Tim Krahn - Essential Rammed Earth Construction

My guest today is Tim Krahn, a Canadian engineer, builder, and author of Essential Rammed Earth Construction from New Society Publishers.

Tim joins me to share his thoughts and experiences with rammed earth as a natural building method. This includes the distinction between raw and stabilized rammed earth and how rammed earth can reduce the amount of cement required for a long-lasting wall. Tim also gives an estimate of the price difference between stick-built walls and professionally installed rammed earth, while acknowledges that natural building is a growing but still niche field. We close with a discussion of the importance of valuing our time when considering the cost of erecting a building or other project to come to the real price for any of our work.

You can find his book, Essential Rammed Earth Construction at NewSociety.com.

Below you'll also find links to the earlier interviews from the Essential series and natural building, including the conversations with Bob Theis who we mentioned in this episode.

As Tim works full-time as a professional engineer, the best place to find his thoughts and knowledge about Rammed Earth are in this interview and his book. If you do have any questions for him, please forward those to me here at the show, and I can send them to Tim for a follow-up interview.

What I love about natural building, which Tim reinforces in this interview, is the flexibility and forgiveness of the materials and techniques compared to stick-built homes. Whether stacking earthbags for a dome, filling tires for an Earthship, or ramming earth for a wall, at many steps along the way we can put things up and tear them down again, trying different ideas and learning as we go. Though the costs may be more expensive when we account for our time, we can learn a lot along the way about what satisfies our physical or aesthetic needs. By being involved in the process, we become connected to the spaces we build and what it means to inhabit a place.

What do you think of natural building? What techniques and materials have you used where you are? I’d love to hear more about your projects and accomplishments. Get in touch my leaving a comment below.

Essential Rammed Earth Construction - Tim's Book

Related Interviews
Bob Theis - Natural Building and Design
Bob Theis - More Natural Building
Rob Avis - Essential Rainwater Harvesting
Kelly Hart - Essential Earthbag Construction
The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective
Clare Kenny of The Mudgirls - Natural Building, Community, and Opportunity
Eric Puro - Natural Building and ThePoosh.org
Cliff Davis - Natural Building with Cliff Davis
Eddy Garcia - Natural Swimming Pools

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Essential Earthbag Construction with Kelly Hart

Our guest for this episode is the carpenter, architect, and builder Kelly Hart. He joins me today to talk about Earthbag Construction, the subject of his recently published book Essential Earthbag Construction from New Society Publishers.

In this interview, Kelly walks us through many of the steps required for building with earthbags, including the practical needs of what bags to use, what you can fill the bags with for thermal mass or insulation, some of the tools and equipment you’ll need, establishing a foundation, laying the courses, tying each layer together, and also how to secure your doors and windows.After you’ve listened to this interview, you’ll have a basic understanding of how to use earthbags for construction. With a copy of Kelly’s book you can learn the rest.

Find out more about Kelly and his work, including his DVD A Sampler of Alternative Homes, at naturalbuildingblog.com, and his book at NewSociety.com.

I like this interview because Kelly invites us to try our hand at building with earthbags. I find that invitation in, to try, to make mistakes, and to learn, incredibly powerful and empowering. We can start with simple structures, like an above-ground root cellar or domed storage shed, to get comfortable with the necessary techniques before proceeding to something more complicated. With the way earthbags go together we can stack, pull down, and try again, with our first structure serving as an in-depth learning experience. This is also an inexpensive technique, making it affordable and accessible in ways other methods, where mistakes can be costly, are not. Looking at the cost of supplies and some sample projects, 1,000 of the polypropylene bags that Kelly mentioned, are less than $400. Another $80 for a 440-yard roll of 4-point barbed wire. From there you’ll need rebar, lumber, windows, doors, and your tools, but over and over again I found many owner-built earthbag homes, all over the world, for under $10,000, in all shapes and sizes. Multi-story. Rectilinear. Rounded. Any combination you can imagine.

As a lover of cob and the feel of Earthships, there is something about the earthbag as a base that appeals to me. Its natural building meets LEGO. Earth risen into walls and offering us security, in a structure we can build with our own hands. I can think of few things more comfortable than that.

What do you think of this conversation? Has this changed your thoughts on building with earthbags? Is this a method you’ve used? Let me know. Leave a comment in the show notes, or get in touch.

