Over a billion people in the world lack decent housing even though there are dozens of low cost housing methods that could eliminate this problem. Possibilities include building with earthbags, adobe, cob, pallets, bamboo and other locally available materials. These affordable, sustainable housing options are described on our blog in good detail. Additionally, the Internet has thousands of websites, blogs, online journals and forums with even more information about these building methods. There are thousands of low income housing groups working on this cause. And, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of information on how to build affordable housing, and yet the lack of decent housing persists. So what’s going on? What’s the real problem here?
natural building
Half Earth Shelter
“This is part 1 of an instructional video of how to build a Half Earth Shelter. This video is brough to you by Ways Of The Wild Institute and White Wolf.”
Brilliant Newfoundlander Invents the Solution!
“Jim Meaney, owner of Cansolair Inc. displays how he converts pop cans into a powerful solar heating panel.”
Vanuatu Earthbag Project Report
In an effort to prove that a simple earthbag roundhouse could be built entirely with unskilled and inexperienced labor we made a leap of faith.
We bought a block of land on the island of Efate in Vanuatu. We intended to build a women’s centre and hoped to inspire pacific islanders to recycle and build safe affordable Eco housing. This is not a charity or a religious venture. It just started with one Australian family wanting to help some friends in a nearby island.
Economizer House Plan with Log Siding
Our Children’s House Design Contest is over and I’m sad to say we didn’t receive any entries. The contest idea was sparked by Jay, a frequent commenter here on our blog, who pointed out how housing styles can be dramatically altered with just a few changes.
Off Grid Tiny House with two kitchens
Another excellent video by Permies.com. This 12’x12′ cabin cost about $3,000.
“Matt, from Feral Farm, talks about a tiny house he built. This tiny house has a tiny kitchen space inside, and a much larger outdoor kitchen. Everything at Feral Farm is off grid, including this tiny house.