Natural Homes: techniques, solutions and beautiful images

[Constance]

Natural homes can be such beautiful, timeless, welcoming and restful places to be. If you have ever had the opportunity to visit, live or stay in a natural home, you might well understand what I am saying here. :sun:


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I have always seen the home as a natural extension of one's self, and when you are living in a space that feels warm, homely, comfortable and is aesthetically pleasing, you can't help but feel good inside.


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Natural homes, in addition to being practical, energy efficient, cost affordable (depending on how you build) and earth-friendly can also be whimsical, highly personalised and can incorporate recycled natural materials.



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Over many years now, I have been deeply interested in mastering the art of natural living and in particular, in building my own natural home and helping others to do the same.

When I first started to think about building a natural home, it all seemed rather daunting at first. When I first took the plunge to build my own home with natural materials, I often wondered what I had gotten myself into.

I didn't have any experience whatsoever (apart from a few workshops and building an earth dome) and I had only the most rudimentary of carpentry skills. However, what I soon discovered was that as long as you have two hands, an imagination, the time, the access to resources, and some helping friends along the way, almost anyone who is willing to have a go at it, can build a natural home.


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Our living room wall being plastered with cob with a little help from a friend:)

I'm still the amateur when it comes to building; I've made a few mistakes along the way and there were many times when I had to improvise (too many times to count!) but I soon learned that Mother natures materials are very forgiving, and this was a really crucial factor in helping to build my confidence. If you have ever played with clay, you will know what I am talking about.

When it comes to experimenting with creating something new, the beauty of working with natural materials is that they are very pliable/flexible in their nature. Natural materials like cob, strawbales, light clay straw, hempcrete, bamboo and wood can bend and mould into different shapes and forms; you are only ever limited by your imagination as to what you can create. So you can play, you can get really creative with what you are doing and at the end of the day, if something hasn't worked out, you can simply reuse or repurpose the material, or if it is not working out at all, return it to the earth!

Many countries experience housing shortages for many reasons, poverty, war, uninhabitable spaces, lack of land, environmental disasters and overcrowding, (forgive me if I have missed anything here).

Mother Earth needs us now more than ever to be building natural homes.

Whilst we can never return to being cavemen, we can look to the most natural solutions that are most harmonious to us all. We need to build more homes made or derived out of natural materials local to our area (vernacular), materials that are 100% biodegradable, and cost-effective. As my favourite natural builder Sigo Koko says, "Build like you give a damn!"

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Building a natural home can also be a community builder. Natural building takes time and when you invite your local community, friends and family to participate, it can also be a lot of fun. It is a project that can bring people together, create common ground and saves on labour costs.

To build, or to live in a natural home has the potential to bring so many rewards for not just our generation, but for many future generations to come.

We also need to consider, the mini ice age that will be here in our lifetime. We are going to be needing homes that are well insulated and well built. The thick walls of many different types of natural homes such as strawbale can keep a house passively warm in winter with minimal heating required.

See these threads here for more information about the coming mini ice age.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?92384-Weird-wild-weather-floods-freak-storms-giant-hail-record-lows-all-over-the-world

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?96561-...Climate-Change...--AKA-Global-Warming--...-is-it-a-scam

I do hope to inspire someone along the way, even if it is to begin the first step in considering the relationship that we have between ourselves, our homes and Mother Nature. I feel that the further that we distance ourselves from living in harmony with nature, the further we have distanced ourselves from being able to live in peace, to return to our natural state, and to well and truly know who we are.

I would love to share all the resources I have gathered, share all the practical advice and solutions I have received from those who have trodden the path before me, share practical how-to video's, contribute some of my own unique ideas, and share beautiful photographs of some of the most inspiring natural homes I have seen from the past and present.

I would also like to invite you to share your own building experiences, your natural homes and things you have learned here too! :star:

[spade]

thanks for sharing, here are some examples of ancient ways of building but operating in the present day.

[Bubu]

I prefer to live in a house with lots of air circulating The more I'm expose to the elements of nature the healthier I become. Of course freezing is not a concern in our place. I dont normally sleep in the family house I normally have a makeshift house at the back with 3 walls or a portion of roof open.


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/15DgbzQmpsU/maxresdefault.jpg

[Reinhard]

Alyoshas USA workshops in February might be of interest:
https://www.bioveda.co/usa-tour?inf_contact_key=d107a384460e36facdb458ce80248982680f8914173f9191b1c0223e68310bb1

[Constance]

These are beautiful buildings Spade. :flower: The use of catenary arches and is that sandstone I see for the walls?

[Constance]

I prefer to live in a house with lots of air circulating The more I'm expose to the elements of nature the healthier I become. Of course freezing is not a concern in our place. I dont normally sleep in the family house I normally have a makeshift house at the back with 3 walls or a portion of roof open.


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/15DgbzQmpsU/maxresdefault.jpg

Bubu, that is really wonderful that you are so close to nature. Is that your home?

[Bubu]

I prefer to live in a house with lots of air circulating The more I'm expose to the elements of nature the healthier I become. Of course freezing is not a concern in our place. I dont normally sleep in the family house I normally have a makeshift house at the back with 3 walls or a portion of roof open.


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/15DgbzQmpsU/maxresdefault.jpg

Bubu, that is really wonderful that you are so close to nature. Is that your home?

Nope I use to have one very similar but much bigger back in 2005 to 2010 I dont have a camera back then so no photos. :(

[Constance]

Natural materials tend to be on the bulky/heavy side and transportation costs can become extremely prohibitive as a result. It is best to use local materials if you are building with natural materials.

You can often obtain local materials at a very low cost, or if you use the earth beneath your feet, it can be free!

These are some of the different types of materials you can find being used to build natural buildings around the world.

Walls and structures

Adobe or cob - walls built out of the earth and water, sometimes using organic material such as straw or dung.

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Bamboo

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Cordwood (https://thisnzlife.co.nz/a-beginners-guide-to-building-a-cordwood-masonry-homes/)

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Caves

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Earthbags (https://www.calearth.org/superadobe-structures-calearth) - hemp bags filled with earth or cob

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[Constance]

Hempbale (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDGOPSVKeyg) - hemp bales covered in lime render

Mud brick or adobe bricks - mud packed into formwork and dried in the sun

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Rammed earth - soil packed into formwork

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Stone

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Strawbale - strawbales tied together and covered in cob or lime render

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Turf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_turf_house)- homes built from wood/earth and then covered in Turf

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[Constance]

Hempcrete - composed of lime and hemp hurds and then rendered in lime render. Hempcrete originated in France

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Light straw clay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSApSrd8VwY) - straw and clay packed into formwork between timber studs and then rendered with cob or lime.

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Underground homes- underground structures built by removing rock

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Wattle and daub - woven structures packed with cob

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Compressed earth bricks

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[amor]

What is COB?

[Franny]

Cal Earth in the desert of California. They have a variety of different structures and classes to learn how to build them. At the time I went there about 12 years ago it would cost about $6000 to build one but it would take about 4 connected together for a living space.

They build them in disaster areas all over the world.

https://www.calearth.org/superadobe-structures-calearth

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/575451b3d51cd4cfabfd8d77/57c1400859cc68dae81d5d69/57c14009579fb31c1f8e6a48/1472576689282/EcoDome11.jpg?format=750w

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/575451b3d51cd4cfabfd8d77/57c48f22d2b857cfaeddfb7c/57c48f22ff7c500b9465b676/1472499493007/IMG_8750.jpg?format=750w

[Constance]

What is COB?

Hi Amor:waving:

Cob is a mixture of soil, water and organic matter, (such as straw). Soil quality can and will vary, so to improve a cob mix, sand and clay are sometimes added.

It is a lot of fun building with cob as long as you are not building a large house. If anyone has seen Kevin Macleods Grand Design episode on the 10,000 square foot (929 square metres) Cob House (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6341367/Grand-Designs-return-cob-house-broke-family-best-ever.html) they will know what I am talking about.

To mix cob effortlessly, you can use your feet! The technical term is called, cob stomping :)

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Here is a short video describing the benefits of cob.

Main take home points:




It is completely environmentally friendly.
It is very hands-on type of work, labour intensive - a great family and community builder.
It can cost you almost nothing to build with cob.
It is super-durable and strong. (providing that it has a good top hat and good foundations)
It can be extremely efficient to heat.
It is termite and fire proof. (and depending on how you build, earthquake proof)
You can shape cob into any form you like.
You can use cob to support load bearing materials eg. roofs
There are many earthern homes around the world that have lasted for centuries.
It can be challenging to build a natural home built with cob due to conventional building/government regulations.


CWuHQOvNRDw

[Constance]

Cal Earth in the desert of California. They have a variety of different structures and classes to learn how to build them. At the time I went there about 12 years ago it would cost about $6000 to build one but it would take about 4 connected together for a living space.

They build them in disaster areas all over the world.



Latte, I've also had experience with building one of these shelters myself. The only issue I can see with adopting this method is the extensive use of plastic bags. Because of that alone, I wouldn't place it in the category of a "natural home". However, upon saying that, in emergency situations, a Cal Earth shelter would be perfect.
I have seen Earthbag shelters made out of hemp but how well the structure would hold together once the hemp biodegrades is anyones guess.
One would be better off building a cob dome maybe just because of how the straw/clay binds and holds everything together? The only issue I see with cob domes is that under high rainfall, the cob render will eventually become compromised and degrade.

[Constance]

A Pattern Language (http://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Ecological_Building/A_Pattern_Language.pdf) is a valuable book for anyone planning to build a home or a community. This beautiful and timeless book is still used by architects today.




You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction.

After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely." The three books are The Timeless Way of Building (https://archive.org/details/TheTimelessWayOfBuilding/page/n2), The Oregon Experiment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Experiment), and this book, A Pattern Language.

At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. This idea may be radical (it implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession) but it comes simply from the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects but by the people.

At the core of the books, too, is the point that in designing their environments people always rely on certain "languages," which, like the languages we speak, allow them to articulate and communicate an infinite variety of designs within a form, a system which gives them coherence. This book provides a language of this kind. It will enable a person to make a design for almost any kind of building, or any part of the built environment.

"Patterns," the units of this language, are answers to design problems (How high should a window sill be? How many stories should a building have? How much space in a neighborhood should be devoted to grass and trees?). More than 250 of the patterns in this pattern language are given: each consists of a problem statement, a discussion of the problem with an illustration, and a solution. As the authors say in their introduction, many of the patterns are archetypal, so deeply rooted in the nature of things that it seemly likely that they will be a part of human nature, and human action, as much in five hundred years as they are today.



Some snippets from the book.

Pattern language # 133
Staircases as a stage

A staircase is not just a way of getting from one floor to another. The stair is itself a space, a volume, a part of the building; and unless this space is made to live, it will be a dead spot, and work to disconnect the building and to tear its processes apart.


