a tour of a prospector-style, 4-season tent that is completely off-grid. The tent is built with two layers of weather-proof canvas stretched over a wooden frame and is equipped with a double combustion wood stove for heat, a solar panel to power 1 LED light, and a propane fridge … Read more
Art of living in a Dordogne tiny mud home with living roof
“In a small forest in France’s Dordogne, self-taught carpenter Menthé built his home with a living roof and mud walls, plus hand-carved wood from the surrounding forest shaped according to ideas from 16th century French architect Philibert de l’Orme. The result is a charming and very cozy home that fits perfectly into the woodland.”
How to Build a Mud House to Last up to 10,000 Yrs England
The building industry doesn’t want people to know about this! Modern building materials are expensive, often require special tools and expertise, rot or burn after a few decades, and many times offgas toxic fumes. Fortunately, word is spreading about natural building and how almost anyone can build their own home at much lower cost. Examples of ancient natural buildings that are still standing after thousands of years can be found worldwide. This includes earthen structures in earthquake zones that have withstood centuries of earthquakes. These ancient building methods are being rediscovered and utilized to beat the high cost of home building.
How to Build with Strawbales
“Student How-To Video on how to build a strawbale building. University of Washington.”