Wooden shipping pallets are typically available for free and are very practical for building homes, furniture and many other things. We’ve already explored several ways of building pallet walls: Post and Beam Pallet Wall, Earth Lodge Pallet Walls, Interior Pallet Walls, Straw Bale Pallet Walls. This new design sprang from the idea of creating wider … Read more
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1do9_g6PoY&w=560&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKAB3bhawz0&w=560&h=315] These homes are looking better and better. The second video shows the construction of 11 SafeT homes in a Haitian village that were built in just one week. In addition to the advantages mentioned in our previous blog post about these Grain Bin Homes, the homes are engineered, include screened soffit … Read more
From Woodweb.com: “What is heart pine? Heart pine is the actual heartwood of the tree. Since pine used to be quite large when it was logged some hundred years ago, the pine trees were able to grow large enough to develop heartwood. Now that is not the case, as pine trees do not grow as … Read more
Many natural builders use wooden TJI engineered joists for floors and roofs. This online specifier’s guide makes it easy to determine what size TJIs to use. From Custom Truss LLC: “What are TJI Wooden Floor Joists? TJI joists offer an excellent alternative to wooden floor trusses or flat roofs. These high-tech joists combine webs of … Read more
Coppiced wood has all sorts of practical uses for natural builders – sustainable fuel source, pole building, wattle and daub, pinning, braces, latilla ceilings and more. “Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In … Read more
“I PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! Global Warming Equals Increasing Fire Danger Build a Durable Fire resistant Structure Fire Resistant Roofing Fire Resistant Decking Maintain a Defensible Space II LESSONS FROM THE 1993 LAGUNA BEACH FIRE – WHAT SURVIVED? – Many if not most homes burned from the inside out (fire storm heat ignited interior curtains, etc) … Read more