Many of our readers use post and beam frames for their natural homes and so it’s important to know various options for setting posts. I’ve been corresponding with Zafra, one of our readers and the lady who helped translate my Earthbag Building Guide into Spanish. She and her partner Daniel are going to use bamboo poles on their natural home in Venezuela, but the method shown here will work just as well with wood or metal poles.
DIY
Eco-couple told to pull down their ‘hobbit home’ made entirely out of natural materials
“Family of three is made homeless by planning inspector’s decision. They built their home from scratch, but have been ordered to tear it down. The couple admit they built it without first getting planning permission. Their labour of love was branded ‘harmful’ to the countryside. The young couple has been left heartbroken after planners ordered their unique ‘hobbit home’ to be bulldozed, effectively leaving them homeless.”
Lammas Ecovillage Gallery
The Lammas ecovillage is near the strawbale hobbit home we featured in yesterday’s blog post. Need some home design inspiration? Take a few minutes and browse the Lammas image gallery. This sort of building is contagious. (Who doesn’t want a nice affordable home that looks great and doesn’t destroy the environment?) That explains the hardline stance of council officials against outlaw structures.
Wiki Natural House Proposal
Proposal for free creative commons natural home designs.
Wiki Natural Houses: free, open source, downloadable PDF and CAD files so everyone can build their own low cost home.
The Incredible House Truck Michael Ostaski Built
“Renaissance artist and craftsman Michael Ostaski gives a tour of the house truck he built in the 60’s. To build his Land Yacht Michael started with a stripped down truck cab with a simple bare chassis behind and built EVERYTHING you see with his own hands (by himself). This includes: welding the foundational framework to the truck, complete skeletal system, extensive woodworking details, skylights, siding, roofing, electrical, plumbing, cabinetry, stained glass windows, upholstery, tile work, airbrush, etc (not to mention the design itself).”
Shipping container family home: building blocks in Redwoods
Even if you don’t like shipping container homes, this house has lots of good ideas that can be utilized on other designs.