Old-fashioned Pole Barn Structure for the Small Farm

“As progress continues on the new workshop, Pa Mac demonstrates how he constructs the framework for his pole barn type structure. Visit Farm Hands Companion to find articles, posts, photographs, and encouragement for today’s self-sufficient farm.”

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EcoNest Homes

Today’s post profiles another leading natural home builder – EcoNest Homes. They’re well known for their finely crafted timberframe and straw/clay construction. “EcoNest is… the name we have given to our holistically designed and hand-crafted natural homes. An EcoNest incorporates timber-frame, straw-clay walls, earth plasters and natural and non-toxic finishes. This combination of time-honored building … Read more

Confined Earthbag Construction

Confined earthbag construction
Confined earthbag construction

Confined masonry is one of the most common building systems in the world, with millions of structures built this way. The first confined earthbag house is now under construction in Ecuador.

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Another Post Footing Alternative

Concrete footing detail for wood, bamboo or metal posts
Concrete footing detail for wood, bamboo or metal posts

Many of our readers use post and beam frames for their natural homes and so it’s important to know various options for setting posts. I’ve been corresponding with Zafra, one of our readers and the lady who helped translate my Earthbag Building Guide into Spanish. She and her partner Daniel are going to use bamboo poles on their natural home in Venezuela, but the method shown here will work just as well with wood or metal poles.

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