Birch-Bark is waterproof and will not rot, its familiar surface is richly graphic. Birch-Bark has been used for millennia in the making ofย canoes, wigwams, scrolls, Buddhist manuscripts, maps …
Gutter Gardening
Gutter sculpture watering system... maison-deco.com During a very heavy rainstorm I would imagine dirt and water must pour out of these pretty gutters. Lakeside cottage, Lake …
Appliances Of The Future
What will kitchens look like in 30 years? Likely, they'll need to be much more energy-efficient and take up less space. Like these! Dishwasher Under The Sink Drain Dishwasher under the sink drainer …
Graphene
Grapheneย is a thin carbon layer arranged in a chicken wire pattern one atom thick. It's the thinnest material in the world. (What could be thinner than one atom?) Not only thin, but more than 100 …
Brushwood Fence
Using undergrowth, twigs, tips and small branches to make fences. Brushwood fences were probably one of the earliest fence types constructed in Japan. Today brushwood fences are very popular in …
Cob Fireplaces
Cob Fireplaces... Cob fireplace. americanclay.com Cob fireplace in Hilde Dawe's house, British Columbia. onelessbrickinthewall.com Cob fireplace by Charles …
Upcycling Window Shutters
Angled louvers were first used in ancient Greece. They've fallen out of fashion, making them a perfect candidate for upcycling. Creative designers have turned shutters into tables, headboards, …
Pallet Furniture
You can find free pallets at flooring and furniture stores, lumber and stone yards, etc. Resourceful folks have turned them into cost-effective chairs, tables, bedsโeven entire houses. Pallet …
Shipping Container Homes
Shipping container homes seem like a no-brainer. Approximately 30 million steel shipping containers are in existence, filled and floating, or standing empty in a port. 8 feet wide by 8.5 feet high, …
Greenhouses from Old Windows and Doors
Calling all used awning windows, bay windows, storm doors, and clerestories back to service. 1) Recycled Window Greenhouse, Minnesota Greenhouse made from recycled windows by Jan and Ed …
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Green Home Plans
Pebble Pathways
"Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain." Unknown. A pebble and stone …
Arthur Rackham’s Illustrations And Hugh Comstock’s Carmel Cottages
Illustration by Arthur Rackham. Alice was feeling bored while sitting on the riverbank with her sister, when she noticed a talking, clothed White Rabbit with a pocket watch run past. She follows it …
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Wattle Edging
Wattle edging has surrounded kitchen gardens since gardening began. Has seasonal pruning left you with numerous, long,ย flexible tree suckers and saplings? You will need to move fast, as those …
Hedge Laying
Over two thousand years older than chain link. A living hedge not only keeps livestock fenced but also prevents soil erosion and water runoff. Living hedges are good wind blocks and snow collectors as …
Wattle Fence
Wattle is woven wood fencing. Hurdles are woven wattle fencing panels. Historically moveable hurdles were employed for pasture and livestock rotation. We have been wattle making …
The Art Of The Dry Stack Stone Wall
Dry (without mortar) stone work in the hands of a skilled waller is an art form. An art form that will last multiple lifetimes and serves multiple functions. Using but one tool; the hammer, and …
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Straw Panels
Excellent thermal insulation, thermal storage and sound insulation as well as a high resistance to mold, pests and fire... Alfawall load bearing straw wall panel. In Spain, the company Okambuva …
Living Walls (Green Walls)
A living wall, or green wall, is a gorgeous display of life that helps to keep buildings cool. Green Walls By Patrick Blanc The Caixa Forum in Madrid. Patrick Blanc vertical designer. The …
Wooden Bathtubs
Not the wooden tub of yesterday... Are wooden bathtubs environmentally positive? If you grew the bamboo or cedar in your backyard and then made it yourselfโdefinitely! These examples might not be …
Glass Bottle Walls
Instead of cutting down trees, re-use glass bottles to form the structure of your home. Tom Kelly, a miner in treeless Rhyolite, Nevada, had this idea back in 1906. More than a century later, …
Plastic Bottle Homes and Greenhouses
Americans threw away 33 million tons of plastic in 2013, according to the EPA. How long does it take a plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill? Some say 500 years, some say 1,000. Plastic hasn't been …
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Silo Homes
Round houses have been a successful design option for thousands of years. Wind passes around the building and finds no resistance. Round buildings achieve much higher wind ratings than traditional …
Salvaged Wood Bathrooms
Trade in the glare and hospital-feel of tile for the soothing look of woodโand be green by using salvaged material rather than new tile. Reclaimed wood bathroom in Austin, Texas. By …
Salvaged Wood Cabins
Old wood from barns, farmhouses, factories, even snow fence, is potential siding for a new home. Salvaged wood cabin in Montana built almost entirely of reclaimed wood by …
Salvaged Wood Interior Walls
