Monthly Archives

August 2015

Aug 24
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The Off-Grid Straw Bale Cabin: Workshop Photo Gallery

By Natural Building Workshops, Photos, Straw Bale Building
Straw Bale Workshop Site

Working on the site of our 2015 Straw Bale Workshop

I’m writing from the past for the future — I should be in Vermont as you read this. I scheduled this little post to self-publish so you’d have some fun photos to look at while I’m PDCing it up during this latter part of August.

Here’s a photo gallery and slideshow from our recent July Straw Bale Workshop in which we built the straw bale walls of a small, off-grid octagonal cabin in the Kentucky foothills. It’s always amazing to me to see the walls go up and instantly take the house to a whole new level of completion. I love the gradual defining of the space from digging the foundation trench, to building the frame and roof, and then the stacking of the walls themselves. Even once the straw bales are up, the house is still ultimately a ways away from actual “completion” (whatever that means), but my goodness it feels good.

Read ahead to see the evolution of the small straw bale home in the woods during our course!
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Aug 16
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A Brief Update & Some Bonus Land Photos

By Permaculture, Homesteading

bottom pasture - looking south

Tomorrow, April and I head east. I’ll be attending a PDC at Whole Systems Research Farm in Vermont for 10 days. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this trip since the spring, and the timing couldn’t be better. This fall, we’ll be moving onto our new land and the next year will be full of visioning and designing and making plans for the land and the future. I suspect a lot of the new knowledge I come home with after the PDC will be very helpful for our design process.

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Aug 05
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Straw Bale & Plaster Details Around a Foundation

By Earthbag Building, Foundation, Clay Plaster, Straw Bale Building
Plaster Stop at Bottom of Straw Bale Wall

Think about the transition between your straw bales and foundation early in the design process

In one of my recent posts, I talked about details at the top of the straw bale wall where it meets the roof. Now I’d like to talk about some considerations where the wall meets the foundation. This is another critical point in the straw bale wall design, and planning from the beginning of the process is essential for a clean and durable finish surface at the bottom of the wall. Here are some tips to think about regarding the plaster and details between the bales and foundation.

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Aug 01
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Why I’m Taking a Permaculture Design Course

By Homesteading, Permaculture
Whole Systems Design Research Farm

The Whole Systems Research Farm, where I’m headed in August 

I’m awfully excited about the upcoming month. In August, I’m headed to the Whole Systems Research Farm in Vermont to take a Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC). In this case, it’s an  intensive workshop and immersion in designing and maintaining resilient farms and homesteads, based on the principles and techniques of permaculture design. Basically… it’s 10 days learning about forest gardens, water management, perennial plants, scything, self-sufficiency, and maintaining high yield / low input food landscapes.

Okay, that’s still a lot of words, but you get the idea. This is rich stuff, and I’m thrilled to be able to see Ben Falk and co.’s living examples of permaculture in action. The timing couldn’t be better, as we’ll be moving onto our land this summer/fall, and making grand plans over the winter and in 2016 for turning our own 28 acres in a slice of perma-paradise.

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