New Life Foundation

Adobe New Life Foundation retreat center
Adobe New Life Foundation retreat center

“It is our mission to cultivate a lifestyle that fosters inner growth and helps people to find meaning and purpose in life again. We believe that all of us have everything it takes to create a peaceful, equitable and sustainable existence. All we have to do is renew our relationship with ourselves and our environment.

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Code Approved Rammed Tire Foundations

If you spend enough time you can find almost anything now for free on the Internet. Jason has been sending me one good tip after another. He recommended Strawworks.com in the UK for their detail drawings. They’re world famous for their expertise in strawbale building. Visit their site to see their code approved rammed tire foundation detail drawing and other excellent drawings, photos and more. Note: I still prefer gravel bag foundations for their speed and ease of construction, however, it can be challenging getting them permitted in areas with building codes.

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Floating Reed Houses

Floating reed houses on Lake Titicaca, Peru
Floating reed houses on Lake Titicaca, Peru

“The Uros use bundles of dried totora reeds to make reed boats (balsas mats), and to make the islands themselves. The larger islands house about ten families, while smaller ones, only about thirty meters wide, house only two or three. The islets are made of totora reeds, which grow in the lake. The dense roots that the plants develop and interweave form a natural layer called Khili (about one to two meters thick) that support the islands.

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Industrial Earthbag Projects

Industrial earthbag projects include massive projects such as highway retaining walls.
Industrial earthbag projects include massive projects such as highway retaining walls.

Our focus here is on low cost, owner-built homes. From time to time it’s interesting to explore related ideas to see what’s available or going on. As we’ve reported before, there’s a whole industry that specializes in industrial earthbag projects using geotextiles or geosynthetics. Their primary journal is called Geosynthetics Magazine.

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Tumblr Hobbit House Photos

Hobbit houses on Tumblr
Hobbit houses on Tumblr

These are by far the best photos I’ve seen of hobbit houses from the Hobbit movie set. There are hundreds of professional quality, high res, clear, sharp photos from every angle. Hobbit folks will certainly love the photos.

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