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