Thumb through popular architecture sources and you’ll readily spot a growing trend toward curved and round designs. It’s a revolt against the box. Oh sure, the status quo suburban box is alive and well, and will likely endure as long as the existing building codes, insurance and financial institutions remain in place. But there’s a … Read more
This post continues the discussion about Counties with Few or No Building Codes, which has become our number one most popular blog post. Obviously this is something a lot of people want to know more about. As mentioned before, one approach to building alternative housing is to buy rural property with an existing structure, septic, … Read more
This is part 2 about building lightweight, insulated vaults with earthbags. Lower courses are gravel-filled bags to prevent water wicking up in the wall. Above that are standard earthbags filled with subsoil. These bags could be stabilized with lime or cement if there’s risk of flooding. Upper bags are filled with insulation and tied to … Read more
Part 1 dealt with the physical side of building. Part 2 covered the young lady who’s helping hundreds of children in Nepal. This blog post points out ways to reduce housing costs. The common theme here is looking for workable solutions despite the challenges you’re up against such as lack of money, skills, tools, sufficient … Read more
We needed an inexpensive way to make durable countertops for our outdoor kitchen, and after a little head scratching we came up with a pretty good solution at a fraction of the cost of custom made – about $20 instead of $2,000. (This cost is for 12.5 lineal feet of 25-1/2” countertops.) This savings more … Read more
Brandon Rogers is a native of Orlando who decided to move to Africa to get some hands-on experience building affordable homes after a stint at a design firm in the states. Now, instead of sitting in a cubicle, he spends his time developing affordable housing schemes and putting them into action. He’s studied a variety … Read more