A key aspect of natural building is learning out how to best utilize minimally processed, locally available natural materials and salvaged materials to meet your needs. This includes using good site and climate building techniques in the design of the home. What works best in one location will likely be different than another location. Be sure to study ‘best practices’ that have evolved over the centuries for your specific area. Things such as roof pitch and overhangs, choice of materials, height of stem walls, percentage of solar glazing, ventilation details etc. are all very important.
dirt cheap
T-bricks – the easy way to make an adobe home
“Here’s an explanation of our adobe T-brick building method. It’s simple, easy, and can be done by just about anyone: https://naturalbuildingblog.com/cast-in-situ-adobe-t-bricks
Lowest Cost Earthbag Building Methods
This blog post describes super low cost earthbag building methods that do not have to meet code. These dirt cheap building methods are primarily for those in mild climates (minimal freezing) and low or non-code areas.
DIY Ferrocement Domes and Vaults
“The “Green” movement has its roots in the late 60’s with the “back-to-the land” movement—-when people really started to think not just about alternative life styles but different methods of building—-including sustainability. It could easily be argued that the father and mother of the back-to-the-land movement were Helen and Scott Nearing.
Update on Rex’s Pallet House in Texas
This is an update on the pallet house in Texas that we reported on earlier. The ultra-low cost is what really caught my attention and kept me following their progress. The latest cost estimate is around $4/sq. ft. Now that is dirt cheap!
Sapling Roof Framing
For ultra low-cost small roofs with no building codes.
The Slide Collection of Butser Ancient Farm
“There is still an intention to store all the many slides in the Reynolds’ collection on this website. The size of this presentation indicates the difficulty with upwards of 10,000 slides available. A DVD may be the answer, given time.