From here the next regular episode is a conversation with Ben Goldfarb to talk about his book Eager and the role of one of the world’s greatest ecosystem engineers, the beaver. Until then, spend each day creating the world, and homes, you want to live in, while taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other.

Resources
Essential Earthbag Construction Natural Building Blog (Kelly’s Website)
A Sampler of Alternative Homes (Kelly’s DVD)
Nader Khalili (1936 - 2008)
The $50 and Up Underground House Book (undergroundhousing.com)

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Oliver Goshey - Designing for Disasters with Natural Building

Shack on fire in field near woods.

My guest today is Oliver Goshey, founder of the regenerative design and natural building company Abundant Edge, and host of the Abundant Edge podcast.

During this interview we talk about natural building and designing for disasters, including the nature of and increase in these problems; the role of our ecological impacts on what is occurring; what we can do to prepare ourselves for these eventualities; a better definition for what we should call a disaster; what we can do personally and systemically to bring about preventative change so we can be proactive rather than reactive; and why we need to abandon the concept of sustainability. Quite a lot to cover, but all applicable to your daily permaculture practices. -- Oliver and I did have another conversation not long after recording this one, in which he recorded me for an episode of the Abundant Edge Podcast on how we can live regeneratively without abandoning society. -- For Patreon supporters, I’m giving away a copy of the book Oliver mentioned, The Hand-Sculpted House (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002). Look for that in your feed on Wednesday, April 18, and I’ll draw the winner on Thursday, April 26. Not a Patreon supporter but want to enter? Go to Patreon.com/permaculturepodcast, select the reward level that suits your needs, and sign up today.

Get in Touch with the Show
Leave a comment below.

Resources:
Abundant Edge Abundant Edge Facebook Page (Company)
The Abundant Edge Facebook Page (Podcast)
Cob Cottage Company
Cob Cottage Company Apprenticeship
The Hand-Sculpted House (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002)
How to live regeneratively without abandoning society with Scott Mann, - - where Oliver interviews me.
Why Cape Town is Running Out of Water, and Whos Next (NatGeo)

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We Can All Be Builders

We Can All Be Builders Crew Standing in front of hut.

This episode 1is the complete audio, including an audience question and answer session, from Eric Puro’s keynote address at Radicle Gathering on August 21, 2015.

For those of you who watched the video I posted a week ago, there is an additional 20 minutes of material here that wasn’t part of the visual recording, as the camera battery died and I couldn’t swap it out at the time, but the audio feed continued rolling along.
If you didn’t watch the video, no problem, just settle in and relax as you can hear all that and more in this episode.

During his address Eric shares with us the concept of Vernacular Architecture, what it means to truly build with local sustainable materials and the decisions involved in that process, and invites us all to be active in our role as builders. He also shares information about the non-profit, ThePOOSH.org, he and other members run, and how we can get involved.

The Q&A that rounds out his speech touches on the new community he and members building codes and personal decisions, creating relationships in order to keep disputes from arising, and how to explore and find solutions to problems of living sustainably, such as lighting your home. I’d like to thank Photographer John for allowing me to borrow the equipment I used to make this recording, and the video possible. I’d also like to thank every listener who contributes to the show. You allow me to keep the show transmitting out into the ether, and to document events like Radicle Gathering.

I was fortunate enough to not only attend Radicle to hear Eric’s speech, but also to spend time living in community with him and others for several days in Clear Creek ahead of the time spent at Radicle.

