How to Build Dirt Cheap Houses The following list summarizes some of the potential savings from using natural building materials and alternative construction methods. If you’re wondering why they’re not more widely used, it’s because contractors, banks, realtors and others in the housing industry make more profit from the current system. It’s up to you to get informed and switch to a sustainable lifestyle. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Earth-Sheltered Eco Hotel in Alps from Matteo Thun A radical new earth-sheltered design for the Bella Vista Trafoi hotel in the Italian Alps earns Italian architect Matteo Thun, one of the founders of the Memphis Group the Klimahotel designation, meaning “eco-responsible tourism”. Outwardly; these are just eleven lumps in the side of a mountain, but they provide guests with great views out and a warm and cozy stay within. There are many ecological advantages to earth sheltered designs like these. With no “outside” you get freedom from weather damage of the exterior, while in turn maintaining local habitat for the plants and animals in the region. Only the huge glass frontages remain as a sign of human habitations. Energy reduction is the main advantage to underground building. Source: Treehugger
232 Toxic Chemicals found in 10 Babies December 31, 2009 | 58,335 views Share Laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group have detected bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic component and synthetic estrogen, in umbilical cord blood of American infants. Nine of 10 randomly selected samples of cord blood tested positive for BPA, an industrial petrochemical. BPA has been implicated in a lengthening list of serious chronic disorders, including cancer, cognitive and behavioral impairments, endocrine system disruption, reproductive and cardiovascular system abnormalities, diabetes, asthma and obesity. In all, the tests found as many as 232 chemicals in the 10 newborns, all of minority descent. And in a separate study, researchers found that complications of pregnancy, such as preterm labor, preterm birth, and infection were lowest in women with the highest vitamin D levels. 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day during pregnancy was found to be safe (not a single adverse event).
Tree Houses, Wooden Play Structures, Hobbit Holes - High Life Tree Houses Tiny Earthbag Homes = Low Cost To Build And Own Earthbag homes can take on many different sizes and shapes such as straight walls or curved. The roof can also be made of earthbag but only for smaller structures. Green roofs and timber roofs are also often used. Here is an in-depth step by step on how to build yourself an earthbag home. It’s possible that an earthbag home could be used for folks interested in living small. Once you own land in a no codes / no restrictions area, you have some flexibility to do such a neat build.
Subterranean Living Down a dirt road and between thickets of trees, Paul Queen lives inside a grassy, man-made hill. Deer try to stroll across his rooftop. Gopher tortoises attempt to tunnel into the walls. But inside, Queen can barely hear the rain — or deer hoofsteps. His home is earth-sheltered, meaning it's not exactly underground but is surrounded and insulated by a massive mound of soil. National builders of the obscure style, which first grew out of hillsides and rural grasslands during the energy crisis decades ago, say that amid concerns about power bills and natural disasters, more people are burrowing into the earth, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Stephanie Thomas-Rees, a research architect with the Florida Solar Energy Center, said the state's sandy soil and high water table make managing moisture difficult in an earth-sheltered home. Now Take A Look At This One In Australia:
Omega 3 Benefits Your Baby's Brain and Eyes November 17, 2009 | 36,710 views Share The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that the omega-3 fats, DHA and ALA, can benefit eye and cognitive development in babies. EFSA supported the role of these fats in fetal and newborn eye and brain development but said there was an adequate supply in breast milk. These groups say that EFSA ignored intervention studies, and did not take into account the totality of evidence before it. Earthbag & Papercrete Home: Hart House This is our first experimental earthbag dome. The interior diameter is 14 feet and the dome stands about 16 feet high. At first we tried filling the bags with the fine sand that it is built upon, but when we were partly done, the dome fell in because the sand couldn't hold the shape. Here is the same dome as above, with joists in place for the loft and with the arch form still supporting the entrance arch. This is the beginning of the large elliptical dome that became our kitchen and living room. Because of the elliptical shape, this dome required a rigid pole framework to help support the second story. Here I am applying a coating of papercrete to the outside of the large dome. This is the papercrete tow mixer that was used to mix most of the papercrete. On the left is the 16 foot interior diameter bedroom dome, and on the right is part of the large dome. This is the southern aspect of the house after the final papercrete stucco was applied. R-VALUE OF THE WALLS Estimated at R-40.
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