Root cellars are great to help preserve some produce through the winter. When most people think of a root cellar, they picture a large underground room, often with an entrance somewhere in the yard separate from the house. But building a root cellar requires space and resources that are not always available to homeowners. Here … Read more
Marlena and Eugene built their homestead in Blanco, Texas using salvaged windows, doors, wood flooring, tile, a bathtub, a lot of plywood, and some lumber. After over a decade of building, they now have a completely off-grid home, workshop, garden, and rental cabin. They bought all six of their 500- to 700-gallon rainwater barrels for … Read more
Here are some abandoned properties in Scotland that are waiting to be converted. If you love a challenge and have great imagination, you could create a home that is truly one of a kind. The Sourin Mill on the island of Rousay still houses the original mill workings, including wooden wheels dating as far back … Read more
At Cornerstone Housing on the outskirts of Leeds is a six bedroom house that is part of a co-operative where the participants have been able to buy the house and then rent it at an affordable price back to themselves as tenants. Nearby, Chapeltown Cohousing plans to build build an eco-community of up to 30 … Read more
With walls made from old tires packed with earth, as well as upcycled glass bottles and cans, Earthships have always been built with mainly found materials. The home provides its own energy (with photovoltaics, passive solar and geothermal tubes), water (rainwater and even dew-water capture) and grows food in the greenhouse (necessary for temperature regulation … Read more
I recently received the email quoted below from Matt Anderson. He writes about the new documentary that he has just released titled What’s a Colloquium? I watched the film and can heartily recommend that you watch it as well. Most of the video was shot during the last Natural Building Colloquium that I attended at … Read more