“This lovely 1500 square foot house is partially built from the old house that stood on the property. It has an R-factor of about 45 and feels spacious and cozy all at the same time.”
natural building
Give Young Nepalis the Chance to Take Back Their Own Country
“Stand on a Kathmandu street corner and meet the smartest, most talented young men and women you’ll ever run into, all determined to get their country back on its feet after a catastrophic earthquake. Hike into the mountains and meet their parents, living in tin shacks and waiting for government aid that may never come.
Lenient Building Codes in Upstate NY
Great news for natural builders and homesteaders in New York — from Bill, one of our readers. Is it just me or does there seem to be a growing number of areas with more reasonable building requirements?
50+ Year Old Couple Build Off Grid Cob/Strawbale Tiny House for $30k
Nice couple. Good video that explains how they built their 20’x30’ (600 sq. ft.) home with cash without debt by recycling and repurposing almost all materials. The $30,000 cost included a septic tank and well. They combined cob, strawbale and light straw/clay, and kept the design as simple as possible. All of the plumbing is in one short interior wall between the kitchen and bath. They have a simple shed roof, etc. The homeowners say their choice “was the best thing they ever did”. Now they have no bills.
Zak’s Earthbag Hut in the Philippines
“Our earthbag hut is located in a place called El Nido which is in Palawan, Philippines.
School in Phulping, Sindhupalchok District, Nepal Retrofitted with Earthbags
The first of its kind earthbag school in Nepal has steel posts embedded inside an earthbag wall. The steel framed school was retrofitted with 3-meter long heavy duty polypropylene earthbag tubes filled with soil.