Rough sawn white oak for our timber frame
Above is a photo of our very first timbers for our new timber frame & straw bale house! We had a handful of sample timbers milled up at a local sawmill to determine the quality of the wood and the saw job. I’d say I’m pretty happy, especially at the quoted cost. (Pictured are two 8x8s, some 3×10 floor joists, and 3×5 brace stock.) Read More
A handmade cob staircase
Oliver of Natural Homes posted this nice shot of a cob staircase in Meka’s cob cottage, one of my favorite cob home interiors. I’ve often wondered what it is like to traverse these particular steps.
One thing is for sure: they are at least nice to look at!
In the not-too distant future, we will be contacting the sawmill for our timber order once and for all. It’s quite exciting, and also a little nerve-wracking to think about putting in an order for such a large quantity of timber — over 6000 board feet of wood! I’ve never dealt with so much wood in my life. Whew. This is a little new to me.
Anyway, we want to take very good care of the wood for our timber frame home once it is delivered, and to that effect, we will be using Land Ark Liquid Wax End Sealer to help protect the wood.
The Year of Mud is happy to announce that we are seeking an intern during the 2012 building season. We are offering a rare natural building internship opportunity — the chance to help build a straw bale house from the ground up, and to participate in two complete natural building workshops in an inspiring ecovillage community.
Interns will help to organize and get full participation in our Timber Frame Workshop, and Straw Bale Workshop. Come experience what it is like to build a natural home from step one at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage!
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.
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!
March 2013 Update: We are now offering a new Timber Frame Workshop for 2013 in August. Check out the details!
I am pleased to announce that folks can now read about and apply for the Timber Framing Workshop we are hosting at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, June 10-23, 2012. This is shaping up to be a unique and very exciting opportunity for folks looking to gain real building skills in an incredible setting!
2012 Timber Framing Workshop students will spend two full weeks at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Rutledge, Missouri learning the historic craft of timber framing using mortise and tenon joinery, as well as experiencing and learning some of the fundamental connections between natural building design and sustainable lifestyle alternatives.
1 1/2" framing chisel & corner chisel found at flea market
I’ll admit, I do like shopping once in a while, although I dislike going to most stores. The kind of shopping that I don’t complain about, though, is the kind that happens once a month at our local flea markets.
These flea markets are brimming with tools, if you can manage picking through piles and piles of rust and assorted junk, but every once in a while you will walk away happy. I’ve spent the last year specifically looking for timber framing tools, and have had some success with procuring things on my want list. Read More
The Strawtron timber frame plans! (SE corner view)
I’ve been exchanging many emails with Tom Cundiff over the past month or so about the timber frame plans and drawings for Strawtron, our new house. I’m excited to now show off these great 3D drawings that he has come up with!
Here’s the lowdown on the new house design… Read More
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This website 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. In 2012, we started offering Natural Building Workshops, so you can learn essential hands-on skills to build your own natural home.
