George Nez pioneered and wrote the book on hypar roofs, along with Albert Knott. They’re extremely durable and practical, and have been used around the world for decades. This is the same type of roof used on the Free Burma Ranger Clinic posted earlier. The basic process involves building a wood or bamboo … Read more
New FEMA flood insurance regulations are going to have a huge impact on homeowners who live along US waterways. Robert Rash (see below) says these regulations will impact 40% of Americans. Keith Haley, a former weather forecaster who has lived in his current home 47 years and never been flooded, is being required buy FEMA … Read more
“Such nice people … I am super happy! Machimbrado finished the roof membrane. It was a labor intense 7 days, praying that the rains do not bend the wood, covered with plastic at night what we were roofing. The only thing missing is a wing, perhaps made of reeds. We made a modification in the … Read more
External pinning is a simple, inexpensive way to make stronger buildings. This method is widely used to reinforce strawbale and earthbag buildings. External pinning is not always necessary. Structures such as domes or small roundhouses made with soil-filled earthbags usually do not need external pins. This process is mostly used to stabilize long straight walls … Read more
Here’s a comment by poster ilekjer at Instructables.com: I was actually planning to build an earth-cellar, kinda like the ones built here in Norway for a couple of thousand years. They were/is used primarily for storing vegetables and food. They hold the temperature roundabout 8-10 °C in summertime and about 4-6 °C in the winter. … Read more
The previous blog post about Pacific Style architecture brought up the topic of garden walls with flowing water, so I did a quick search on the Internet for a few examples. These samples may be a little over the top, but keep in mind they don’t have to be large and complicated. You can create … Read more