“The small city of Athens, Ohio is a hotbed of sustainable building practices. There are nearly two dozen strawbale houses, an earthship and many off the grid dwellings in the vicinity. We did not realize this until after we had moved here. When we decided to stay we spent a year intensively researching alternatives to … Read more
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1do9_g6PoY&w=560&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKAB3bhawz0&w=560&h=315] These homes are looking better and better. The second video shows the construction of 11 SafeT homes in a Haitian village that were built in just one week. In addition to the advantages mentioned in our previous blog post about these Grain Bin Homes, the homes are engineered, include screened soffit … Read more
From Woodweb.com: “What is heart pine? Heart pine is the actual heartwood of the tree. Since pine used to be quite large when it was logged some hundred years ago, the pine trees were able to grow large enough to develop heartwood. Now that is not the case, as pine trees do not grow as … Read more
Many natural builders use wooden TJI engineered joists for floors and roofs. This online specifier’s guide makes it easy to determine what size TJIs to use. From Custom Truss LLC: “What are TJI Wooden Floor Joists? TJI joists offer an excellent alternative to wooden floor trusses or flat roofs. These high-tech joists combine webs of … Read more
Definition of latilla from Dictionary.com: “luh-tee-uh, a peeled branch or piece of wood laid between beams of a ceiling or above the vigas for decoration.” From Southwest Building Supply: “Latilla is from the Spanish word Lata, meaning stick. These “sticks” are used as a traditional ceiling material, laid between beams or vigas. Latillas are cut … Read more
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWFqsztMnI&w=560&h=315] We’ve had several reports on Project Somos. This video is their May 2011 update. They’re doing outstanding work and I encourage readers to study their website and learn more about how they are building. Compassion Fruit Society began construction of the eco-sustainable Project Somos Children’s Village near Tecpan, Guatemala. The Village will become … Read more