Place the main stair in a key position, central and visible. Treat the whole staircase as a room (or if it is outside, as a courtyard.) Arrange it so the stair and the room are one, with the stair coming down around one or two walls of the room. Flare out the bottom of the stair with open windows or balustrades and with wide steps so that the people coming down the stair become part of the action in the room while they are on the stair, and so that people below will naturally use the stair for seats.


Pattern language # 197
Thick walls

Houses with smooth hard walls made of prefabricated panels, concrete, gypsum, steel, aluminium, or glass always stay impersonal and dead. Open your mind to the possibility that the walls of your building can be thick, can occupy a substantial volume - even actual usable space - and need not be merely thin membranes which have no depth. Decide where these thick walls ought to be.

Pattern language # 202
Built-in seats

Built-in seats are great. Everybody loves them. They make a building feel comfortable and luxurious. But often they do not actually work. They are placed wrong, or are too narrow, or the back does not slope, or the view is wrong, or the seat is too hard. This pattern tells you what to do to make a built-in seat that really works.

Pattern language #203
Child caves

Wherever children play, around the house, in the neighbourhood, in schools, make small "caves" for them. Tuck these caves away in natural leftover spaces, under stairs, under kitchen counters. Keep the ceiling heights low - 2 feet 6 inches to 4 feet - and the entrance tiny.


Pattern language # 204
Secret place

Make a place in the house, perhaps only a few feet square, which is kept locked and secret; a place which is virtually impossible to discover - until you have been shown where it is; a place where the archives of the house, or other more potent secrets, might be kept.

[Bubu]

What is COB?

Hi Amor:waving:

Cob is a mixture of soil, water and organic matter, (such as straw). Soil quality can and will vary, so to improve a cob mix, sand and clay are sometimes added.

It is a lot of fun building with cob as long as you are not building a large house. If anyone has seen Kevin Macleods Grand Design episode on the 10,000 square foot (929 square metres) Cob House (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6341367/Grand-Designs-return-cob-house-broke-family-best-ever.html) they will know what I am talking about.

To mix cob effortlessly, you can use your feet! The technical term is called, cob stomping :)

39804



Here is a short video describing the benefits of cob.

Main take home points:




It is completely environmentally friendly.
It is very hands-on type of work, labour intensive - a great family and community builder.
It can cost you almost nothing to build with cob.
It is super-durable and strong. (providing that it has a good top hat and good foundations)
It can be extremely efficient to heat.
It is termite and fire proof. (and depending on how you build, earthquake proof)
You can shape cob into any form you like.
You can use cob to support load bearing materials eg. roofs
There are many earthern homes around the world that have lasted for centuries.
It can be challenging to build a natural home built with cob due to conventional building/government regulations.


CWuHQOvNRDw

someone has to come up with a cob mixer then it would be a lot easier to build with cob and save the foot.

[Bubu]

already have one


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cHBpOviwvc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFEmye_JRo

[Bubu]

http://ilovecob.com/archive/auger-mixer

[Lost N Found]

Concerning Cob housing. The best way to do this and it is purely natural, Is to do the mixing with bare feet. One gets to feel the earth between their toes while they are stomping the mud mix. The most important part of this is to have two pits, One full of grapes that you get folks in a community minded way to stomp the fruit into wine while the other groups stomp the mud mixture. This way everybody gets happy and the building moves right along. Do not mix the mud stompers with the grape stompers though, could make the wine a bit gritty.

Concerning the codes of local and state authorities. All of the above structures built with the natural materials have been around for 1000's of years and there are many of these types of structures still standing today. The building codes did not come about until 1927 in the United states and the book was very thin and small. It was created more by the Fire departments at the time. These codes were more or less for Fire, Life and Safety. simply because of all the big devasting fires in the big cities like New York and Chicago. I could talk alot about the codes and will later. The long story short of this happenstance was to turn the standard natural building materials into an alternative way to build while the codes required people to ask permission to build on their property and use the only materials that became mandated by the government. I will discuss the alternative materials later and how the codes regulate them in the United States.

Steven

[Constance]

Concerning Cob housing. The best way to do this and it is purely natural, Is to do the mixing with bare feet. One gets to feel the earth between their toes while they are stomping the mud mix.

It's quite healing (the mud) and meditative too. And fun! Mud fights anyone? :p



The most important part of this is to have two pits, One full of grapes that you get folks in a community minded way to stomp the fruit into wine while the other groups stomp the mud mixture. This way everybody gets happy and the building moves right along. Do not mix the mud stompers with the grape stompers though, could make the wine a bit gritty.

:bigsmile: I'll take my grape juice fresh, on the rocks.


I will discuss the alternative materials later and how the codes regulate them in the United States.

Thanks for this Steven :flower: Greatly appreciated.

[Constance]

All of the above structures built with the natural materials have been around for 1000's of years and there are many of these types of structures still standing today.

A shout out here to all my beloved Iranian friends :waving:

Take this ancient refridgerator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l) in Yakhchāl (Yakhchāl means ice pit) in Iran for example

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Or this ancient Windmill (http://naturalhomes.org/nashtifaan-windmills.htm) in Nashtifan Iran. The windmills at Nashtifan are believed to have been built during the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) and are among the oldest in the world.

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[Constance]

already have one


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cHBpOviwvc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFEmye_JRo

Thanks for sharing Bubu :highfive:

By the way, I really liked your thread on Nature :flower:

After having mixed a few hundred batches of clay, I can certainly appreciate how an electric mixer might be welcome!

I have to admit, I tried using an electric mixer at the beginning of the build but in the end, I actually found it more effortless to mix the cob in the traditional way? It just seemed more intuitive and I could get a real feeling for how well the cob mix was coming together?

[Constance]

One more natural building technique before I introduce the next section, Foundations, Frames, Floors and Roofs.

This is a Mud and Stud home. Mud & Stud is a construction technique found almost exclusively in Lincolnshire, UK where the timber frame has nailed, vertical laths between the studs. The mud of earth mixed with chopped straw and water is applied in layers and lime wash containing fat or oil seals the exterior.


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[Bubu]

[QUOTE=Bubu;1272522]

I have to admit, I tried using an electric mixer at the beginning of the build but in the end, I actually found it more effortless to mix the cob in the traditional way? It just seemed more intuitive and I could get a real feeling for how well the cob mix was coming together?

Yep if I want some exercise of the body and relaxation of the mind I would do it manually. But it almost instantly hit me that if I can create an easy way to make the cob, earth house can be mass produce. I have played the cob in concrete mixer in my mind and I must agree with one of the vids. Its not good for cob making. The creation of a much better one specifically for cob is underway (inside my head). I want this cob house to be exploited it will help lots of people.

[Bubu]

lime wash containing fat or oil seals the exterior.


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I'm curious how this is created. Is it for waterproofing so the rain wont wash off the earth/mud? Water proofing is my real concern? have I missed it?

[Constance]

But it almost instantly hit me that if I can create an easy way to make the cob, earth house can be mass produce.

I've been following this with great interest. WASP (https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printed-house-gaia/), based in Italy, have produced the first ever 3D printed Cob home. Their aim is to eventually provide mass produced Cob homes around the world.

KPaOCWrZJ94



The creation of a much better one specifically for cob is underway (inside my head). I want this cob house to be exploited it will help lots of people.

That is wonderful Bubu! If you feel like you can share here, I am sure that a great many would be interested in your thoughts and ideas. :)

[Constance]

lime wash containing fat or oil seals the exterior.


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I'm curious how this is created. Is it for waterproofing so the rain wont wash off the earth/mud? Water proofing is my real concern? have I missed it?

The exterior is painted with lime-wash which would have been given an animal fat or linseed oil additive for weatherproofing, so in essence, yes, it is for waterproofing to prevent pitting and deterioration of the cob.

If you are really concerned about waterproofing, it is highly essential to have a good top hat (roof). A roof that has extended eaves like this

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can mitigate any issues of rain falling directly upon the cob, combined with a high foundation (http://www.thiscobhouse.com/building-a-stone-foundation/) to protect the bottom of the wall.

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[Bubu]

The creation of a much better one specifically for cob is underway (inside my head). I want this cob house to be exploited it will help lots of people.

That is wonderful Bubu! If you feel like you can share here, I am sure that a great many would be interested in your thoughts and ideas. :)

Yes I definitely will post here a working prototype. I included this to my priority list of devices to create. Aside from being a builder I also make customize equipment for a living. So this is pretty under my line.
One question that lingers in my mind, How do they take care of shrinkage since mud tends to shrink a lot during drying.

[Constance]

Foundations

The “7th generation” principle taught by Native Americans says that in every decision, be it personal or in community, we must consider how it will affect our descendents seven generations into the future.

When we are building a home, not only do we need to consider what is essential to us, we also need to consider the environment and future generations. One of the most fundamental structures of your home is the foundation upon which it stands on.

The purpose of any foundation is to support and distribute the loads (weight) of the building to the ground in a stable manner so that there is no uneven settling and to extend your building stucture to stable earth.

It is always worth consulting with a local structural engineer to get the foundation design right. It will be money worth spent and you will be sure of having a home that will stand for many centuries to come.

Many factors can influence what type of foundation you build your home upon. Soil type, climate variations, topography, weather, cost, tree roots, flooding, bushfires.

There are many foundation options to accomplish this.


Rubble trench foundations (http://buildnaturally.blogspot.com/search?q=rubble+trench+foundations)

The main benefits of a Rubble trench foundation is that it acts like a drain, so it takes all water away. Water freezing is what causes foundations to heave/move and the site disturbance is limited to just below the building footprint. What this means is that there is no overdigging and no backfill. You can also greatly reduce or eliminate the need for any concrete.

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In conjunction with a rubble trench foundation, natural owner builders will often lay French drains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain). French drains are a trench filled with gravel or rock or containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from an area. A French drain can have perforated hollow pipes along the bottom to quickly vent water that seeps down through the upper gravel or rock.

French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from penetrating or damaging building foundations.

k7goh7iDCx0



Stone (dry or lime mortared)

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Mxrip_vr6wE

Posts/Pillars/Stumps

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Pouring hotlime on a post

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Bamboo Poles/Stilts (https://www.guaduabamboo.com/construction/the-reality-about-building-with-bamboo)

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[Constance]

Yes I definitely will post here a working prototype. I included this to my priority list of devices to create. Aside from being a builder I also make customize equipment for a living. So this is pretty under my line.

I'm very excited to hear this Bubu! I will look forward to seeing your working prototype! :clapping:


One question that lingers in my mind, How do they take care of shrinkage since mud tends to shrink a lot during drying.

There are always variabilities in timing a build and especially when building with cob. Cob homes are what I call "slow homes". They take time to build but they are worth it. Many of the natural builders that I know have taken at least a couple of years before they have finished their homes.

The type of soil you use, any aggregates or binders you use will also influence shrinkage. I have read somewhere that adding aggregates reduces the amount of shrinkage but I could be wrong there?

Hopefully this article (http://www.buildsomethingbeautiful.co.uk/about-cob/) will answer your question.



