“The Barefoot Architect, in its evolution, came out a stunner. Not only in looks, but also in both usefulness and practicality in today’s world. We didn’t anticipate the timing, but the green movement matured as this book was being produced and it’s a perfect intersection. At a glance, the book may appear to be about … Read more
“This article is a distillation of various tips and tricks I’ve learned for making salvaging and building an enjoyable and rewarding process. Building with salvaged materials has many potential advantages. First, salvaged materials are usually less costly than new materials, and they may be of better quality (e.g., well aged wood that doesn’t shrink, crack … Read more
An inexpensive option to thick concrete floors. The diagram below is from the 1972 book “The Owner Built Home”, by Ken Kern. In this discussion Kern describes a lightweight 1″ thick fiber reinforced floor system that had been tested extensively in India. The system starts with a flat earthen floor surface that has been loosened … Read more
Stephen and Nena MacDonald’s post and beam strawbale house in Gila, New Mexico that was built in 1988-1989. The initial shell was $5/sq. ft. and the finished cost was between $7-$8/sq. ft. – Permaculture.org “Build our house out of straw?” When our neighbor suggested the idea as a solution to our housing problem, both my … Read more
From time to time we answer reader’s questions. Building codes, and where to live where there are Few or No Building Codes so as to reduce construction costs, is our #1 most popular topic. Q: I’m thinking about building a 120 sq. ft. structure as a home to get around the building codes. In my … Read more
“Inspiration for your quiet place somewhere. Edited by the folks at Beaver Brook.” This is a fantastic site with hundreds of beautiful cabin photos! I’ve had the pleasure of living in places very similar to those in the photos. Thanks to Ziggy at Year of Mud for finding this great website. Image source: Free Cabin … Read more