Brian, a.k.a Ziggy, has asked me to publish his Cob House Work Exchange at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, in Rutledge, Missouri for the fall of 2008. The house you’ll help build, if you so choose, is a spiral-shaped structure composed entirely of cob (a mix of sand, clay, and straw), complete with a reclaimed urbanite foundation and a living reciprocal roof. Good Luck Ziggy!

Check out the progress on his website »

Recently on the  Tiny House Blog, Kent Griswold posted a video on his site of Jay’s Tiny Home Tour.  Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed House Company is creating and living in houses of 65 to 774 square feet.  I applaud his concentrated design skills.  I’m a fan of the super small house - been living in 280 square feet pod for almost a year and have no complaints, except no closet!  I’m inspired by the tiny house movement, doing more with less material.  Constructing small leaves more time and money  for the details, which can enhance the quality of a space. Not to mention removing the chores that come with the large house to-do list.  How efficient is that?

It all starts with the need for shelter, sometime after food for our bellies. We need a place to live. A place where we can call home. Or at least a space that protects us from the elements. A outer skin. Somewhere to rest and recharge with systems that promote a fruitful life. A space that provides respite from the world.

Continue Reading…

Burrowing wasps or bees or both

Two insects; the black wasp and the bubble bee seem to be making a home in the earthen walls of the Moonunit. I couldn’t tell which one has been boring holes into the walls. I’m guessing it’s the wasp doing the digging and the bumble bees are just busy inspecting… crawling in and out. You’d expect the wasp to be a Mud Dauber, but it wasn’t the black and yellow type. It may have been the Organ Pipe Mud Dauber, though it doesn’t look like their nest type. I’m sure there are enough spiders crawling around to make for a meal or two. The Moonunit hasn’t been used too much lately. Constant visitors might scare the insects a way a little. I’m not too concerned about the creatures making a home there, though getting rid of them might be difficult.

The cow manure plaster I used 2 years ago is really holding up well. It’s not tough enough to keep insects from creating holes, but it’s holding up to the weather nicely. I used as much cow poo as possible, sometimes up to half. As I recall the mix was something like 1 part clay, 2 parts sand, 1 part cow manure and straw to taste.

So, earthen walls can have insect issues, but as far as I know every wall type does to some extent. Continue Reading…