"...Well, the fact that it is mixed wet means in a thick wall it will take some months (depending on site conditions usually 6-9 months) after building, for the walls to finish shrinking. Most of the shrinkage will occur in the height of the wall, this means in practice waiting around a week of good weather between each lift (a lift being two feet or so in height) before it is sufficiently dry and strong to take the next lift. Therefore three months is ample time, allowing for a typical English summer to build a two-story building. Although the roof structure can go on a week after the wall plate height is reached it’s best to wait about six months before fitting windows and door frames, otherwise there is a danger of the reveals either side of the opening shrinking and then the lintel crushing the window frame. This means it is usually fifteen months from start to finishing a cob house.

Over the last twelve years I have built over fifteen buildings of one sort or another and all of them except two rather complex split-level part-retaining walled buildings have been finished well within this time frame. Although this is longer than a typical new estate house, it’s not actually especially long for any bespoke one off design building. It’s also worth noting if any green oak is used in the structure for lintels or roof structure then this will continue to shrink for much longer than the cob (about one year per inch thickness of timber)."

This article is intended for those who live in the UK, so for the Phillipines, drying times may be shorter or longer, depending on what time of the year you build? I assume you have rainy seasons that may prevent you from actively building with cob during those periods? :raining:

It is a good idea to cover unfinished cob homes during rainy periods with tarps although I have seen builders who haven't bothered to cover their cob with mixed results.


Two books here that might be helpful to you Bubu

1. "Building Green, A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods", Earth Plaster, Straw Bale, Cord-wood, Cob, Living Roofs by Clarke Snell & Tim Gallant (https://www.amazon.com/Building-Green-Complete-How-Alternative/dp/1579905323)(Lark Books, 2005). 2. "The Natural Building Companion. A Comprehensive Guide To Integrative Design And Construction (https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Building-Companion-Comprehensive-Construction/dp/1603583394)" (with instructional DVD) by Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McArleton (Chelsea Green Publishing 2012).

[Bubu]

Yes it is correct to say that adding aggregates will lessen shrinkage. Maybe a cross between ram earth and cob will be better. I mean less water equals less shrinkage. Geeee I think this is gonna keep my coconuts busy :) This is gonna really require for a specials cob mixer. I am looking into roller type mixer like the dough roller but with some form of teeth and a form of enclosure that continuously recirculate the cob. I will try to post a drawing when I get back.

Keep it coming please. Perhaps I could start somewhere from where it ends rather than reinvent the wheel altogether.

[Constance]

Keep it coming please.
I'll do my best! :bigsmile:

[Bubu]

Yes it is correct to say that adding aggregates will lessen shrinkage. Maybe a cross between ram earth and cob will be better. I mean less water equals less shrinkage. Geeee I think this is gonna keep my coconuts busy :) This is gonna really require for a specials cob mixer. I am looking into roller type mixer like the dough roller but with some form of teeth and a form of enclosure that continuously recirculate the cob. I will try to post a drawing when I get back.

Keep it coming please. Perhaps I could start somewhere from where it ends rather than reinvent the wheel altogether.

Back. I realize that I'm doing it incorrectly. Normally I try the existing system first before I try to come up with an improvement. So I will try my 2 dirty feet first. I dont want to waste your time on something that is not worthwhile. So I will put off the drawing for now.

[Constance]

Ancient natural airconditioners of Iran (http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180926-an-ancient-engineering-feat-that-harnessed-the-wind)

“...I have water air conditioning too, but I prefer sitting under my natural air conditioning. Reminds me of old times,” Mr Saberi said, gesturing to the badgir (wind catcher) that we were sitting under. “More chai?”

In the 40C summer heat of Yazd, a desert city in the heart of Iran, a hot cup of chai would normally have been the last thing on my mind. However, a glance out from the breezy shaded patio where I sat onto the central courtyard, ablaze in the glaring evening sun, and all thoughts of bidding my host goodbye immediately evaporated. I leaned back and gazed up along the length of this remarkable technology that’s believed to be thousands of years old.

Wind catchers are tall, chimney-like structures that protrude from the rooftops of older houses in many of Iran’s desert cities. In their simplest form, wind catchers harness the cool breezes and redirect them downwards either into the home or into underground storage rooms to refrigerate perishable foods. Studies have shown that wind catchers can reduce indoor temperatures by around 10 degrees...."


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Wind catchers harness cooler breezes and funnel them down into homes (Credit: Shervin Abdolhamidi)


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For centuries, badgirs (wind catchers) have helped Yazd residents stay cool despite desert temperatures that can reach 40C in summertime (Credit: Shervin Abdolhamidi)

[Constance]

Frames

The frame of a building is what creates the walls and supports the roof. Frames must be designed and built to accommodate all the different loads a house has to bear. The load a house has to bear can vary depending on the type of roof you build, wall requirements, and the climate it is situated in.
While some natural building wall materials can be load-bearing (stone, cob, adobe, and strawbale for example), many natural buildings utilise a wooden frame. Many of the oldest structures in the world are timber framed buildings.

Forbidden City, Beijing circa 1406
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As you might already be aware, old growth forests depend on us to do the right thing when choosing timber for our homes. There is a very large question mark that hangs over the true sustainability of plantation timber. I am personally very concerned about the "greenwashing (https://wrm.org.uy/articles-from-the-wrm-bulletin/section1/greenwashing-continues-fsc-certifies-industrial-tree-plantations-as-forests-and-rspo-oil-palm-plantations-as-sustainable/)" of plantation timber by corporations and government. Storm damaged and salvaged wood, bamboo and rattan - these are some of the friendlier choices that have little to no impact on our local environments.

Stick Framing

Also known as conventional framing, stick framing relies on a repetitive number of light framing members, or "sticks". With insulation systems such as straw-clay and woodchip-clay, The sticks can be joined together with gusset plates to make a truss. This framework can, when designed correctly, serve the double purpose of supporting the loads in a structure, as well as providing the formwork for the wall infill of straw-clay or woodchip-clay. Stick framing can also work well with straw bale construction; the framing can be designed specific to bale sizing to allow the frame to be embedded in the bale wall, or left proud of the bales to receive siding.

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Post and Beam

Post and beam structures are made up of vertical and horizontal heavy timbers. The floor and roof loads are carried by these posts and beams. Timber is connected by via the mortise and tenon - pegged wood-on-wood joinery or butted together. Because there are no repetitive framing members as in stick framing, post and beam structures must be carefully designed and built to handle the loads of walls and roofs. Many of the oldest structures in the world are timber framed buildings.

A subset of post and beam framing is traditional timber framing. In post and beam frames, the timbers are often joined with lag screws and metal plates, which is easier, thereby requiring less labour.

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Round Pole Framing

This frame utilises poles, as the vertical posts and dimensional or sawn beams for the horizontal connection between the posts, or poles. Poles are directly buried into the ground. It should be noted that for wood to be buried in the ground, it must be treated to resist rot and decay. One of the most common forms of naturally treating a piece of wood is for the wood to be charred at its base.

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PeuA7A-cj88

[Bubu]

this is cool. natural air conditioner. Utilizing the simple laws of nature. I have once constructed a drying system by collecting the hot air at the roof apex and directing it to a drying cabinet. Perhaps a combination of both will be more efficient.

"Downward airflow due to direct wind entry
One of the most common uses of the windcatcher is to cool the inside of the dwelling; it is often used in combination with courtyards and domes as an overall ventilation and heat-management strategy. It is essentially a tall, capped tower with one face open at the top. This open side faces the prevailing wind, thus "catching" it, and brings it down the tower into the heart of the building to maintain air flow, thus cooling the building interior. It does not necessarily cool the air itself, but rather relies on the rate of airflow to provide a cooling effect. Windcatchers have been employed in this manner for thousands of years.[8]


A windcatcher and qanat used for cooling
Upward airflow due to temperature gradient
Wind-assisted temperature gradient
Windcatchers are also used in combination with a qanat, or underground canal. In this method, the open side of the tower faces away from the direction of the prevailing wind (the tower's orientation can be adjusted by directional ports at the top). By keeping only this tower open, air is drawn upwards using the Coandă effect.

The pressure differential on one side of the building causes air to be drawn down into the passage on the other side. The hot air is brought down into the qanat tunnel and is cooled by coming into contact with the cool earth[Note 1] and cold water running through the qanat. The cooled air is drawn up through the windcatcher, again by the Coandă effect. On the whole, the cool air flows through the building, decreasing the structure's overall temperature. The effect is magnified by the evaporative cooling of water vapor when the air passes through the qanat water canal, as the water that evaporates in the canal has a large enthalpy of vaporization and, besides, the dry air is humidified by the evaporated water from the canal before entering the building.

Solar-produced temperature gradient
In a windless environment or waterless house, a windcatcher functions as a solar chimney It creates a pressure gradient which allows hot air, which is less dense, to travel upwards and escape out the top. This is also compounded significantly by the diurnal cycle, trapping cool air below. The temperature in such an environment cannot drop below the nightly low temperature.

When coupled with thick adobe that exhibits good resistance against heat transmission, the windcatcher is able to chill lower-level spaces in mosques and houses (e.g. shabestans) in the middle of the day to frigid temperatures.

Directing airflow upwards using wind-assisted or solar-produced temperature gradients has gained some ground in Western architecture, and there are several commercial products using the name windcatcher."

[Bo Atkinson]

Thanks everyone here for the interesting info and vids. I’m amused that Russia now appears to be the new haven for creative-natural-raw-material construction, for housing, whereas the USA has taken a very stern attitude towards such construction. Curiously, my take is that this is due to the possible outcomes of the globalist mandates, (hidden agendas), which attempt to moderate population growth, by setting limits per each nation, and Russia might be below that threshold, in the man to land ratio. Whereas most industrialized nations might be above that threshold and are thereby obligated by these secret agendas, to find means to reduce population levels, by all the crazy instigations we have long discussed on this forum.

;)
Here are some of my building concepts, primarily dedicated to my climate, where freeze-thaw cycles demand water proofing and considerable insulation is needed. At least we have plenty of fresh water here. Some of my pictures date back to the 1980s and most pictures were compressed to a low resolution, for bandwidth limits, of the early internet. Many of the links have “gone dead”. Many details deserve attention, but are instead just offered as-is, for the structural/ visual content only.

I should confess my work has always been stoically stressed and while I learn better ideas from difficulties, to improve the arts, I rarely could afford preferred tools and materials to do better. I am grateful for life as it has been. This life style keeps me healthy and agile to continue. The advent of digital cameras with moderated resolutions, (and some photoshopping as well), all hides most of the flaws and the sore points.

http://harmoniouspalette.com/CostFreeHVAC/RealyInsulatedLot/SelfSufficientHVAC.html
http://harmoniouspalette.com/TranslucentDome.html
http://harmoniouspalette.com/BuildGreen.html
http://harmoniouspalette.com/IntersectingJoists.html

[Constance]

Floors

Earthern floors

http://www.buildnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/adobe-floor-basics-how-to-build-dirt.html


'An adobe floor, or earthen floor, relies on the sticky binding properties of clay...one of the most versatile building materials I know of. Clay expands when wet, creating sticky platelet particles, like a bunch of suction cups. Add to the clay ample course sand, to increase compressive strength and control shrinkage as the clay dries. Finally add fiber, to increase tensile strength and knit everything together, like reinforcing bar in concrete. The finish mix is essentially the same as adobe or cob. And the installation is similar to a concrete slab, only without the environmental impacts or cold nature of cement....'