Reclaimed wood walls give your interiors a timeless lookโand save the Earth the trouble of growing new trees for you to cut down. Reclaimed wood paneled bedroom at Blackberry farm, …
Salvaged Wood Sheds
Turn salvaged wood into a small structure for storage or for sleeping. Shed at Linden Hill Gardens, Bucks Co, Pennsylvannia. Constructed from reclaimed wood, doors, and …
Homes on Stilts
For those living close to the coast, putting your home up on stilts will reduce the risk of damage caused by hurricanes and rising tides. Why Put Your Home On Stilts? Building a new home on stilts …
Corrugated Metal Ideas For The Home
Corrugated galvanized iron was invented all the way back in the 1820s. Now you can find corrugated sheets in numerous types of metals. The best 'type' for the environment is reclaimed corrugated …
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River Rock Fireplace
A river rock fireplace incorporates stones smoothed by eons of rushing waterโand, as in some of the examples, the motion of the water itself. River Rock Fireplace Artist Lew French For over 30 …
Modern Underground Homes
"As an architect, I'm ashamed of what my fellow professionals and I have done during the last fifty years. What do we do? Look around you: America's best land: destroyed, nature: crushed under …
Indoor Pizza Ovens
Dreaming! and completely decadent unless you also cook multiple items in the warmed-up masonry. If you are going to opt for a wood-fired oven in your kitchen, do investigate including a masonry …
Cob House Interiors
Earthy and warm, the inside of cob homes exude an incomparable charm. Gary Zuker's Cob Home Near Austin Hand built cob home in Texas by Gary Zuker. Gary (a computer engineer) had no experience …
Historical Cob
"If ever the counties of England recover their bygone loyalty to their own materials and their old traditions, then cob-building will return to Devon and the West. [...] For with it will come again …
Steam Bent Shingles
Shingle thatch or American thatch is the technique of using cedar shingles to recreate the texture and look of a reed-thatched roof. The shingles are bent along a curved framing support and roof …
Cob Homes
Dwellings in Jericho, which were built in 9000 BC of mud brick, still stand today as testament to the longevity of earthen homes. Cob has also been popular in the UK and Ireland as their soils have a …
Recycling Old Doors
43 Amazing Ideas To Recycle Old Doors 1) Framed Painting Painting on an old door by Cory Bonnet. Originally found atย "www.elanarts. com/artists/bonnet_cory/bonnet_cory.htm." 2) Message …
Mission Kitchens
Mission-style kitchens: Wood, beautiful joinery, handcrafted and simple. If a large oak tree falls on your property and you have the tools and know-how, or know a good carpenter... Love the …
Whole Tree Architecture
Use trees that no one wants (overcrowded, diseased, fallen, invasive, wind-bent, young growth) and create amazing buildings with them. Pioneering Whole Tree Architect Roald Gundersen of Whole Trees …
Plastic Bottle Schools
School buildings are the most important structures we can buildโbut they often go unbuilt because of a lack of available materials. Abundant plastic bottles could make the difference. Pepsi's Plastic …
Salvaged Kitchen Cabinets
Many new cabinets are made from particle board, which contains formaldehyde, a toxin that can cause eye, nose and respiratory irritation, and even cancer. Solid wood cabinets may be safer but are …
Urban & Institutional Green Roofs
Hotel Foroyar - Faroe Islands. Architects Friis & Moltke. Pic by catheadsix flickr.com L'Historial de Vendee, museum, Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne, France. Plan01 Architects,ย plan01.com California …
Floating Homes
Starting around 18,000 years ago, when the last ice age began receding, sea level has risen by about 400 feet. The National Climate Assessment forecasts a rise of up to 4 feet by 2100. Floating home …
Hundertwasser Architecture
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the father of the Green Roof. Born in Austria 1928, died at Sea 2000. Hundertwasser- Model for Hohe-Haine (High Groves), Dresden, 1998. hundertwasser.at "The …
Cordwood Homes
Cordwood homes and barns: Also known as stack wall, log end, stovewood or cordwood masonry. If you do the labor yourself, and use wood from your property, this is a very inexpensive and …
Can Construction
. Lightning Ridge, Australia www.boxvox.net Beer Can House Mailbox and a screen above made of can tops strung on wire. Houston, Texas.ย orangeshow.org Beer Can House Houston, …
Bamboo Buildings
This fast-growing grass (not a tree) is even stronger than oak. Yes, you can build with it. Phyllostachys aurea, Tetragonoclamus angulatus, Phyllostachys nigra f. punctuata, Phyllostaches bamb. …
Bamboo Furniture
There are over 1600 species of bamboo; it's a fast-growing plant that's strong and can grow anywhere. Much more sustainable than slow-growing hardwoods. Bamboo Furniture: Chairs, Stools, and …
Gabions
Gabion (from Italian gabbia "big"ย and Latin cavea meaning "cage") a wire cage that is filled with stone or other hard broken substances. Great for retaining walls, privacy, noise reduction and heat …
Straw Bale Greenhouses
Biointensive Passive Solar Straw Bale Greenhouse A winter greenhouse also used as a summer harvest dehydrator. Via ourhandmadelife.com. Greenhouse under construction in Michigan. Via …