Here’s a fun, whimsical, but practical outdoor project featured in the Los Angeles Times. Ilse Ackerman of Los Angeles built an outdoor lounge area with fire pit using books, Internet advice, YouTube and her own thriftiness. Inspired by Mark Frauenfelder’s do-it-yourself book, “Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World,” Ackerman built the … Read more
Here are some quotes from FantasticHemp. I cannot verify many of the claims made on their site, but this certainly seems like something to investigate further. “Hemp can be made into any building material, including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray-on insulation, concrete pipes, … Read more
This new idea comes from two recent blog posts. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read the blog post about How They Built the Pyramids. Geopolymer is a subject I’ll be returning to again and again because it makes so much sense on so many levels. In addition, the blog post last … Read more
Breaking news. This just in from Brandon Ross, P.E. whose team has just completed an earthbag wind test in Florida. Text is from his preliminary report. Final results are expected to be published in a few months. “The University of Florida chapter of Engineers Without Borders has completed wind testing of an earthbag wall. The … Read more
It’s a thrill to announce the completion of our earthbag cool pantry. As you can read in previous posts, this structure is designed to keep food cool without electricity. It’s a simple design that anyone can build on the side of their house. Cool Pantry Update Cool Pantries: Storing Food Without Using Power
This video is by David Easton, the well known owner of Rammed Earth Works in California and author of The Rammed Earth House, the best selling book on the subject. Here’s Wiki’s description: “Soil cement is a construction material, a mix of pulverized natural soil with small amount of Portland cement and water, usually processed … Read more