Triple Dome Survival Shelter April 12, 2011 by Owen Geiger Triple Dome Survival Shelter (click to enlarge) Specifications: Three 16′ interior diameter domes with 603 sq. ft. interior, 3 sleeping lofts with 312 sq. ft., total 915 sq. ft. interior, one bedroom, one bath, Footprint: 38′ x 38′ Description: This Triple Dome Survival Shelter provides much more space than my first earthbag survival shelter. This design is for long term survival for a family. It is earthquake and fire resistant, bullet and nuclear fallout resistant. Like this: Like Loading...
The Living Cube by Till Koenneker Germany-born, Switzerland-based designer Till Koenneker took matters into his own hands when he moved into a studio apartment that had no storage. Building a simple cube-like design, called The Living Cube, he found space for his vinyl collection, TV, clothes, and shoes. On top of the cube, Koenneker was able to incorporate a bed for guests and inside houses a much-needed storage space. Koenneker sketched out his ideas and had them built by Remo Zimmerli. Working with the space he had, The Living Cube, essentially a large piece of furniture, was built for his personal needs and solves a lot of issues. I loved that they used virtually ever square inch of the cube and made it functional. Photos by Rob Lewis.
Natural Building: How to Decide which Method to use for Walls The range of different natural building techniques out there are many, and all of them are exciting. But when to use which technique? Here’s a starting guide for choosing what to build your walls from. Though all very different, and used for different reasons, all the natural building methods below have some common aspects. And the biggest one is: they’re all striving to create comfortable, liveable, non-toxic natural buildings. Natural building also gives you the chance to build with a much lower energy footprint through using available, more local materials – rather than things like cement, clay brick and treated timber that have huge flow-on effects to both the environments they’re sourced from, and the earth’s atmosphere because of how they’re produced. But like designing and building anything, your context – which includes your site, climate, resources, location and budget – will define what methods you use to build. Light earth is a funky blend between rammed earth and cobb.
How To Tear Down A Chair So You Can Reupholster It Please enable JavaScript to watch this video. Upholstery is a popular do-it-yourself project for those who have tired of a certain fabric design, or who wish to repair stained or worn-out seats, backs and armrests. Before you re-upholster, though, you’ll need remove the old fabric — and there’s a method to this madness. The video from Kim’s Upholstery demonstrates the process on an older wingback chair. Shelly Leer of ModHomeEc believes that learning how to tear down a fully upholstered chair or sofa is crucial to learning the craft of upholstery. You’ll need a combination of needlenose pliers, rubber mallet, ripping chisel and staple remover. Start by labelling your chair with chalk using standard upholstery abbreviations. There is a correct order to follow when removing a chairs fabric. Check out more photos of this process from Shelly’s tutorial in the link below, as well as the video from Kim’s Upholstery above. How to de Upholster a Wing Back Chair [ModHomeEc]
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. Making sawhorses It seems like there are as many variations on sawhorse designs as there are woodworkers. Here's how I build mine. It's not much of a design. Just as simple and sturdy a sawhorse that I could come up with. I previously built some sawhorses with a radial arm saw (or a miter saw), but this time I'll show how to make one with just a circular saw. Materials needed for two sawhorses The 18° bevel cut for the top of the legs is tricky to make. I had some old painted 2x4s from a picnic table (which, ironically, was my temporary workbench when I previously built sawhorses). So I flipped the 2x4s over to finish the cut from the other side. If you are using 2x3s instead of 2x4s for the legs, you won't need to do this. Here I'm cutting the 18 degree (18 degrees from square) bevel in the ends of the legs. I make a series of cuts to hog out a dado for where the legs will attach. After that, I cut more slots, knock those out, then clear out more. More on cutting dadoes with a handheld circular saw