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laying an earthern floor
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Stone

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Wood

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GgVekcX_NYk Part 1

hvsvMzgiq6s part 2

Compressed earth bricks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_earth_block)

Compressed earth bricks are a building material made primarily from damp soil compressed at high pressure to form blocks. Compressed earth blocks use a mechanical press to form blocks out of an appropriate mix of fairly dry inorganic subsoil, non-expansive clay and aggregate.

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AHfSd1Lkgss


Here is how to make compressed earth bricks.
https://makezine.com/projects/cheap-and-easy-earth-block-floors/

An open source compressed block machine
https://offgridworld.com/open-source-compressed-earth-block-machine/

[Bubu]

Floors

Earthern floors

http://www.buildnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/adobe-floor-basics-how-to-build-dirt.html


'An adobe floor, or earthen floor, relies on the sticky binding properties of clay...one of the most versatile building materials I know of. Clay expands when wet, creating sticky platelet particles, like a bunch of suction cups. Add to the clay ample course sand, to increase compressive strength and control shrinkage as the clay dries. Finally add fiber, to increase tensile strength and knit everything together, like reinforcing bar in concrete. The finish mix is essentially the same as adobe or cob. And the installation is similar to a concrete slab, only without the environmental impacts or cold nature of cement....'

39861

laying an earthern floor
39866

Stone

39862

Wood

39863

GgVekcX_NYk Part 1

hvsvMzgiq6s part 2

Compressed earth bricks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_earth_block)

Compressed earth bricks are a building material made primarily from damp soil compressed at high pressure to form blocks. Compressed earth blocks use a mechanical press to form blocks out of an appropriate mix of fairly dry inorganic subsoil, non-expansive clay and aggregate.

39864

AHfSd1Lkgss


Here is how to make compressed earth bricks.
https://makezine.com/projects/cheap-and-easy-earth-block-floors/

An open source compressed block machine
https://offgridworld.com/open-source-compressed-earth-block-machine/

I was imagining cob blocks when I wrote post 31. less water less shrinkage. easier to file, more durable. This earth block machine can be use for that purpose. You are good at reading minds.:)

[Constance]

I was imagining cob blocks when I wrote post 31.

less water less shrinkage. easier to file, more durable. This earth block machine can be use for that purpose. You are good at reading minds.:)

Awesome on your imaginings! I completely agree with you there Bubu about there being less effort with the cob blocks. Although, I personally love the earthern floors.

I think that maybe you read my mind!!! :hug:

[Hym]

Love the thread Constance. Also, I am appreciative of Bubu's informative input. These creative construction methods make building as a tradesman very rewarding. I love designing and building with of all of the materials you've shown, with varying levels of experience in a variety of those methods, though not nearly as much as I would like.

I've built as a modern carpenter and simple architect, designing small projects for clients. Further on into my career, when I had the experience of using available earthen materials like adobe and cob mixes, I found that building itself was much more interactive, rewarding and healing. I loved earning a degree in earth building and then teaching the same.

I have a strong connection with the founder/teachers of the bi-yearly conference held in the states called EarthUSA.org, the 10th International Conference on Architecture & Construction with Earthen Materials, which is being held later this year, October 27-29, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the conference, held in association with Adobe In Action, there are presentations from builders and architects from all over the globe. The presentations and technical papers with all of their engineering details are quite a treat to absorb when I look into the possibilities of building in other countries.

We have built adobe/earthen domes-small and medium sized, adobe and wood churches-one with a vaulted ceiling and have made those comfortable adobe floors with embedded heating systems. We've also repaired historic earthen churches and other earthen structures. We've built a variety of earthen ovens, called ornos here, and had some delicious dinners cooked in them, homemade pizzas, delicious breads, etc..

Thank You for this beautiful and creative reminder of Natural Building and it's potential to enhance our day to day experiences.

[Bubu]

I was imagining cob blocks when I wrote post 31.

less water less shrinkage. easier to file, more durable. This earth block machine can be use for that purpose. You are good at reading minds.:)

Awesome on your imaginings! I completely agree with you there Bubu about there being less effort with the cob blocks. Although, I personally love the earthern floors.

I think that maybe you read my mind!!! :hug:

as an addendum I was imagining interlocking cob blocks for durability and ease of piling.

[Bubu]

Love the thread Constance. Also, I am appreciative of Bubu's informative input. These creative construction methods make building as a tradesman very rewarding. I love designing and building with of all of the materials you've shown, with varying levels of experience in a variety of those methods, though not nearly as much as I would like.

I've built as a modern carpenter and simple architect, designing small projects for clients. Further on into my career, when I had the experience of using available earthen materials like adobe and cob mixes, I found that building itself was much more interactive, rewarding and healing. I loved earning a degree in earth building and then teaching the same.

I have a strong connection with the founder/teachers of the bi-yearly conference held in the states called EarthUSA.org, the 10th International Conference on Architecture & Construction with Earthen Materials, which is being held later this year, October 27-29, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the conference, held in association with Adobe In Action, there are presentations from builders and architects from all over the globe. The presentations and technical papers with all of their engineering details are quite a treat to absorb when I look into the possibilities of building in other countries.

We have built adobe/earthen domes-small and medium sized, adobe and wood churches-one with a vaulted ceiling and have made those comfortable adobe floors with embedded heating systems. We've also repaired historic earthen churches and other earthen structures. We've built a variety of earthen ovens, called ornos here, and had some delicious dinners cooked in them, homemade pizzas, delicious breads, etc..

Thank You for this beautiful and creative reminder of Natural Building and it's potential to enhance our day to day experiences.

I am assuming that earth houses are labor intensive but virtually free materials. So coming up with ways to lessen the labor required could make it more competitive than traditional building system. I'm more for building low cost housing but architectural ones should not be left behind.
do you have a website? As an earth house builder what salient tip/s could you give to a newbie like me. well I am a builder all my life but nothing with earth.

[Constance]

Love the thread Constance. Also, I am appreciative of Bubu's informative input. These creative construction methods make building as a tradesman very rewarding. I love designing and building with of all of the materials you've shown, with varying levels of experience in a variety of those methods, though not nearly as much as I would like.

I've built as a modern carpenter and simple architect, designing small projects for clients. Further on into my career, when I had the experience of using available earthen materials like adobe and cob mixes, I found that building itself was much more interactive, rewarding and healing. I loved earning a degree in earth building and then teaching the same.

I have a strong connection with the founder/teachers of the bi-yearly conference held in the states called EarthUSA.org, the 10th International Conference on Architecture & Construction with Earthen Materials, which is being held later this year, October 27-29, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the conference, held in association with Adobe In Action, there are presentations from builders and architects from all over the globe. The presentations and technical papers with all of their engineering details are quite a treat to absorb when I look into the possibilities of building in other countries.

We have built adobe/earthen domes-small and medium sized, adobe and wood churches-one with a vaulted ceiling and have made those comfortable adobe floors with embedded heating systems. We've also repaired historic earthen churches and other earthen structures. We've built a variety of earthen ovens, called ornos here, and had some delicious dinners cooked in them, homemade pizzas, delicious breads, etc..

Thank You for this beautiful and creative reminder of Natural Building and it's potential to enhance our day to day experiences.

Thank you so much for sharing all your experiences with us Hym, it makes my heart sing with joy to hear that you are so passionate about earth building and that you have so much expertise in this area! :dancing:

Would you consider contributing some of your photos and information about what you have built and designed here? :dog::dog:

I am sure you would have a lot of knowledge to impart?


The presentations and technical papers with all of their engineering details are quite a treat to absorb when I look into the possibilities of building in other countries.
It sounds like one of those great conferences where you would obtain a lot of valuable information, gain many great insights and meet many interesting people. Something to look forward to in the future.

[Hym]

As an earthbuilding newbie I'd suggest making some earthen/adobe blocks and experiment with them. Find out the possibilities of the earth in the land you occupy. Even better, build an outdoor oven/"orno" on your property, an oven to use for years to come.


One Method to Build an Earthen Oven:

Build it practically but with a creative plan that you can add a design to, making it a compliment to it's surroundings. Dig and gravel fill, tamp down, a trench foundation. Add an adobe mortar mix as a bed, lay your blocks with the same mix in-between (+/- 4 rows only per day- as not to compress the mortar too much), infill the interior of the walls with broken adobe blocks and earth, then a 2 inch layer of sand upon which common fire bricks are laid as the bed of the oven matching the top of the final layer of exterior adobe blocks. When building the oven itself you can build up the body of the dome shaped oven with 4 to 6 inch thick layers of a drier adobe mortar mix or by laying those same dried adobe blocks, with mortar in between each layer, into the domed form. When the clay formed dome is partially dry, 1 to 2 hours or so, you can cut out the oven opening, enough to put in a large pizza and a tall pot, and also cut out a 3 inch diameter hole near the back side of the top of the dome for air circulation. Both the adobe box base and the oven dome itself can be plastered with the same earthen mud or left alone. Then build a high temp.resistant, wooden arch shaped door to place/remove in the oven opening. ........ That was a little long, but it may be worth the effort and the fun.


Yes, the common method of adobe building in it's most simple form is very labor intensive and Yes, the goal is to use both clay-the binder and sand-the strength of an aggregate, from the building site or nearby, which makes it a very inexpensive building material and quite practical in many areas of the world.

( I do not have a website because there is so much more material written already that covers much more than I know, as this thread shows.)

Creating adobe blocks entails building multiple wooden forms, usually 4" X 10" X 14" in this region, then pouring the adobe mix of 70-80% sand and 20-30% clay, with added water, into those forms and then letting it dry for 2 or more days, setting them on their sides for about a week, then letting them cure for 2 or more weeks. Considering that it takes thousands of blocks to make the average building, that takes a lot of time to plan ahead.

I do not like to use CEB's (compressed earth blocks), tho they are a much drier mix/quicker to make and are usually stabilized with portland cement, because they expand when wet and thus need to have an exterior coat of stucco to reduce structural breakdown.

There still are a few local companies here in the SouthWest states that make and sell the adobe blocks for a very small fee. Almost all of these producers use machinery, like a skip loader and metal forms, to make thousands of adobe blocks a day.

Remember that too much clay creates structural weakness, cracks, in the block. Some adobe purists preferring to master the mix instead of adding straw.

As a note, some use a very small amount of asphalt emulsion, in a 1 to 10% concentration in the water as a binder and a waterproofing agent and then call the block stabilized.. I have seen an overuse of it to the point of it continually outgassing it's toxicity over time. Also, I have seen it overused in an oven/orno at a local, "historical" plaza for years, most likely infusing toxicity into the baked goods it produced. Again, master the mix.

