If you want to build a dirt cheap house, what better way than to start with the dirt? An EarthBag home is an economic choice since most of what you need is under your feet.

What impresses me most about building with bags is the limitless variety of shapes. No more standard square and rectangular confines. Domed living areas, curved walls and rounded edges are just a few of the possibilities. And while you’re forming the place you’ll call home, windows can be a creative accent, made from wagon wheels, tires and barrels to finish off the EarthBag’s unique look. (more…)

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How cool is this concept? People suddenly want to throw away their garbage – not to metion everyone else’s – just to hear that satisfying crash at the bottom of the bin. Maybe if our light switches were rigged to continuously stream clips of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,’” we’d be a little more inclined to turn them off. Eco-innovation at its finest! (more…)

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Did you know that building a “too small” house is actually illegal in many states? People want to downsize mortgage payments, minimize their carbon footprint and live the tiny house lifestyle, but there are still some difficult regulations in place. Once they do make the switch, however, the tiny homes are above-board in cost, efficiency and environmentalism.

A Little Background on Small Housing

Jay Shafer, a small-living expert and owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, believes that the policies against small dwellings were endorsed and pushed by the housing and banking industries to increase profits. The result? A trail of unsightly McMansions, construction waste, higher CO2 emissions, and more recently, an exorbitant real estate market. Concerned about the environment, Jay downsized to his 89-square-foot hand-built California home, smaller than some people’s closets, where he lives happily today. (more…)

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