“Climate and weather in the high desert of Arizona are harsh. Granted, we don’t have the severe cold of northern states, but monsoonal rains driven by 50 mph winds and intense sun that will burn skin through a long sleeved shirt can be tough on a building made of straw and adobe clay.
do it yourself
The Mud Home.com Interior
Update on Kerry’s roundhouse in Turkey that withstood an earthquake. The interior is looking real nice.
Paper Bag Floors
“Those of you that are looking for an affordable, attractive, totally doable flooring solution have come to the right place! I wanted to do paper flooring, mostly because it was cheap and I thought it looked great. But mostly because it was cheap. My boys room is about 10 x 12 and I did the whole thing for about $80, but I have enough supplies left over that the next room will cost about $30. Most of you are probably wondering what the heck paper on a floor looks like and I don’t blame you, it’s kind of a weird idea. Here is what the finished product looks like…”
Old-fashioned Pole Barn Structure for the Small Farm
“As progress continues on the new workshop, Pa Mac demonstrates how he constructs the framework for his pole barn type structure. Visit Farm Hands Companion to find articles, posts, photographs, and encouragement for today’s self-sufficient farm.”
Grand Designs Abroad — Straw Bale House, France
A very engaging story of building a modern strawbale house in a very traditional area of France. Grand Designs does it again. They excel at revealing the personal side of homebuilding.
Shop Class as Soulcraft
New York Times Bestseller
“A philosopher / mechanic destroys the pretensions of the high-prestige workplace and makes an irresistible case for working with one’s hands.
Shop Class as Soulcraft brings alive an experience that was once quite common, but now seems to be receding from society: making and fixing things. Those of us who sit in an office often feel a lack of connection to the material world and find it difficult to say exactly what we do all day. For anyone who felt hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own inclinations and natural bents, Shop Class as Soulcraft seeks to restore the honor of the manual trades as a life worth choosing.