Although composed in '07 there is a very informative and detailed series of questions and answers from a mentor of mine, Quentin Wilson of the EarthUSA conference, that will answer many of those queries you may have in mind. It is from the Green Home Building.com website, a site which also addresses much of the subject material discussed so well in this Avalon thread.

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/adobe/mixes.htm

Enjoy and share your learning with us when you get going.

[Tree Of Life]

I have a high spot on my homestead with a view of the river.
I have built several homes in my life, and I have one more in me, I am sure!
I think it will be patterned off this one...

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=39788&d=1548741747

It reminds of one I visited up in the Yukon Territory in 1985

Thank you for the inspiration!

[Constance]

I have a high spot on my homestead with a view of the river.
I have built several homes in my life, and I have one more in me, I am sure!
I think it will be patterned off this one...

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=39788&d=1548741747

It reminds of one I visited up in the Yukon Territory in 1985

Thank you for the inspiration!

Tree of Life, that sounds completely awesome! If I was out your way, I would help you build it...:hug:

[Bubu]

Thanks Hym I will do that, I wasn't aware that the cob blocks I was imagining is no different than adobe blocks.:) Anyways you are correct in saying "master the mix. perhaps a cross mix between adobe and cob formed sorta drop forge not wooden forms

"Adobe is essentially a dried mud brick, combining the natural elements of earth, water, and sun. It is an ancient building material usually made with tightly compacted sand, clay, and straw or grass mixed with moisture, formed into bricks, and naturally dried or baked in the sun without an oven or kiln"

[Hym]

Yes that is a good definition of adobe. In fact it is often called Solar Adobe Architecture. When we trained in this vernacular* we also became adept at accurately determining the ability of each building to both heat and cool the interiors, all based on latitude and land mass location, wind and moisture exposure, and the materials used.

Adobe is a very efficient transfer medium for solar absorption from the outside and then thermal release to the interior, if it is not encased in stucco or any other barrier. These natural materials need to breathe, unless the temperatures are extreme, in which case there are some proven solutions.

The dilemma of most modern, average and common building practices in both residential and commercial construction is the air-tight encapsulation of the entire building, which often may compromise the health of the inhabitants. However, when air circulation systems are incorporated into the design and the build those problems can be solved.

The common problems of stale air, unhealthy penetration of debilitating mold from moisture penetration, and the outgassing of toxins from carpets, furniture and formaldehyde-infused binders (esp. in o.s.b./wafer board) can be mitigated with an understanding of the need for fresh air circulation in each building and an awareness of being mindful in how we build, finish and furnish our living spaces.

This reminds me that I have to go visit a friend who i donated some 3/4" plywood to use as forms for his rammed earth home build.

By the way, it will be nice to live in a healthier, abode/home myself as i have been renting an old adobe home for years that is a heat sink, and the builders, some 80+ yrs. ago, portland-cement stuccoed both the exterior and the interior walls.

*Vernacular, meaning local, common to the area. Much too fancy a word for me to have used before, but I finally found the fitting occasion for it's use. My old teachers might be proud, or laughing at the least.

[Constance]

*Vernacular, meaning local, common to the area. Much too fancy a word for me to have used before, but I finally found the fitting occasion for it's use. My old teachers might be proud, or laughing at the least.

Here's the vernacular distribution of adobe homes, that is, the experience of centuries of natural builders :)

http://www.naturalhomes.org/adobe-vernacular-map.htm?fbclid=IwAR1T14h-GPyxNPkFM81e64BvhLPRXS5xcWx8T_F5GkRXwAdYgo4GV_heGUM

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[Constance]

Primitive technology (https://primitivetechnology.wordpress.com/about/) is seriously the best ever 'go to' for inspiration when it comes to being at one with nature and building in the elements.

This guy is an absolute genius and I highly recommend watching as many of his videos as you can.

nCKkHqlx9dE


DP0t2MmOMEA

[Constance]

This is a fascinating short video on how Romans made the first concrete. :dancing:


lND7_c6my30

[Bubu]

"we also became adept at accurately determining the ability of each building to both heat and cool the interiors, all based on latitude and land mass location, wind and moisture exposure, and the materials used."

wow intriguing, can you give an overview?

"Adobe is a very efficient transfer medium for solar absorption from the outside and then thermal release to the interior, if it is not encased in stucco or any other barrier. These natural materials need to breathe, unless the temperatures are extreme, in which case there are some proven solutions. "

I dont know how this is possible acting like a one way mirror. since a material is either an insulator or conductor. But your experience is much better argument than theories.



'The dilemma of most modern, average and common building practices in both residential and commercial construction is the air-tight encapsulation of the entire building, which often may compromise the health of the inhabitants. However, when air circulation systems are incorporated into the design and the build those problems can be solved.

"The common problems of stale air, unhealthy penetration of debilitating mold from moisture penetration, and the outgassing of toxins from carpets, furniture and formaldehyde-infused binders (esp. in o.s.b./wafer board) can be mitigated with an understanding of the need for fresh air circulation in each building and an awareness of being mindful in how we build, finish and furnish our living spaces."

yep on spot. I feel sorry for people who dont feel it. that is why I sleep on makeshift outside the house enclose space is just to unhealthy and I can feel it even if no one tells me.

[Bubu]

Primitive technology (https://primitivetechnology.wordpress.com/about/) is seriously the best ever 'go to' for inspiration when it comes to being at one with nature and building in the elements.

This guy is an absolute genius and I highly recommend watching as many of his videos as you can.

nCKkHqlx9dE


DP0t2MmOMEA

this vid been posted here on this forum but is a good reminder and for the new members. I wish I can be on that house. hopefully I will:)

I think the best thing to do is to come up with ways to an easy build. I think it can be done its just that there not much money into it so no one cares. But if someone can come up with system and machines for an easy build that can compete with traditional building system and rent that equipment for on site production of cob blocks then there is some payback. adobe system simply is not acceptable for mass building. its a very primitive system. cob blocks formed on hydraulic press or drop hammer or mechanical hammer is the way to go.

[Constance]

Cross-referencing here. Thanks Bubu!

How to ventilate a house (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105986-How-to-ventilate-a-house)

[Constance]

In a pattern language #117 Sheltering roof, the roof is seen as playing a primal role in our lives.


"...The most primitive buildings are nothing but a roof. If the roof is hidden, if its presence cannot be felt around the building, or if it cannot be used then people will lack a fundamental sense of shelter."

It is really important to have a roof that will support the type of climate that you live in. A well designed and made roof can last for several hundred years.

For example, this roof is made out of eelgrass (seaweed grass). You can find this unique home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijEaHIWkrB8&fbclid=IwAR1NOxl5rnTmECC09HGEc5Xeall6xds4y1BZdqAdTO6dlWtiyxXkGjxhLkA) in Læsø, in Denmark. A shout out to all the Danish folk here! :waving:

A couple of interesting factoids, a seaweed roof can last anywhere up to 400 years and because of the high concentration of salt in the eelgrass, it doesn't burn.

39888

If you have ever traveled, you might begin to notice a pattern with the vernacular (there's that word again!) roof architecture around the world.

In regions where there is heavy snowfall, the roofs are high pitched so that you don't get heavy snow build up, in arid regions, the roofs are often flat with water collection and in regions with high rainfall, the roofs are pitched to get water off that roof as quickly as possible.

In areas where you experience high rainfall or a hot climate, it is imperative to have a good top hat with extended eaves.

Extended eaves can serve many functions. They can:


Serve to keep rain from hitting your siding, windows, and doors of your home.
Help to prevent door and window jam rot.
Shade windows when solar heat gain is undesirable.
Allow the rain to drip away from the foundations
Provide you with shelter from the rain when you are entering your front door :)
Reduce splashback - It keeps the eave drips away from the house
Provide a shady place to hang out on hot days
Be used to extend your living space - an undercover verandah eg. outdoor kitchen and living area
Are great social places for gathering with friends and family.



39889

[Hym]

Constance, the videos from the man showing "primitive technology" are very good and informative to even the average person. Those video essays are fun to watch. I've done a lot of that. Waddle and Daub, firing clay, loving the mud. In fact when he is making additions to the small hut built with twig/stick waddle (sticks "waddling"/weaving in and out of vertical posts/branches and mud daub/ dabbled) we see that in the formation of the earthen chimney he is adding layers of mud clay over the small rock foundation in that "U" shape. That is the same method I discussed in making and earthen oven/orno.

Also, I've know about the amazing longevity of the concrete that the Romans created, with the vital ingredient being volcanic ash. The p.s.i.(the compression resistant strength in pounds per square inch) of that concrete is much higher than the average we use today.

Bubu. We use Ed Mazria's "The Passive Solar Energy Book" as our primer for calculations when designing new homes and for assessing the needs of pre-existing homes. His book has "detailed sun charts, latitudes, longitudes, thermal conduction of various materials, insulation rating of various materials, real world examples, and much more."

A proven method for using adobe for heating a living/working space, a trombe wall, is by using a glaze-framed (glass) wall just inches outside of a sun exposed earthen wall. This intensifies the heat absorbed by the adobe/earthen wall which then releases the heat into the cooler interior over a comfortable 8 to 10 hour period, more or less. The use of a small fan, we sometimes call a squirrel fan, helps circulate the air into other areas in the house.

The most efficient wood heating method I know of is called a Russian fireplace/stove and it is a unique method of building a masonry unit that is centrally located for both heating and cooking. The method has the highest rate of using every BTU available in any wood used as a fuel source.

[Bubu]

Constance, the videos from the man showing "primitive technology" are very good and informative to even the average person. Those video essays are fun to watch. I've done a lot of that. Waddle and Daub, firing clay, loving the mud. In fact when he is making additions to the small hut built with twig/stick waddle (sticks "waddling"/weaving in and out of vertical posts/branches and mud daub/ dabbled) we see that in the formation of the earthen chimney he is adding layers of mud clay over the small rock foundation in that "U" shape. That is the same method I discussed in making and earthen oven/orno.

Also, I've know about the amazing longevity of the concrete that the Romans created, with the vital ingredient being volcanic ash. The p.s.i.(the compression resistant strength in pounds per square inch) of that concrete is much higher than the average we use today.

Bubu. We use Ed Mazria's "The Passive Solar Energy Book" as our primer for calculations when designing new homes and for assessing the needs of pre-existing homes. His book has "detailed sun charts, latitudes, longitudes, thermal conduction of various materials, insulation rating of various materials, real world examples, and much more."

A proven method for using adobe for heating a living/working space, a trombe wall, is by using a glaze-framed (glass) wall just inches outside of a sun exposed earthen wall. This intensifies the heat absorbed by the adobe/earthen wall which then releases the heat into the cooler interior over a comfortable 8 to 10 hour period, more or less. The use of a small fan, we sometimes call a squirrel fan, helps circulate the air into other areas in the house.

The most efficient wood heating method I know of is called a Russian fireplace/stove and it is a unique method of building a masonry unit that is centrally located for both heating and cooking. The method has the highest rate of using every BTU available in any wood used as a fuel source.

yes I see how the adobe wall would heat up with the arrangement, but I think more of the heat harvesting is accomplish by the fact that air from inside the house circulates in the space in between the glass and the adobe coming in from below and going back inside the house from the top. using same principles of "hot air rises" air occupies empty space to effect continuous circulation of air.

