Consider investigating small rural communities with lax building codes for homesteading. Many of these communities are in slow decline and eager for new community members. Keep an eye out for properties for sale and related community information online. Many properties come on the market when seniors pass away and children want to live in big cities. Look for areas with good water and established gardens with good soil.
How to Test and Make Exterior Render using Cow Poo
“It can take about two weeks to get your tests ready for this particular mix so make sure to leave enough time. You are going to need to do a number of tests before you find your ideal render, as the materials and the way they react to the environment are going to be different everywhere in the world. Even if you are living in a similar climate to us here, I would not recommend copying our mix as the clay, sand and poo you will be using will not likely be the same.”
Weaving Studio Plan
In the early 1970’s I was commissioned to design and build a small weaving studio on property located along the coast in Bolinas, California. The client was a weaving apprentice with my sister, who was living on rented property with her family. There was room on that property to place a small studio separated from the main house, and that is where she wanted me to build the studio. Obviously it would be foolish to place a permanent structure on rented property, so I suggested that I design it in such a way that it could fairly easily be dismantled and moved elsewhere if necessary. She liked the idea, so that is what I did.
First Earthbag Toilet Prototype Completed in India
Great news from Kateryna Zemskova of Good Earth Nepal.org: “We are proud to announce the completion of our first hyperadobe toilet in Madurai, India. [For new readers: hyperadobe uses raschel mesh earthbags. See this hyperadobe step-by-step article with photos and building directions. Also, you can search our blog for further details.]
5 Reasons We Love Earthbags
“Back in 2012, our co-founder Jamie sought to build a school in Malawi using conventional western building techniques. After lots of research, he soon discovered that this would prove too costly. It was then that he came across the earthbag building system.
Building an Earthbag and Stone Rainwater Storage Cellar
I decided to build a simple recessed cellar in my yard that would serve a variety of functions, including rainwater storage, root cellar and space for vermiculture (worm bins). All of these require relatively cool but not freezing conditions, so digging into the ground was a good way to accomplish this. It seemed like the easiest approach would be to build this primarily with earthbags.
First I calculated how large it needed to be in order to hold the two large (275 gallon) water tanks I intended to buy, as well as provide enough space for produce and worms. It was a tricky business to fit all of this in the space available, especially because I had to work between existing underground irrigation pipes.