My earthbag dome and earthbag roundhouse project have been selected for the Best of 2011 at Instructables.com. Also, Instructables.com has a new book coming out that will feature my earthbag dome building instructions.
green building
Building Maintenance
More excellent advice from Ziggy over at Year of Mud blog who’s busy building his straw bale/post and beam home.
“If you want to build a natural home, or any home, really, expect that you will have to perform building maintenance. I think that generally speaking, it’s nice to consider how to limit the maintenance necessary over the lifespan of the home. As with anything in this world, however, consider the issue of balance. Can you afford time to devote to maintaining earthen plaster potentially every other year, or would you rather use a more durable lime plaster, which can take the weather, but has more embodied energy, and is more expensive? It probably depends.
Garage Apartments
Like many readers here, you might be dreaming of your sustainable natural home. But maybe you’re busy saving money at a job in town and not ready for the plunge. Temporarily living in a simple garage apartment/garage studio is one way to live simply so it’s easier to save for your dream home.
John’s Earthbag House
People are dreaming of a better world with homes made of natural materials.
“Argentina is an ideal land to create a radical shift in how homes are built and how we live as a society. Once out of the city, building codes dissolve and one is free to design and build to heart’s content. Here in the sierras land is abundant. I’d love to see some of your designs or hear more about your story.
Earthbag Social Housing – Carrancas, Brazil
“This construction project was on invitation from the local council in Carrancas, (Minas Gerais, Brazil) to offer a prototype for an eco and low cost solution to social housing. It was a three-month project which was received with much attention and enthusiasm from the community and council, and has been well-loved since by its occupants.”
15 Star-Shaped Forts From Around the World
These amazing forts are particularly interesting to me because many times they protected a village in the center.