As to the Russian stove/heater its logical to locate it centrally although I am more in favor of installing a heat exchanger which is very simple and easy to construct. then the fireplace can be located anywhere in the house or even outside. and more efficient too.

[Hym]

A Trombe Wall can be completely sealed with no direct air penetrating the earthen thermal mass wall and entering the indoor space, or it can have both upper and lower vents installed for creating active air current control. The older ones I have been in are vent-free and work very well.

Bubu. Can you tell us more about the specific design of the heat exchanger you are describing and is this in conjunction with the use of a Russian Stove?
Thanks.

[Constance]

I've done a lot of that.

Fantastic. So much fun!


Waddle and Daub, firing clay, loving the mud. In fact when he is making additions to the small hut built with twig/stick waddle (sticks "waddling"/weaving in and out of vertical posts/branches and mud daub/ dabbled) we see that in the formation of the earthen chimney he is adding layers of mud clay over the small rock foundation in that "U" shape. That is the same method I discussed in making and earthen oven/orno.

I find it astonishing that everyone doesn't have access to this information. Not that I am a big fan of the current education system for children but if they were going to teach anything, this is the kind of information that children might really get something out of.


Also, I've know about the amazing longevity of the concrete that the Romans created, with the vital ingredient being volcanic ash. The p.s.i.(the compression resistant strength in pounds per square inch) of that concrete is much higher than the average we use today.

Absolutely.

Have you seen this?


Secret of how Roman concrete survived tidal battering for 2,000 years revealed (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/03/secret-roman-concrete-survived-tidal-battering-2000-years-revealed/)


"It is a mystery that continues to baffle modern engineers. Why do 2,000-year-old Roman piers survive to this day, yet modern concrete seawalls embedded with steel crumble within decades?

Even Pliny the Elder, writing in Naturalis Historia in 79AD, noted that concrete structures in ancient harbours, ‘become a single stone mass, impregnable to the waves, and every day stronger,’ despite being constantly battered by seawater.

Now scientists in the US think they have found the answer, and it could finally lead to modern sea defences which withstand time and tide.

They discovered that when saltwater mixes with the volcanic ash and lime used by Roman builders, it leads to the growth of interlocking minerals, which bring a virtually impenetrable cohesion to concrete.

"We're looking at a system that's contrary to everything one would want in cement-based concrete," said Prof Marie Jackson, a geology and geophysics research professor at the University of Utah who led the study."



A proven method for using adobe for heating a living/working space, a trombe wall, is by using a glaze-framed (glass) wall just inches outside of a sun exposed earthen wall. This intensifies the heat absorbed by the adobe/earthen wall which then releases the heat into the cooler interior over a comfortable 8 to 10 hour period, more or less. The use of a small fan, we sometimes call a squirrel fan, helps circulate the air into other areas in the house.

You mean like this Trombe Wall Diagram? (In this diagram you would replace the concrete wall with an earthern wall)

39891


The most efficient wood heating method I know of is called a Russian fireplace/stove and it is a unique method of building a masonry unit that is centrally located for both heating and cooking. The method has the highest rate of using every BTU available in any wood used as a fuel source.

Is this what you were thinking of? The brick masonry heater (https://www.gobrick.com/docs/default-source/read-research-documents/technicalnotes/19d-brick-masonry-fireplaces-part-1-russian-style-heaters.pdf?sfvrsn=0).



What do you think of rocket mass heaters (https://www.flickr.com/photos/onyone/sets/72157627952854347/with/5433749014/)?



39892

[Hym]

Yes. The brick masonry heaters/Russian heaters that I've experienced are ones with the horizontal baffles and they work very well.

The interesting correlation between the very fine ash from high efficiency, masonry wood-fueled heaters and the use of volcanic ash in "Roman" concrete is the importance of the use of ash as a soil nutrient for growing healthier crops. Volcanic and Wood ashes both make for more nutrient dense vegetation when compared to the many nutrient depleted soils now in use. Meaning that some very natural materials available to humanity have been lost to the fevered pace of industrialization and modernity.

I've heard of and seen rocket mass heater designs but have never experienced one. I'll look for one when I'm around my building friends to see and feel what it's like. The principles of the design look much like those of the Northern European Heaters.

[Bubu]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Tubular_grate_heater.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/165000_BTU_Grate_Hearer.jpg/220px-165000_BTU_Grate_Hearer.jpg

this can be incorporated in the construction of the burning chamber of the fireplace. the fan circulates the air around the house and back in the tubes. there should be enough air velocity in the tubes to prevent orange hot tubes other wise the heat will eat up the tube in a short time. There should be air ducting that delivers the heated air to the spaces to be heated. All heaters with heat exchanger should have air ducting but if the fan produce enough air velocity to deliver the air to the space to be heated then there is no need for air ducting. the heated air must be discharge on the upper part of the space, and will travel to the opposite side of the room goes down at the opposite side as it cools and back to the heat exchanger making a "U" loop.

https://2.wlimg.com/product_images/bc-full/dir_178/5326350/heat-exchanger-fire-tube-boiler-retubing-1512107153-3489496.jpeg

this is shell type heat exchanger, this is how tubes are arrange. The flue gases enters the tube while the air circulates outside the tube. In other applications flue gases can be outside the tube and the air passing inside the tube. But in the case of fire places flue gases must be on the inside of the tubes for ease of cleaning. cleaning can be done by removing the end covers and use tube brush to remove the soot. ideally for use in fireplace a square shell heat exchanger be constructed and located directly above the fire. Again no red hot tube.
http://http://www.elliott-tool.com/images/products/Soot-Buster.jpg
we are gonna need something longer than this:)

http://www.elliott-tool.com/images/products/Soot-Buster.jpg

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Usama_Ezzeghni/publication/322303530/figure/download/fig15/AS:580649410142221@1515449015767/1-Schematic-diagram-of-the-heat-exchanger-parts.png
horizontal baffles are type of heat exchanger but less efficient.

sorry but the image wont appear. I must be doing it the wrong way:)

fixed it:)

[Bubu]

http://naturalhomes.org/img/rocket-mass-heater-basics2.jpg

http://naturalhomes.org/permahome/rocket-mass-heater-basics.htm

cross section of a rocket mass heater. the exhaust vent should be higher, with chimney

[Bubu]

http://survival-mastery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Rocket-mass-heater.jpg

this is only to convey the idea of cooking but is actually not very good. there should be a depression where the pot goes in.

[Bo Atkinson]

I truly appreciate all posts inspiring one to build,
and to share ideas afar, the world around.
My thanks to all who read or comment freely.
“Natural “ and “Beautiful” may take on many senses.

Yet getting to the point, of building, is a much bigger matter,
as how to grow opportunities, find deals and commitments,
concerning every sense, from the starting to the finish point.

I fell into salvaging a run-down junk yard at age 21.
Vital needs followed successionally, growing in scope.
I worked the trades, watched the dreams and pitfalls,
solved by other people, which jump started daydreams,
while consensus tranced the herd (https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Consensus_trance), and youth puts that off.

I eventually tried to summarize my building adventures,
with a focal strategy, of measured geometry, to see what fits.
http://harmoniouspalette.com/SolarChimneyXchanger.gif
http://harmoniouspalette.com/PAHSgreenhouse.html


Many years working at various kinds of skills,
Sufficient errors, raising emotions, reaped through endless labor,
to eventually learn about the “self HVAC house” studies.
Love of earth moving jobs, exited the possibilities,
but fate afforded just one small structural experiment:

http://harmoniouspalette.com/EyelidGreenhouse/TranslucentDay.jpg
http://harmoniouspalette.com/EyelidGreenhouse/08-SelfHeatingGreenHouseVisualizations.html

The need for heating and cooling also dazzles a plan.
A master plan could possibly integrate house synergy,
it seems impossible to diagram the full living-effects.
http://harmoniouspalette.com/Hanging-Garden.jpg
http://harmoniouspalette.com/BuildGreen.html

I summarized a lot of research, but never found such a client.
Life as a prototyper and dreamer was already sufficient.
I couldn’t regret things as a 48 year wood fired experimenter:
http://harmoniouspalette.com/Furnaces/FurncArch.jpg
http://harmoniouspalette.com/Furnaces/InsulatedFirebox.html

This winter I have experimented with our new heat pump,
for a heat source to reduce or replace the wood burning.
Building this, is all about heat storage, in this case water based.
http://harmoniouspalette.com/Heat-Pump-Studio-loft.jpg
http://harmoniouspalette.com/Blog2019.html

[Lost N Found]

I must say, this thread is absolutely great. Constance you have started a wonder. The information and videos and pictures of different building techniques and all the different parts just gets more interesting daily. Everybody posting in here has great stuff to contribute. I spent around 40 or more years of my life in different aspects of the building industry and come across many of these methods and. I liked the post and beam construction a lot and actually working the other side of the counter in a building department gave me such deeper insight into the hows and whys of codes. For the most part Most codes are stupid or just plain tyrannical to the average people that want to build in the alternative, efficient, Natural way.

There are so many how to books and videos for folks to delve into if and when a certain way is considered to build a home. The Building codes, as I have stated before where created firstly to help with fire, life and safety. These things have morphed into a diaper code as I call it today. The regulations placed on cities and counties on how to build and what one has to use and cannot use are pure nonsense in so many ways. Made up rules and regulations to make money for the big corporations. Just a blast about the codes of today, They call them the International codes. "The family of international codes". These codes are designed and produced by the United Nations and fall directly into the Agenda 21 rules. If you all know about that and how insidious that agenda is then you will know how it really should be undone.

Now I must say that there are codes within these books that do regulate, Strawbale construction, Adobe construction, steel frame construction. Foam panel construction, Post and beam and Heavy timber construction. The Cob houses may also be listed these days within these codes somewhere. Here is the real kicker for most folks that want to build these methods.

The Jurisdictions have increasingly shed their responsibilities to ensure things are built to their regulations and methods prescribed in the code books and just tell anyone building anything anymore to get it all engineered. So the standard drafter who is trying to make a small business run is faced with the fact that his drawings will have to be engineered thereby costing him and the customers many times the average price. It would seem that the Architects and Engineers are the only ones allowed to design and create plans anymore for the average person to build. Just a beginning starting point for most folks.

Our dear sister Constance and I see others on this thread our listing the different issues that must be dealt with in any type of construction. From foundations to floors to walls to roofs which are the main components of any structure. These are the superstructure. The other components are the windows, doors, wall and roof coverings. and of course sealing and waterproofing is so very important. There is a lot of info in this thread about all of this and that is why it is so well done.

The Mechanical systems are very important also and I see above a whole ton of posts about different systems dealing with air conditioning and heating. Great stuff. The waste and water systems are very important also and I suspect that is next to be posted by all you intelligent folk. Bubu had great stuff, You must be a builder yourself mate.

