StrawBale’s Applegate Residence

I am excited to introduce a brand new small house straw bale plan. I have been involved with Gabriella Morrison wife of Andrew Morrison of Strawbale.com to design a straw bale home for the Tiny House Blog readership. The new home has been named The Applegate Residence. These plans are … Read more

Straw Bale 101

Guest Post by Andrew Morrison Straw Bale construction is an old technology that has grown to become a respected and viable building option in most locations and climates. Not only is it beautiful and energy efficient, but it is also three times as fire resistant as a conventionally framed home … Read more

Eco Cocon Solar House

Almantas in Lithuania shares an ecologic straw-bale solar house.

Solar architecture is based on the efficient use of the energy and the direct solar energy utilization principle. Almost all windows are located in the southern side of the building. This way when the sun rays fall obliquely in spring, autumn and winter, more IR spectrum sun rays enter the building.

At the same time all efforts are put to keep them inside the building as long as possible: the windows are covered with selective film and the walls are plastered with clay, that among other good properties also have low thermal conductivity, i.e. it absorbs thermal radiation and when the sun is down, the accumulated heat is radiated to the surrounding environment very slowly, at the same time heating the building.

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Pedalpalooza: Tour of Southeast Portland Tiny Homes

Following is a guest post by my friend Tammy Strobel who publishes the Rowdy Kittens Blog.

Shift is an organization in Portland that brings people together for bike based fun. Every year Shift facilitates an amazing event called Pedalpalooza, that spans a 2 week period.

With 291 events, most organized by individuals, bikers of all persuasions are likely to find many events of interest. Nearly all events are free.

A few weeks ago Eli Spevak, from Orange Splot, LLC, organized a Pedalpalooza ride featuring tiny homes. A group of 150 cyclists gathered for the tiny home tour, in Southeast Portland.

Beginning of Ride

We stopped at six tiny homes and saw a number of different housing styles, including: a 14 x 8 gypsy wagon, a little house made of cob, a nanny’s house on wheels, a straw-bail tiny house that is being used as a detached bedroom, an urban village, and a cute little home that was converted from a garage to a little cottage.

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EcoNests

I first saw an EcoNest about 9 years ago and had forgotten about them until now. Even after studying many different types of natural building, Econests will continue to be one of my favorites because of their beautiful resemblance to the curves and colors of nature. They might even be the closest way to be outdoors without stepping out the door.

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EcoNests are simple, elegant, and healthful handcrafted dwellings that welcome owner participation in their construction.

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Casa Juan Galan

Alternative Energy, Passive Solar House for Sale The house is located in Tres Orejas, a small off-grid community one-half hour west of Taos, New Mexico. Situated on 3/4 acre of desert oasis with outstanding 360° panoramic views of the Sangre de Christo (Rocky Mountains) and Picuris mountain to the east … Read more