In that experience I got to see and begin to understand what it means to be in community with others, and the importance of an invitation into something. I was invited to stay with them, but then invited to help build with them. During Radicle I joined Eric, Loren, Satu, Adam, and my friend, The Other Eric (who joined me for the journey to Kentucky), to build the the foundation for the cob oven. Coming from a background where the attitude was “do it right or don’t do it at all,” I was initially hesitant to join in collecting materials or the construction, instead watching from the side and asking questions. Then I was told that the only way I’ll learn is to do and that anything that is done can be undone so hop in. It was a rewarding experience and as a result I collected and stacked stones, dug for sandy soil, and had some deep discussions about creating outside the bounds of a schedule driven, just in time, forever faster system. That made Eric’s keynote resonate even more strongly with me, and is why I titled this episode We Can All Be Builders. Each of the members of ThePOOSH, and others unrelated to that work but who live in Clear Creek, Kentucky, opened the door and joined in at every step of the way to support and grow not only the projects, but also the people involved, including myself. Those people in that place allowed a space for me to let go of my rational mind and begin to feel, in a way uncoupled from the facts and figures of daily life, and was a reminder of the value of emotions and, as Dave Jacke said, what they can tell us about what is going on in our lives, in the moment. There is information in those emotions. We need to be free of that rational reductionist side from time to time in order that we have the perspective that can pair the irrational with the reductionist knowledge we gain through education and formal experiences. Taking those disparate parts and build a new story that is not one or the other, not the weight of the past or the activities of the present or the dreams of the future, but a synthesis of all the moving parts into something unique. Something novel. Something new the world has never seen before. In that space, that mindset, we can find the thoughts that are different. Those ideas can get us out of the situations we find ourselves in. We can be creative in our use of permaculture as a decisions making process and apply it to whatever situation we find ourselves in. Like talking to a building inspector about the structure we built, how it was built, and why it is safe in an earthquake zone, even though we are not engineers. To be good with our neighbors and learn that sharing strawberries or garlic or a beer or wine, can create a better relationship, but that we still have the option to build a fence if what we do is onerous to others and there is no way to resolve it otherwise. As permaculture practitioners we have all the tools to create an abundant world, now all we need are the skills and the space within our particular niche to make it happen.

If I can help you with that, get in touch with me by leaving a comment below.

Until the next time we meet, take care of Earth, your self, and each other.

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Patrick Shunney - Timber Framing

The Permaculture Podcast Tree with Roots Logo

My guest for this episode is Patrick Shunney, a timber framer from Kearneysville, West Virginia.

In this interview, we talk about his background and how he came to timber framing, how this type of building differs from a modern stick-built home, how to get started in timber framing, a review of the basic tools needed to begin, and the role that engineers and architects play in the design and approval of these builds. We wrap up with some resources for you to learn more and his final thoughts on the aesthetics and craft that go with the skills in building this way.

I became aware of his work when a listener, Emma, reached out to me to offer to host a roundtable discussion at her farm, The Riverside Project, outside of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, later this year. As we traded messages she said it would be best if we waited until after her timber framing workshop, which got me interested in talking to Patrick who is working with her on that project. If you would like to take the timber framing workshop and learn about this craft from Patrick and other timber framers you will find more information at this link: https://www.theriversideproject.com/timber-frame-workshop Your assistance as a listener helps me to go record live events like the round table at Emma’s farm in September, 2015, and to take Photographer John along with me to document things like the timber framed pavilion. If you are in a place to make a one-time or ongoing contribution you can find out how at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. If there is any way I can be of service to you, please get in touch.

Resources
Timber Framers Guild
A Timber Framer's Workshop by Steve Chappell

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Eric Puro - Natural Building and ThePoosh.org

The Permaculture Podcast Tree with Roots Logo

My guest for this episode is Eric Puro of ThePoosh.org. He is a natural builder from the United States currently living in Portugal developing several sustainable building projects. In this episode we talk about the work of his organization, what it’s like to learn how to do this kind of building, as well as the decision making that’s involved with bringing a group of builders and volunteers together. 

A Poosh Building Crew

I think you’ll find as you listen to this a certain resonance with past guests including Bob Theis (Part 1 and Part 2), Stephen Harrod Buhner, Michael Pilarski, Jack Spirko, and Ethan Hughes. You connect with Eric by visiting ThePoosh.org network.

The Mothership 

One of the things that really stood out for me with from this conversation was Eric’s “Do it!” attitude. We can do these tasks. We can get out there and make things happen. There’s no reason to be constrained by our own fears, but rather let’s go and work and get things moving. As Jack Spirko said, and why I mentioned him in the beginning, permaculture is a “do-ocracy.” We’re tasked to take action. Go out and plant. Go out and build. Make a difference in the world. Along the way there are people like Eric to show you how to keep moving forward. If you’re interested in natural building, or have your own project you are working with, connect with thepoosh.org and find people you can help, and can help you in turn. I’d like to hear from you if there is any way I can help you. Call me, as it’s the quickest and easiest way to get in touch: . Email: The Permaculture Podcast. Join in the discussions on Facebook: facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. Or follow me on twitter where I am: @permaculturecst. Resources: The Poosh Americorps The Biomimicry Design Portal Consensus Decision-Making (Wikipedia) Earthship Biotecture Gargage Warrior The Thatcher's Craft (PDF Downloads from Herefordshire & Ludlow College, UK) The Vernacular Architecture Forum Other Images from The Poosh:

(Episode 2014-006)

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Bob Theis - Natural Building and Design

The Permaculture Podcast Tree with Roots Logo

My guest for this episode is Bob Theis, an architect familiar with natural building and permaculture from northern California.