So this is just some stuff from me about this thread. I suppose I could post some of the thousands of building I erected over the years but I sure am liking what is being posted here now. I finally gave up my Architectural career a few years back which was a fine extension of my physical building career and the years I spent being a building inspector and plans examiner filled in some holes also. I do so like to write these days and you know very well dear sister. Keep up the good stuff on this thread. It is great. tons of good and great ideas and information.

Steven

[Constance]

I must say, this thread is absolutely great. Constance you have started a wonder. The information and videos and pictures of different building techniques and all the different parts just gets more interesting daily. Everybody posting in here has great stuff to contribute.

Thank you brother. You know how much I love you and everyone else contributing here :bearhug: It is very exciting to have so many professionals here like yourself, sharing what they know. There is so much collective experience between you all!
I'm just an amateur with an absolute love of natural living, a passion for sharing and a love for mother earth and all her beings.


I spent around 40 or more years of my life in different aspects of the building industry and come across many of these methods and. I liked the post and beam construction a lot and actually working the other side of the counter in a building department gave me such deeper insight into the hows and whys of codes. For the most part Most codes are stupid or just plain tyrannical to the average people that want to build in the alternative, efficient, Natural way.

What I find incredibly heartening is that there are folks out there who are finding ingenious ways of working around and with government/local council/building departments so that people can continue to build natural homes.
There is an entire community out there who are incredibly innovative, fantastic at improvising, who know their stuff inside out, and who are motivated by their love of natural homes.
There is cadray of wonderful dedicated people like Oliver Swann of Natural Homes (Hi to Oliver :waving: if you are reading this!) who keep the passion of natural building well and truly alive.
I'm so deeply appreciative to those people who continue to support and to build and to teach workshops for natural homes.
For anyone that wants to do a natural home workshop around the world, please visit Naturalhomes.org (http://naturalhomes.org/)


There are so many how to books and videos for folks to delve into if and when a certain way is considered to build a home.

I am currently compiling a very big list of books for anyone interested in technical and background reading. Watch this space.
I can't tell you how many "how-to" videos I have watched when attempting something new! :bigsmile: I have also compiled a very big cache of practical "how-to" videos that I would like to share as we go along.



The Building codes, as I have stated before where created firstly to help with fire, life and safety. These things have morphed into a diaper code as I call it today. The regulations placed on cities and counties on how to build and what one has to use and cannot use are pure nonsense in so many ways. Made up rules and regulations to make money for the big corporations. Just a blast about the codes of today, They call them the International codes. "The family of international codes". These codes are designed and produced by the United Nations and fall directly into the Agenda 21 rules. If you all know about that and how insidious that agenda is then you will know how it really should be undone.

I totally agree with you Steven. The codes are designed so that we have to build artificial, toxic, square boxes that have nothing to do with who we truly are. Most buildings that we live in today are so toxic that if people really knew, they would sleep in tents rather than returning to their toxic homes.

People need to be made aware of what is happening (all the agendas at hand) but I equally want this thread to focus, to inspire, to educate and to provide valuable information around how we can bring the power back to what is rightfully ours, the right to build a beautiful natural home.


The Cob houses may also be listed these days within these codes somewhere. Here is the real kicker for most folks that want to build these methods.

The Jurisdictions have increasingly shed their responsibilities to ensure things are built to their regulations and methods prescribed in the code books and just tell anyone building anything anymore to get it all engineered. So the standard drafter who is trying to make a small business run is faced with the fact that his drawings will have to be engineered thereby costing him and the customers many times the average price. It would seem that the Architects and Engineers are the only ones allowed to design and create plans anymore for the average person to build. Just a beginning starting point for most folks.

Do you think that open-sourcing engineerings and drawings might be helpful in this instance?


There is a lot of info in this thread about all of this and that is why it is so well done.

Thanks Steven :hug: I feel as if we are only at the beginning and we have only just skimmed the surface. So much more to share.



...So this is just some stuff from me about this thread. I suppose I could post some of the thousands of building I erected over the years ...

I do so like to write these days and you know very well dear sister. Keep up the good stuff on this thread. It is great. tons of good and great ideas and information.
Please, please do feel free to share your work and what you have learned and discovered. And thanks again. You are always so supportive. :hug:

[Constance]

http://naturalhomes.org/img/rocket-mass-heater-basics2.jpg

http://naturalhomes.org/permahome/rocket-mass-heater-basics.htm

cross section of a rocket mass heater. the exhaust vent should be higher, with chimney

I also love the aesthetics of the heater. It makes for a great sitting spot. Keeps the buns warm and makes very good efficient use of wood.

My Chinese ancestors all slept/ate/cooked on these kinds of heaters.

39895



Use up to 80% less wood
"The thermal storage is large enough to retain heat for many hours or even days and typically forms part of the structure of a building. Rocket mass heaters have proven to be popular with natural builders within a permaculture design. They are mostly self-built and therefore not yet recognized by all building codes.

The rocket mass heaters work on the same basic principles as a masonry heater. A fast, high heat and oxygen rich fire burn up the volatile gases and particulates, leading to a very clean combustion and turn a large portion of the fuel into usable heat. In a well designed system smoke is released only during the first minutes of a burn, until the temperature in the burning chamber is high enough to burn all gases.

The major difference in the design of a rocket mass heater in comparison with a masonry heater is that the rocket heater has an insulated J or L shaped combustion chamber which forces the fire to burn horizontally. This leads the flame to a 90 degree angle at the end of the chamber which causes a strong turbulence [between B and C] and secondary combustion while rising up into the insulated secondary burn chamber also known as heat riser [C], creating a forceful draft which enhances the intensity of the fire even further, allowing combustion of all unburned materials and extremely clean exhaust gases."

[Bubu]

I Bubu had great stuff, You must be a builder yourself mate.


Steven

Yes mate I am a builder all my life and I designer fabricator as well. But I have to clarify I have not build a heating system before as I am in a tropical country. But I did built almost all kind of stoves and biomass burners. I have good knowledge in thermodynamics so much so that by hearing the idea I can come up with a good design. I believe I have one of the most efficient biomass heater ever, but I intend to patent it. I was in the Netherlands and Germany before and have to sleep 1 meter from the fireplace:)

To expand on the rocket mass heater. As you can observe the inverted drum acts as a heat exchanger as the air hits it, its heated upon contact and rise to the ceiling where it disperse like a cloud .Now imagine a room with temperature gradient hottest on the top coolest below. We would want to heat the coolest air the bottom most. As you can see the inverted drum is not at the lowest part so we can presume that its not heating the coolest air in the room. As i have mentioned temperature transfer from one fluid to another is dependent on temperature diferential and also the velocity of heated and heating medium. this is where the shell and tube heat exchanger works wonder. You can position the intake at the lowest portion. By employing a small fan of say 60 watts you can speed up the velocity and actually direct it to where it is desired, say a room. Also the shell and tube HE has far more surface area for heat transfer than a single 200 liter drum. I have actually design this while sleeping next to the fireplace:)

[Constance]

Here are some of the more common roof materials that are used in natural building. If you have a great idea for a roof material, or something that you have built yourself that you would like to contribute, please feel free to share!

Green Roofs
Green roofs or living roofs, can be described as a system on the roof that supports vegetation. Green roofs provide a myriad of benefits (https://www.cmu.edu/environment/campus-green-design/green-roofs/documents/heat-transfer-and-thermal-performance-analysis.pdf)

Cooler homes during summer time (You still need to insulate your roof however)
It extends the life of the roof and there is less maintenance required
You can grow food on it
There are reduced heating and cooling costs
They are pleasing to the eye
They filter the rainwater runoff

39915

Adobe

Adobe roofs are best suited to arid climate conditions with little rainfall.

39916

Shingles


A wood shingled home
39919

Wooden shingles are cut with a Froe.

39917

Froes are best suited to the softer timbers such as oak. I tried using my froe to make shingles on Australian timber, only to discovery to my dismay that Australian timbers on the janka (http://www.borthwick.com.au/species/hardness-rating) ratings are amongst some of the hardest timbers in the world! :bigsmile:


39918


How to make wood shingles

kpOikUgdh4w

[Constance]

slate shingles

39920


Thatched roofs

Take your pick from seaweed, reed, straw, palm branches, bracken root, heather
39921


https://vimeo.com/85144056


Bamboo Roofs

aZmoSE8wmVg

[Constance]

Turf or Sod roofs

The sides of the house and the roof is covered with wood first and then the sides of the house are backfilled with earth and covered in vegetation.

39922

[Bo Atkinson]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=39895&d=1549751859&thumb=1
RE: Image posted by Constance

Yes! Sleeping on heated platforms built with
easier local materials, laboriously moved,
from nearby surroundings, should provoke
us to integrate house functions, simplify life,
if we seek a harmonious life style.

Adapting to modern times…

Electric fans can almost work, except for smoke:
Eventually smoke is leaked into a home,
or natural drafts are easier to build and use,
or if used on chimney top, the fan deteriorates.
If an electric fan is tried out, in an practical system,
high-tech materials for openings and seals are wanted,
(but high-tech-airtight-seals co$t too much ).

For the outdoors, centuries of experience,
forming systems with mud and stone,
far outperformed extensive uses of metal parts,
in my personal experience of my younger years.
Warmer climates developed much simpler self
powering chimneys, simple to build without $.

The vertical firebox takes many forms,
the word ‘rocket’ spoils the essence, IMHO.
The age old dampers switching chimney use,
easily outperforms electric exhaust fans,
in that natural drafts are easier, all around,
when we consider decades of durable use.

For very cold climates, the ideal wood-heater
out to be sized for the whole 24 hr period,
translating to sizing wood pieces just right
and cutting, drying and storing enough wood.
Or solitary wood stoves can dust up a house,
with last minute drying and ash removal,
which thus favors proportioning objectives
just right, and balancing whole house priorities.
An electric water pump provides the next level.

The art of living off-matrix demands plans,
especially of balancing obtainable resources.
Using Tesla's rural power utilities if easier.
Going stoic if we like, a full range of zones,
in a house, from just above freezing, to cozy,
each part of a house with a function solved,
each hour of a day serving the whole,
is a huge mastery to begin at a young age,
much harder to jump start late in life,
unless some hands on experience was tested,
and it’s never too late to experiment on the side.

[Hym]

In the post above, #70, and in the video on "How to make wood shingles" they are using a pull knife to shape, trim, flatten wood shingles. I've used these over the years to shape wood and remove the bark off of the posts/"vigas" and smaller timbers/"latillas" before use in construction. These "shavers", pull knives come in varying widths and pull/shaving capacities.

The one I favor the most is one a friend made out of the leaf spring of an older truck. It has the perfect curve for pulling. He ground out the metal ends to make grips for the hands and sharpened the pulling edge to a long, sharp curve. The weight of the flat metal piece is much heavier than the average pull knife and for me this makes peeling the wood much easier.

