When buying land, natural builders are faced with one of their biggest challenges trying to decide: what area is best?, how much to spend?, what will I need?, what about codes? It helps to hear firsthand advice from people actually living off-grid like the couple in this video.
natural building
31 Insanely Clever Remodeling Ideas For Your Home
Take a look at these home remodeling ideas to spark creativity for your own DIY low cost remodeling projects using recycled wood, antiques, natural building materials, etc. There are hundreds of similar ideas to consider. It’s endless really. Besides searching online, another source of design inspiration is home design magazines. Sometimes you can buy them by the box at yard sales for pennies on the dollar.
Handbuilt small homes and the building codes
“This video is about small handbuilt homes and how building codes stand in the way. For the first part of this 2-part documentary on why we need small handbuilt homes please visit: https://youtu.be/dZF6d3gUdd0
13 Most Unusual Houses
Not all of the houses in the video are sustainably built with natural materials, however sometimes it’s fun to look at something different and unusual to stir the imagination. My personal favorites are Simon Dale’s 3,000 Euro Hobbit House in Wales (perhaps the most popular natural home in the modern era) and the Flintstones House. Simon Dale’s house epitomizes why Kelly and I do what we do. This house demonstrates how people of average skill can build their own affordable, even dirt cheap, natural house in a reasonable amount of time so they can break free of the rat race and do what they really want to do in life. Which ones are your favorites?
DIY Soil Stabilizer Recipe Part 2 – Call for Assistance
This is a call for assistance from a librarian who can help find a book on how to make do-it-yourself soil stabilizers for natural home builders. About two years ago I published a blog post titled DIY Soil Stabilizer Recipe that has received quite a few comments. Now it’s time to take things to the next level.
Free CASBA Straw Bale Journals 2007-2012
Free journals published by the California Straw Building Association are available on their website as PDF downloads. Only issues from 2007-2012 are available at this time. I’m not sure if the journal is still published. The issues I looked at are quite good. To give you an idea of the content, the first article in the list is titled ‘Straw Bale House Designed by CASBA Members Arkin Tilt Architects Wins Fine Homebuilding Magazine’s “Best New Home” of 2012’.