In doing the background research to prepare for this interview I was excited to see that Mr. Theis worked with, and learned from, Christopher Alexander, the person most cited, perhaps, for the development of the idea of a pattern language as we now understand it. But that's only part of Mr. Theis's story. He also has a deep understanding of permaculture having studied this discipline with Bill Mollison.

Mr. Theis's words and the way he builds emotional resonance while answering my questions remind me of the storytelling and aesthetics that allows us to create the art and shared experience required for the development of civilization, that we might rise above subsistence and survival. I connected with what he said, and am thankful to provide a space to elaborate on ideas, even if we didn't cover as many of the topics as I originally planned. In this episode we cover his background, creating emotional appeal through natural building, the role of a designer or architect to provide insight, and the dignity of labor.

As you'll hear, I want to have him back on the show in the future so we can cover some of the more technical aspects of natural building and design, methods and materials. As our conversation drew to a close, I was left with quite a bit on my mind, so my personal thoughts and notes are longer than normal. The first was the role of personal appeal in natural building, and that we need to connect with the right side of the brain, as a metaphor for the creative and emotional part of our selves, as a way to make natural building something more accepted in the mainstream. To reach out to people and not sell them on the logical pieces, like how much money they'll save on bills or that this is a good way to be more resilient, but as by telling a story. Just as supporting a farmer by buying direct provides material benefits through economic exchange and food, we also build a non-material connection as well. Here is another bridge between the invisible and the physical. As designers we can create a desire, something that can't be touched, in someone that leads them to a place where they make a choice or take an action that is in-line with the ethics and principles of permaculture, while also giving back something of value. David Holmgren's imperative to implement exemplary design can attract those people most interested. And, along the way, by building systems that people find appealing, reach more people than we might otherwise. To appropriate the line from Field of Dreams, if we build it, they will come. That's also why I like Bob's last thoughts about renovation rather than creating something new. If we choose good neighborhoods with less than great buildings, the places we settle and then restore serve as further examples for people to see and consider emulating. Yes, I'd love a large stretch of land with a fully integrated design and an off the grid-capable home, but if my homesite doesn't add to the body of understanding in a visceral way, that others can see, touch, and experience, does it do the most good? I think not. Am I better off with a smaller lot and continuing to buy some of my fruit and veg from the farmer, but also inspiring others? I think so, because of the connection that creates with others. As one of the core ideas expressed in the Designers' Manual is about cooperation rather than competition, we should work to interact and aid one another, and not become and insular community. One thing I've been struggling with, which Bob mentions, is the accessibility of low cost building knowledge and information about permaculture for those who need it. This is something I'll most likely speak about more in my review of Ben Falk's book, The Resilient Farm and Homestead, but I think his comment about seeing middle class folks come to courses is reflective of the pioneers who are able to afford the time and energy to indulge their interests and invest in this future. If you're living a life just trying to make it from one day to the next, it's hard to think beyond the next moment. To take the money in your pocket, that buys food right now, and turn it into an investment of a fruit tree that will provide in the future. For now, those of us doing this kind of work professionally need the pioneers who to help pave this path forward. They can afford to pay to learn this information, to buy the books, and take time away from a job to come to classes. That puts money into the pockets of teachers so they can spend more time doing this work and reach more people. As I'm fond of thinking of it, that's the third ethic in action. As this happens, we get to share the information in many ways possible, which is starting to happen right now. There is a wider variety of classes available than ever before. You can find them on-line or on site, with schedules to fit nearly any schedule. Need a weekend only? 1 day a month? Long weekend, 3 or 4 day intensive? Week or two week, or longer, intensive? They're out there. And as teachers work more, the more people know about the classes, the more people sign up and show up for classes, and the teachers earn a living and have more flexibility to share with those who need it. The last point that comes to mind from Mr. Theis' interview is the dignity of labor. Though society may not, at this moment, respect them the way I understand it once did, there is a great deal we must learn in order to be appropriately re-skilled to live comfortably in more localized community. Here's a quote from Robert Heinlein's Time Enough for Love that I think about for our future:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

We should have this kind of competency moving forward, to become a “jack of all trades and master of one” as suggested by David Holmgren, is a viable path. There's a lot we need to accomplish to make all of this work. The only way we'll get it done is by taking action ourselves, and showing others what they can accomplish once they start. In order to do that requires a respect and appreciation for the dignity of labor, in our selves and in others.