Devon Earth Building Association links to cob build specialists and earth construction courses All links open in new window Build Something Beautiful Build Something Beautiful is owned by Kevin McCabe, who is an East Devon traditional cob building specialist, providing new homes, cob repairs and lime based materials for the West Country, as well as running workshops on new build in cob which includes practical experience on an actual new building J & J Sharpe Devon builders who specialise in the repair, refurbishing and sympathetic conservation of old buildings including those made of cob. Building Conservation Cathedral Communications building conservation website Abey Smallcombe Earth Art & Architecture Two english women have formed a business partnership dedicated to producing art and architecture using cob, the traditional building material made from earth, straw and water. The Yarner Trust Centre for Alternative Technology Bedford and Jobson Architects
33+ Genius Uses For Old Garden Hoses If you visit a serious gardener you’ll most likely discover old hoses laying around or find pieces and parts used in some creative ways. Below you’ll find some resourceful ways old garden hoses can “live on” and remain useful long after they are used to water reliably. Protect Young or Newly Planted Trees – To cushion and prevent support wires from damaging or cutting into branches and trunks. Giant Water level – When building greenhouses we would take a garden hose, attach a 3-foot piece of clear vinyl to each end and fill with colored water. Landscaping Tool – Perfect for laying out a flower and landscape beds. Bucket Handle Grips – Split a section of old hose and slip it over the wire bail of a bucket… makes carrying the full bucket easier and cushion your hand. Earwig Trap – Earwigs love cramped, small, dark places. Protect Car Bumpers and Doors – Screw lengths of hose at car-bumper level to corners of the garage door frame to help prevent dings and repairing dented trim. Garden Art
Earth house | Natural Building Near Vancouver, There Is A “Secret” Island Where Everyone Lives Completely Off-Grid There is a small island between Vancouver Island and Vancouver called Lasqueti that is 12 miles long and 3 miles wide. On this island, there is a community living off the grid who enjoys being separate from the mainstream Canadian culture. Most of the residents live simply. They have very little in the way of industry or economy and because they take almost nothing from the land their carbon footprint is rather small. According to the 2011 census , there are 426 people living there however the communities website says there are actually only around 350 permanent residents which include 70 children. Lasqueti is “an island of individuals, with poets, artists, physicists, fishermen, loggers, tree planters, designers, professional musicians, published authors, some small scale manufacturers, some commercial agriculture as well as professional consultants in education, engineering, forestry and alternate energy.” – Lasqueti Community blog. The island also features one cafe and one bar.
8 earth homes almost anyone can afford to build | Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building Many people dream of building their own home, but the financial cost and environmental toll of starting from scratch can often seem overwhelming. It doesn't have to be. By stepping outside the box and using natural methods, almost anyone can afford to build their own green home out of sustainable materials. La Casa Vergara’s uncommon dome shapes may captivate the eye, but what’s underneath is most impressive. These charming hobbit-like dwellings are prefabricated by Magic Green Homes and can be constructed in just three days. For anyone who is interested in building their own earth home, yet doesn’t know where to start, the guidance of Cal-Earth might come in handy. Orkidstudio, an organization that specializes in humanitarian design, opened up an orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya that is made entirely out of earth bags. Building low-cost, environmentally friendly homes is a sign of moving in the right direction and the Earth Home Builder makes the process amazingly efficient.
Get Rid of Ants Naturally, Inexpensively, and Permanently - NaturalON Photo credit: bigstock.com Is there anything more annoying than waking up in the morning, wandering into the bathroom or kitchen and finding a trail of ants? Well, you can get rid of most ants naturally by using items you most likely already have in your home. There are thousands, literally thousands of species of ants in this world, and some of them are downright dangerous. Luckily for us, most of the ants that invade our homes are pretty harmless and in fact actually do lots of good in the environment by eating flea larvae, silver fish, flies, spiders, and bedbugs. However, when they are lined up across your kitchen counter, they aren’t so cute. Hopefully all you have is a mild ant infestation. No matter the problem, one of the following methods is bound to work for you. 1. An old tried and true method that is super cheap and works well. 2. Vinegar is a natural ant repellant. 3. Continue to Page 2 4. For some unknown reason, ants don’t like the way coffee smells. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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