by Richard Flatau | Jun 24, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop
Kinstone Circle rests gently upon a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The largest megalithic stone circle in North America, a walking labyrinth, rolling hills, a tepee, a yurt, a reflecting pond, permaculture plantings and three cordwood buildings accent the...
by Richard Flatau | Jun 15, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop
What is the one thing that will destroy a conventional foundation? Water (freezing, thawing, and heaving). Frank Lloyd Wright (among others) figured out a way to move water away from the foundation. He called it a Rubble Trench. It is basically a trench dug around...
by Richard Flatau | Jun 8, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized
The interior of Pelle Henriksson’s sauna in Sweden is a work of art. It is very pleasing to the eye, sturdy, and simultaneously, whimsical (note the blue window). The large sauna stove screening is filled with rocks meant to produce the sacred steam (the...
by Richard Flatau | Jun 3, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop
Did the Pueblo build cordwood houses? It looks like they did. Archeological research indicated they used petrified wood and clay. This is called the Agate House and is located at the Petrified Forest National Park in NE Arizona. The petrified wood is 200 million...
by Richard Flatau | May 30, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, Green building, log end, Off grid, Workshop
One of the all-time-best cordwood construction practice projects is building a cordwood outhouse. Not only do you get to hone your cordwood skills, but you get a functional addition to your homestead. You can practice with various styles of mortar and material....
