All Posts

HomeAll Posts

Good Old Fashioned Clothes Line

Sustainable Living October 11, 2011

We put up a clothes line this summer at our new house, and I just had to take a photo of it. How nostalgic as well as environmentally sound is a clothes line!? I love seeing the kids’ clothes lined up together, reminding me of how quickly they grow. And hanging the laundry not only gives me satisfaction because I am reducing electricity use, it also gives me a little space in the day for a peaceful (yet practical!) meditative activity.

Our modern culture has bought into an idea that everything needs to be sterilized with antibacterial soap or bleach, both of which cause harm to our health. Yet the sun is the original disinfectant and brightening agent, and it is free and easily accessible. Hang out dish cloths that have started to smell, hang cloth diapers that have staining, and hang clothes that you don’t want to shrink in the dryer. And best of all, the old saying is true that sheets which have been hanging on the line smell divine when you lay down to sleep at night.

learn more

Tiny House – On The Move

Building Projects, Green Options September 22, 2011

Seeing the frame of this tiny house being pulled by our truck helps put the size in perspective. As people learn more about the true cost to our planet of building, heating, cooling, and cleaning a large house, a tiny house becomes much more attractive!

The owner of this house will be living in 144 square feet with her four legged canine friend. And the lower cost of building and maintaining this house will allow her to significantly reduce her need to work for an income. If we are waiting for retirement to follow our dreams because we need to stick to a 9 to 5 job just to pay the mortgage, is there another way?

learn more

Tiny House – Portable Foundation

Building Projects, Green Options September 15, 2011

Besides the incredibly low cost for building and heating, this tiny house is easy to move, which is a primary reason why the owner chose this style. This tiny house was custom designed to suit the owner’s needs, and the foundation for the house is a steel frame that was fabricated locally. Jacks fit into each of the four corners, so the frame can be raised and set onto a flat bed trailer for transporting it.

learn more

The Wa of Hand Tools

Timberworks August 21, 2011

“The Japanese word wa is a single kanji meaning ‘harmony; peace; peaceful.’ In common usage wa means ‘harmony’ as in being in harmony with one’s environment and it means “peaceful” as in being in a peaceful state of mind or feeling at peace.” ~Eri Takase

People keep asking me why would I use hand tools to cut this timber bed? It takes longer, involves more physical endurance, and the amount of precision necessary is astonishing.

My simple answer is the Japanese feeling of wa, or harmony, that I feel while working with hand tools.

learn more

Japanese Wedged Through Tenon

Timberworks August 18, 2011

I really enjoyed this bed project, as I was able to take some of the aspects of Japanese timber joinery and adapt them to the smaller scale bed frame. Since training with Dale Brotherton, I’ve fallen in love with Japanese timber architecture, so it was a pleasure to craft a bed with this style as the inspiration.

The wedged through tenon shown here is part of the headboard of the bed. The “posts” of the headboard have tenons at the top that slot all the way through the mortises of the “beams”.

learn more

Radiant Floor Heating

Green Options August 15, 2011

Radiant hydronic floor heat is a heating system that runs hot water through tubing that is embedded in an earthen floor or a poured concrete floor. The heat from a hydronic floor radiates up into the furniture and the feet of the occupants, so the room feels comfortable even at lower operating temperatures. This photo shows a coloured concrete floor being poured.

In the book “Prescriptions For A Healthy House”, Paula Baker-Laporte, Erica Elliott, and John Banta recommend not using copper tubing, as was previously common, because it can conduct electromagnetic fields through the structure if it becomes charged anywhere along its route. Instead they list two types of odorless polyethylene tubing for use with hydronic floor heating systems.

learn more

Radiant Floor Heat Tubing

Green Options August 12, 2011

Savings on utility bills and better indoor air quality are just two of the benefits of radiant floor heat systems. The heat from a radiant floor creates warmth that “radiates” into everything it touches – including furniture and your feet – making everything feel warm and cozy.

The radiant heat tubing for this project was laid 9″ apart, which will accommodate several heat source systems, including a heat pump for geo thermal or a boiler (electric or gas). You can also use the water jacket on a wood stove to heat the water in the tubing. The other advantage to having the tubing a little closer together is that there are no pronounced hot or cold spots in the floor.

learn more

Exterior Clay Slip

Natural Homes August 4, 2011

After the baling was done, we shaped the walls using a large weed whacker for rough shaping and the Lancelot for fine detail shaping. Having the bale walls fairly smooth and plumb will make the plastering much easier later on.

It’s possible to achieve beautiful finish plaster on top of undulating bale walls, but it is a lot more work and uses a lot more plaster, which involves extra labour and cost. No one wants that. It’s much better to take the time to even out rough spots on the wall at this stage.

learn more

Lancelot

Natural Homes July 31, 2011

Here is Raina using a Lancelot tool on a bale wall. Notice the important safety helmet and earmuffs. Good job, Raina!

The Lancelot is actually a small chain saw, so it’s not a joke about using safety gear. These are great tools for carving out channels in the bales for electrical wiring or for installing I-beams.

learn more

Finished Stacking

Natural Homes July 28, 2011

A standard wall consists of bales stacked seven courses high. Going any higher than this requires extra stabilizing measures to ensure that the wall will not bow.

The peaks of the gable ends in this house ended up being eleven courses high, so we built a wooden I-beam and installed it on top of the seventh course, securely attaching it to the timber frame structure. We then stacked the bales in the triangle of the gable on top of this I-beam, which added the necessary structural rigidity to that section of the wall.

learn more

EH