Rammed tire construction is far from my recommended building method. Use earthbags instead and this design would be very practical.
house design
The Owner Built Homestead — Free Form Architecture
“Ken Kern, author of The Owner-Built Home and The Owner-Built Homestead, is an amazing fellow and everyone interested in decentralist, back-to-the-land, rational living should know of his work. Back in 1948 he began collecting information on low-cost, simple and natural construction materials and techniques. He combed the world for ideas, tried them and started writing about his experiments.
Pinterest: Outdoor Living Areas
Don’t forget to plan your outdoor living space when designing your new sustainable home. Pinterest.com has lots of good photos like these on every topic.
Ecological home of Sanjay and Pratibha Singh
“The artist couple Pratibha and Sanjay Singh have a nice earth based ecological home along with a studio for Sanjay as part of the home. The whole house is of earth excavated from the site. There is no plastering or painting for the building. The house is naturally lit and naturally ventilated with no fan or air conditioning. Sanjay is an avid gardener and we josh about his North Indian garden. Harvested rain supplies the garden water and adds to the house hold use. Grey water from the kitchen is reused for the garden.
Porches, Arbors and Trellises
Pinterest does it again. This site never ceases to amaze. Pinterest is so good that I have to be careful not to spend too much time there or other things won’t get done. They seem to have endless high quality images of every imaginable topic, although as mentioned previously there’s no convenient way to search their site, so I use my favorite search engine.
Natural Live Edge Woodwork
Here’s a Pinterest site showing the natural beauty of live edge woodwork on furniture and countertops. Rustic woodwork can slash costs and create a warmer, more beautiful home environment. It’s perfect for owner-builders.