Resources:
Bob Theis - Architect
Christopher Alexander 8 Forms of Capital by Ethan Roland and Gregory Landua
The Nature of Order by Christopher Alexander
The Omega Institute
National Aging in Place Council
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities

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Cliff Davis - Natural Building

The Permaculture Podcast Tree with Roots Logo

The guest for this episode is Cliff Davis, a permaculture designer and teacher from Tennessee who, along with his wife Jennifer, operates Spiral Ridge Permaculture.

Together they offer classes on permaculture, natural building, homesteading, edible forest gardens, earthworks, and many other topics of interest for anyone seeking a lifestyle that consumes less energy and lives closer to the earth. They also offer professional design and build services for permaculture and edible forest gardens, eco-education, base mapping, natural building, and soil fertility management. I was first introduced to Cliff through one of my PDC instructors, Ben Weiss. After my PDC, I looked for a permaculture teacher training and saw that Cliff and Jennifer planned to host a class taught by Jude Hobbs and Andrew Millison through Spiral Ridge Permaculture. Though it didn't work out to attend that session, the time that Cliff and Jennifer took to answer my questions and keep me informed left a positive impression on me. I sought him out as a guest when relaunching the show in mid-2012. Fortunately, he involved in a great deal of hands on projects both teaching and working on natural building, a topic of interest to me. My original plan for this interview focused on the various forms of natural building, such as cordwood, cob, post and beam, and so on, with a corresponding discussion of the techniques involved. However, while we spoke it became clear that, like every situation in permaculture, the applications of natural building are unique to the building site and needs of the inhabitants. As a result our conversation turned into to a general one, looking instead for the ways to gain a knowledge of building with natural materials and touching on some of the legal pitfalls and other complications of doing so. Disclaimer: Before you rush out and start building, please call your local government or administrative body and find out the legalilty of natural building in your area including building codes and any necessary permits. I don't want you or anyone else to run into legal trouble because of code or other violations. If you have questions, don't be afraid to consult a lawyer familiar with construction practices. These professionals who deal with the law. If you find that the law isn't to your liking or need, you can also work with your government to change it. Sometimes all it takes is one person making the right phone call to make all the difference. We mention several times in this episode that good natural building starts with a good design. Take your time, work through your needs, and draft your thoughts until they become clear. You'll thank yourself for it in the long run. As Cliff says, the little details bite you in the end.

Resources
Spiral Ridge Permaculture Cliff and Jennifer Davis's Website.
The Last Straw The International Quarterly Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building
Building with Cob: A Step-by-Step Guide (Amazon.com)
Natural Building Network
Other Natural Walls
ReCode Oregon
Timber Framers Guild

Web Resources on Natural Building Techniques
Cob
Cob (Wiki)
Building a Cob House
Cordwood Masonry
Cordwood Construction (Wiki)
Cordwood Masonry
F.A.Q. About Cordwood Masonry
Earthbags
Earthbag Construction (Wiki)
Earthbag Building Index Promotes and shares information on Earthbag building.
How Earthbag Homes Work A How Stuff Works article
Lime Plaster
My Recipe for Lime Putty and Lime Plaster
How to Make Lime Building Plaster (E-how)
Post and Beam or Timber Framing
Timber Framing (Wiki)
A House With No Nails: Building a Timber-Frame Home
Raising a 12x16 Timber Frame
Round Pole Pole Houses Round Timber Introduction (PDF) From the Great Britain Forestry Commission.
Slip Fill
Light Straw-Clay
Light and Limey Clay Wood Chip Slip
Clay Infill Systems
Stone Masonry
Stonemasonry (Wiki)
Prehistoric Construction Techniques A resource full of pictures showing low-tech stonemasonry technologies from throughout history and around the world.
The Different Techniques Used in Stone Masonry
Strawbale
Staw-bale Construction (Wiki)
Straw Bale House Construction
Thatching
The Thatcher's Craft A 10 part pdf download from the Herefordshire College of Technology of The Thatcher's Craft, a complete book on Thatching.

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