“Growers in colder climates often utilize various approaches to extend the growing season or to give their crops a boost, whether it’s coldframes, hoop houses or greenhouses.
Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening
DIY
Steve’s New Straw Bale House in Scotland
Yesterday’s blog post was about Steve’s unpermitted straw bale house in Scotland. This is the new straw bale house he is building that includes an amazing (first ever?) double reciprocal roof.
£4000 Strawbale House in Scotland
Steve built a £4000 ($6,260) unpermitted house in Scotland a few years back with local materials. (He hopes to build it for less next time.) The results are marvelous as you can see. His websites are packed with wonderful photos and drawings that show the details. Now you know why I get so excited about natural building, especially when there are no codes to deal with. At just a little over $6,200, just imagine how many hundreds of thousands of homeowners (or millions) could build their own debt free homes. This is something most Americans can afford. Compare this to paying $500/month rent for one year = $6,000. Or invest $6,000 in a natural house and live rent free for the rest of your life. Lots of people are already living this way, and there’s obviously a groundswell of interest as this information spreads.
Building a Work of Art
JOSHUA TREE — “Some of the most grandiose and uncanny pieces of desert art aren’t hanging in local homes. They are the homes. Using stones, concrete and an assemblage of recycled and found objects, Randy Polumbo created the rock and glass house — or as some call it, the “trash house” — in Joshua Tree. The home is representative of the area’s signature art movement, using glass bottles, scrap metal, reclaimed windows, used military ammunition cases and anything else Polumbo could weld or meld into the structure.
Bonita Domes Project Update
“We are building our first project in Joshua Tree California using SuperAdobe Earth Bag building technology as taught by Cal Earth. Bonita Domes composed of The Village; a 868 sq. ft. triple dome structure. We are learning to build a home using minimal resources and materials on hand yet requires a good amount of physical labor. We invite you to come build with us. Here we will keep you posted about opportunities to visit to Bonita Domes Project, learn Super Adobe building technology and be inspired to create your shelter within community.”
Vanuatu Earthbag Update Aug 12, 2013
“Hi Owen, I’ve been sick for the past fortnight but it’s given me a chance to process all the offers and opportunities that have opened up.
I am going to have to work with the government in Vanuatu so I have to be very clear what I can offer to a community and how I can fund it.