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Funky Cordwood Windows

by Richard Flatau | Jun 29, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Natural home for sale, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Can you make a window using a hollowed out log and plexiglass? Of course you can if you follow the method that Pelle Henriksson used in his sauna. All pictures are courtesy of Pelle Henriksson and are used with permission. 1. First you clean out and sand the...

Cordwood at Kinstone Circle

by Richard Flatau | Jun 24, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

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...

Rubble Trench: The Basics

by Richard Flatau | Jun 15, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

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...

Swedish Cordwood Sauna by Pelle

by Richard Flatau | Jun 8, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized | 0 Comments

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 loyly)...

Oldest Cordwood in the World?

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 | 0 Comments

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...

Cordwood Outhouses & Bathrooms

by Richard Flatau | May 30, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, Green building, log end, Off grid, Workshop | 0 Comments

One of the all-time-best cordwood construction practice projects is building the cordwood outhouse. Not only do you get to hone your cordwood mortaring skills, but you get a functional addition to your homestead.This outhouse (above) was the first cordwood building constructed before the owners cordwood cabin. This delightful structure is located in Wisconsin. Marcus Grossman […]

Cordwood Cottage Garden Shed (recycled)

by Richard Flatau | May 16, 2017 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Tom & Mary Barchacky built this beautiful cottage garden shed in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The entire building was made with recycled materials. For example: the shake shingles were repurposed from a garage. The large front window came from a dumpster in an alley in...

Cordwood in Brazil #2

by Richard Flatau | May 8, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home | 0 Comments

Jair Dias was kind enough to send photos of his newly completed cordwood home in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He used "pinus" (Pine) for his cordwood infill and in his own words, "I tried to use only woods grown here in Brazil for use in cordwood...

Cordwood and the Starwall

by Richard Flatau | Apr 23, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, Natural home for sale, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Where can you find three cordwood buildings, a Yurt, a Straw-Clay Cottage, a Tepee, a Sauna, the largest Megalithic Stone Circle in the USA AND is open to the public)? Kinstone Circle near Fountain City, Wisconsin, is where. Kristine Beck, the owner and...

Cordwood in Brazil

by Richard Flatau | Apr 21, 2017 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, Green building, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Jair Dias sent the following pictures and explanation of the cordwood (cobwood) home he is building in Brazil: "Jair Dias lives in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ." The wood he is using for the cordwood infill is Pinus Elliottii (Pine). The cob mortar is...