November, 2009

Tiny House in a Landscape

This is a very interesting building, it looks like some sort of chapel with the cross above it. It would be interesting to know more about this photo. The chapel appears to be high up in some mountains and probably has a beautiful view. If anyone has ever seen this … Read more

Building with Whole Trees

by Kent Griswold

Benjamin alerted me to this interesting article in the New York Times Home and Garden section. Below is a quote from the article written by Anne Raver of the New York Times.

Roald Gundersen, an architect who may revolutionize the building industry, shinnied up a slender white ash near his house here on a recent afternoon, hoisting himself higher and higher until the limber trunk began to bend slowly toward the forest floor.

“Whooh!” he said, jumping to the ground and gingerly rubbing his back. “This isn’t as easy as it used to be. But see how the tree holds the memory of the weight?”

Bargain in the Ozarks

by Kent Griswold

Kimberly spotted this listing and thought everyone would enjoy seeing it. This little house is definitely a fixer-upper, but it (and especially the views!) have a lot of charm. Just thought you might like to consider sharing it– $29,900 for five acres and a 624 square foot house 1/4 mile … Read more

Ryo’s Hut in the Mountains

by Kent Griswold

Ryo contacted me about his project in Northern California. Ryo has put together a shelter for a very small amount of cash and I think we can all learn from his experience.

Ryo has a very interesting blog and you will enjoy reading it. It is a journal of his experiences in building his hut, so make sure you go and visit it here. I’m going to let Ryo tell his story now.

This past summer, I bought 60 acres of vacant land in northern California, and have been living there part time since August. Sleeping in a tent was fine while it was warm, but as the weather turned colder and wetter, I decided I needed something bigger, warmer, and dryer. I knew I didn’t need or want much; just something big enough for me to relax, cook, and sleep in comfortably.

For Love of Yurts

by Kent Griswold

Bruce Sargent wrote me a while back about a yurt he had built and that he was in the process of putting a book together to tell his story and show others how he built a yurt for less than $1,000.

Here is what Bruce has to say about his book: For yurt lovers everywhere, we’ve created the newest and best book about making an ultra simple, hand-made, yurt-home.

Ten years ago, at Spirit Hollow, a shamanic school tucked back in the Taconic Mountains of Vermont, I fell in love with yurts.

The Story of Stuff

by Kent Griswold

Bill Brooks who is building his own tiny house brought this to my attention on Facebook the other day and I thought it was very educational and that you might enjoy it. What is the Story of Stuff? From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in … Read more