“Three years go, Laura LaVoie and her husband Matt decided that they were tired of their 2,400-square-foot home and began building one a fraction of its size. Sure, they enjoyed having lots of space so they could invite guests over and throw parties. But at some point, the size became too overwhelming.
low cost
Wattle and Cob: An Earthen House Built by Hand
Here’s another super low cost, all natural housing method. Snakes of cob are coiled around a pole frame.
“Peak Moment 215: “I think it’s very very important to know you can provide things for yourself? build your own house? grow your own food? make your own medicine.” Walking his talk, Greg Crawford shows the magical wattle-and-cob house he built with hand tools using local materials: alder trees in the surrounding forest, and clay from what later became the house floor. Building his house was an “experiment in intuitive architecture… using common sense while “letting the building evolve, change and grow on its own.””
Alt. Building Blog
I think you’ll enjoy this alternative building blog about traditional building in the Southwest. To browse the Alt. Building Blog by subject, scroll down to the bottom right side to Labels. There’s plenty of info for hours of enjoyable reading.
Lava Rock Houses
We’ve covered earthbag houses made with lava rock/scoria in great detail. (Use the search engine on the right if you’re a new reader.) For fun, let’s take a look at a few stone houses made of mortared lava rock. The construction process is obviously completely different, but both enjoy the benefits of lightweight, insulating, fireproof and bug proof volcanic rock. Stone houses typically have exceptionally long lifespans
Another CEB Wall Method
“CEBs are one of the cheapest, simplest building methods available. They are an advancement on adobe blocks and are far more versatile, durable and strong.