The use of oak for making wood shingles proves to last many times longer than most of the cedar shakes we use in the states. For safety purposes it must be noted that these wood roofs are highly flammable and cannot be used in many high fire areas. Even the treated FTX wood shakes/shingles are not worth the cost, double the price the last time I used them, as the treatment only last a short time, invalidating the extra initial cost for the so-called "fireproofing".

[Bubu]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=39895&d=1549751859&thumb=1
RE: Image posted by Constance

Yes! Sleeping on heated platforms built with
easier local materials, laboriously moved,
from nearby surroundings, should provoke
us to integrate house functions, simplify life,
if we seek a harmonious life style.

Adapting to modern times…

Electric fans can almost work, except for smoke:
Eventually smoke is leaked into a home,
or natural drafts are easier to build and use,
or if used on chimney top, the fan deteriorates.
If an electric fan is tried out, in an practical system,
high-tech materials for openings and seals are wanted,
(but high-tech-airtight-seals co$t too much ).

For the outdoors, centuries of experience,
forming systems with mud and stone,
far outperformed extensive uses of metal parts,
in my personal experience of my younger years.
Warmer climates developed much simpler self
powering chimneys, simple to build without $.

The vertical firebox takes many forms,
the word ‘rocket’ spoils the essence, IMHO.
The age old dampers switching chimney use,
easily outperforms electric exhaust fans,
in that natural drafts are easier, all around,
when we consider decades of durable use.

For very cold climates, the ideal wood-heater
out to be sized for the whole 24 hr period,
translating to sizing wood pieces just right
and cutting, drying and storing enough wood.
Or solitary wood stoves can dust up a house,
with last minute drying and ash removal,
which thus favors proportioning objectives
just right, and balancing whole house priorities.
An electric water pump provides the next level.

The art of living off-matrix demands plans,
especially of balancing obtainable resources.
Using Tesla's rural power utilities if easier.
Going stoic if we like, a full range of zones,
in a house, from just above freezing, to cozy,
each part of a house with a function solved,
each hour of a day serving the whole,
is a huge mastery to begin at a young age,
much harder to jump start late in life,
unless some hands on experience was tested,
and it’s never too late to experiment on the side.

Thanks beautiful summation very informative. I will add however that while we want to be as natural as possible new techs that could be exploited should be incorporated. Like natural houses quicker and easier means to build. And while earth wares are far durable than metals and fans we have to consider also the efficiency that it will bring into the equation, say if using fans and metals can save 50% of fuel. How much would that be in 1 year 20 years. how much labor will be save chopping tress and of course how many tress will be save. tress are far more important today that more and more people needs them.

[Constance]

Bubu has started a solar drier thread here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?106880-Notes-from-designing-my-first-cabinet-type-solar-drier&p=1289331#post1289331). :sun:

Thank you Bubu :flower:

Solar driers are a great way to:


Store that leftover produce from your garden providing you with food for the non-productive growing times of the year


Create snacks like banana chips, kale chips, zucchini chips, dried crackers


Space save


Create intense flavours! The process of dehydrating fruits and vegetables concentrates flavours. For example, beetroot dried and powdered can be added to smoothies, lattes or sauces for an amazing taste.

[pueblo]

4vOrkB52omY

[Constance]

4vOrkB52omY

Pueblo, that was an excellent video. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm most grateful. :heart:

I would love to know the names of the two plants used to create the natural pond liner. I'm guessing that the sap from the first plant was a species of rubber tree but the other plant - I wonder what it was and what chemistry/synergy the two plants created that provided the waterproofing? Natural swimming pools enthusiasts would be very keen to know I'm sure!

[pueblo]

4vOrkB52omY

Pueblo, that was an excellent video. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm most grateful. :heart:

I would love to know the names of the two plants used to create the natural pond liner. I'm guessing that the sap from the first plant was a species of rubber tree but the other plant - I wonder what it was and what chemistry/synergy the two plants created that provided the waterproofing? Natural swimming pools enthusiasts would be very keen to know I'm sure!

She certainly seems to know the local plants and their uses very well!

Without any aeration I wonder would the pond/moat water stagnate?

[Constance]

4vOrkB52omY

Pueblo, that was an excellent video. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm most grateful. :heart:

I would love to know the names of the two plants used to create the natural pond liner. I'm guessing that the sap from the first plant was a species of rubber tree but the other plant - I wonder what it was and what chemistry/synergy the two plants created that provided the waterproofing? Natural swimming pools enthusiasts would be very keen to know I'm sure!

She certainly seems to know the local plants and their uses very well!

Without any aeration I wonder would the pond/moat water stagnate?

That is a very good question regarding aeration. A healthy pond (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W8BapMq5hQ&ab_channel=GardenFundamentals)doesn't require aeration if it contains lots of shading plants for the pond, aquatic plants, pebbles/gravel and aquatic animals.

[Billy]

I found this today and I am very impressed :clapping:

3D printed houses constructed with locally sourced clay.
https://www.inexhibit.com/case-studies/sustainable-house-in-italy-is-made-by-3d-printing-locally-sourced-clay/?fbclid=IwAR0LAB4infJlTpt2ADzSubeJiMbEllNUPL6YbCoZSXCoq77MLNafZIQo_Bc

The TECLA prototype house in fall 2020.

Sustainable 3D-printed prototype house in Italy is made from locally-sourced clay

Originating from a collaboration between architect Mario Cucinella and 3D-printer manufacturer WASP, TECLA is a prototype eco-house built near Ravenna, northern Italy, entirely made by 3D-printing a material based on locally-sourced clay.

TECLA (an acronym which stands for “Technology and Clay”) is a habitat consisting of two interconnected housing units, each covered by a semi-spherical dome.
The units have been built using multiple Crane Wasp printing units operating simultaneously. Crane WASP is defined by the manufacturer as “a collaborative 3D printing system capable of printing houses” and can print various materials – such as earth-based materials, concrete mortar, and geopolymers – with a maximum speed of 300 mm/s and a maximum printing area of 50 sqm per unit.

The design of the habitat features two or more “cocoon-like” housing units, whose shape vaguely resembles that of a sea urchin, in which structure, insulation, and finishes coincide.
The thick raw earth walls of the units have a hollow structure consisting of several clay “waves”, which makes them at the same time relatively lightweight, resistant, and highly insulating.
About 200 printing hours are required to build each unit, which consists of 350 clay layers, each 12 mm thick.

Read more via link.

46035. 46036

46037. 46038

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[meat suit]

Super cool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9sXqxccRPM

[Karen (Geophyz)]

3D printed houses constructed with locally sourced clay.
https://inexhibit.com/case-studies/sustainable-house-in-italy-is-made-by-3d-printing-locally-sourced-clay

What a interesting and useful idea. I am afraid I would not be able to live in one due to the lack of windows. But this might be a plus, especially if you could duplicate it on Mars or another planet. I am afraid I also need corners (where will I stand when I have been bad!). That is an odd thing, lack of corner phobia! But these house are especially pleasing to look at and a great idea.

[Constance]

3D printed houses constructed with locally sourced clay.
https://www.inexhibit.com/case-studi...77MLNafZIQo_Bc

What a interesting and useful idea. I am afraid I would not be able to live in one due to the lack of windows. But this might be a plus, especially if you could duplicate it on Mars or another planet. I am afraid I also need corners (where will I stand when I have been bad!). That is an odd thing, lack of corner phobia! But these house are especially pleasing to look at and a great idea.

Hey! Great to see you posting here :flower:

The link doesn't work, was it the WASP mud home you were referring to?

Jo0QADF_xKc

[Constance]

Fence weaving via willow canes

46055

[Ewan]

Bit of a :bump: here but the following is quite simply astonishing...

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2,483,432 views Jun 11, 2023

During the California heat wave of 1906, Baldassare Forestiere dug a home underground with just a pickax and shovel. He spent 40 years excavating 10 acres of rooms, tunnels, a chapel, an underground aquarium, and courtyards to experiment with underground farming.

With no budget, he mixed mortar from the dirt he dug out, creating his own concrete and bricks. Despite continuing to work as a day laborer during the day (mostly digging irrigation ditches), by the 1920s, he had completed about 50 subterranean rooms.

A Sicilian immigrant to Fresno, California, Forestiere had planned to farm citrus until discovering that his 80 acres of “hardpan” soil were unusable for planting. Digging as far as 20 feet below the surface, Forestiere reached depths where the soil was good, and his trees were protected from Fresno’s extreme summer heat and winter frosts. After about 20 years of digging and underground farming, he could quit his day job and live off the fruits of his subterranean orchards.

Despite having just a fourth-grade education and no architectural training, Forestiere - inspired by the catacombs of Rome - built arches for support, and to this day, none of his underground construction has collapsed. In areas where he wanted more natural cooling (like near stoves), he created cone-shaped openings to encourage the venturi effect, pushing the hot air out and sucking the cooler air down.

His underground home had a kitchen with a wood-burning stove, an ice box and a dining room, winter and summer bedrooms, many skylights, a subterranean fish pond, a car garage for guests, and a three-floor aquarium with an underground glass viewing area. He had plans to open an underground resort to the public as a place to cool off in the summer, but he died before it was completed. His brother and family took over the site, and today it’s open to the public.

[Ewan]

And, to me, another astonishing feat..

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878,620 views Apr 11, 2022

Dwight Streamfellow was a college junior when he bought a piece of cheap river-front land to start a homestead. He was a city boy (partly in Washington DC where his father was a senator) so he planned to learn-by-doing on how raw land in the rugged mountains of Northern California’s Six Rivers National Forest.

The property cost him only $11,000 back in 1976, but soon he had built his own home (much of it with hand tools) and was growing his own food, pumping water from the river to irrigate his garden & orchard, and powering his homestead with photovoltaic and firewood (for heat and his hot tub/bathtub).

In a state that is drying up, Streamfellow considers his large chunk of riverfront his true wealth: he’s on the South Fork of the Trinity River, the longest un-dammed river left in California. Forty-five years ago he tried harvesting the water by carrying 5 gallon buckets up the 150 feet from the river to his home. He then tried a pedal-powered pump, but the calories burned weren’t replaced by the calories created in the garden. He finally perfected a system - an electric pump that is powered by a photovoltaic array - which provides all the water he, and his tenants, need for large gardens, orchards and the five homes on this property.

Starting before the Internet, Streamfellow felt he was without an instruction manual for most of his nearly 5 decades working the land, doing everything from building roads (chipping away at granite), creating garden terraces along his steep property and building up hugelkultur beds to garden on bedrock.

Now 68 years old, Streamfellow isn’t wealthy, but he has no debt (he believes in the pay-as-you-go model) and he considers himself wealthy from what his land provides; he has four tenants (who often work the property in lieu of rent), a garden that supplies sufficient annual fruit, vegetables and potatoes, and chickens, pigs and deer for meat. "It was always my goal to be as self-sufficient as possible,” explains Streamfellow. Forty-five years after settling here he says he always has a year’s worth of food and three year’s worth of firewood: "to me that's what represents wealth– that food and the capability to heat my home".

It is interesting how often he mentions wealth, he really understands what wealth is and it has nothing to do with that fake construct called money.