Sometimes I wonder if I wasn’t meant for Scandinavia. What with the region’s stunning living roofs, the old and beautiful traditions of timber construction, the forests… wow. This is my kind of aesthetic. These particular images are from Urnatur of Sweden. Urnatur is a so-called “eco lodge” and retreat, home to these lovely little rustic cottages. Inspirational stuff!
Wow, it finally feels like winter. We’ve had a ridiculous number of mild days thus far, and it decided to snow a couple days ago, but only immediately after a 60+ degree day. Hrmmm… for some reason, it’s hard to turn one’s mind from wandering to climate change…
We are faring much better this winter (in no doubt due to the warm days), but I actually want some cold to test all of the changes we’ve made to the house this summer!
By the way, click the panorama image for a larger version!
Lloyd Kahn is an owner-builder’s best friend. His colorful books document owner-builders’ projects across the world, chock full of captivating, beautiful photographs and valuable information for both the aspiring and active builder folks among us.
Each announcement of his book releases come with a certain wave of excitement, and Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter rides on the wave that Lloyd has been stirring up for over 30 years since the release of Shelter, and delivers a unique look into the newly exploding popularity of tiny houses.
Read ahead for a book review of Lloyd Kahn’s latest.
Timber frame homes have been around for a long, long time. And there’s good reason for that. Timber frame houses make efficient use of resources, optimize the use of locally-available materials, can be built using relatively simple tools, and especially nowadays, they are easily outfitted with a number of highly insulative materials such as straw bales.
Timber frame houses are ultimately very efficient, much moreso than the typical stick frame house prevalent in conventional construction.
Check out my article here for more about why — Timber Frame Homes are Energy Efficient Homes.
p.s. Did I mention they are just way cooler and more beautiful than stick frames, too?
Pug dons a dog cone in 2011... but that's not terribly related to the here and now...
2011 has presented us with a wide mix of events and emotions. It’s been everything from momentous, to extremely challenging, to gratifying, and everything in-between. Just like every other year, I suppose, right? Each year is not so different from the last, but at the same time, each year is full of its own unique experiences.
This was the year we experienced some significant health challenges, decided to build a new home, continued to do major renovations to Gobcobatron to correct some of its moisture and heat issues, made some advancements on our kitchen construction, hosted our first mini building workshop, began organzing two major natural building courses, got some rewarding nods in the media, and ultimately, just like last year, kept incredibly occupied.
Here I present the top 10 news and posts from The Year of Mud in 2011.
Whoops! The Year of Mud has had a few hiccups today. All of the kinks should be ironed out now, but it’s not impossible that it may go down briefly once more in the next 24 hours. Sorry for any inconvenience!
Happy browsing!
Gobcobatron in the new Tiny Homes book
I was really excited yesterday, literally breathless with joy. I walked to the mailboxes yesterday afternoon and spotted a package from Shelter Publications casually lying across the top of our mailbox, and I tore it open to find two glossy new copies of Lloyd Kahn’s latest book, Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter. I literally ran home to pry into it (dropping one of the cute Tiny Homes mini books in the mud in the process… whoops!), and I was thrilled to see my cob house gracing four of the pages within.
Our timber frame house plans are complete, and now we are prepared to proceed with acquiring our timber. We are providing the plans free for download for folks interested in viewing the 3D drawings and floor plans. Read ahead for more!
Lloyd Kahn, the man behind cult classics Shelter, Home Work, and the recent Builders of the Pacific Northwest has a new book coming out in February of 2012: Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.
Lloyd’s previous books all feature the work of owner-builders with a natural flair. Many of his books have the element of travel in it, too, as Lloyd traipses around the country and beyond, meeting creative (and not too infrequently, quirky) builders that delve into natural and traditional styles of building. Shelter set the trend in 1973, and Home Work followed much later with more current day builders and their beautiful work, and Tiny Homes exposes the new exploding scene of tiny houses and small living spaces.
Actually, my cob house will be featured on two pages of the the book. Look for Tiny Homes in February 2012.
The Year of Mud has decided to grace facebook with its muddy-fingered presence. Check out The Year of Mud page and do what you will as far as “liking” us and all that stuff… Expect news announcements, updates about our natural building workshops, and some other good stuff.
(I have been avoiding the site like the plague for a while now, but… what with our building workshops and all that, it seems necessary to break down and get our name out there through the beast that is facebook. So it goes.)
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Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
