You can blow through a lot of money in a hurry at building supply centers. For many, buying all new materials isn’t practical. Instead of buying new, you could help demolish a building, trade work, etc. Let’s start a list of the easiest to find recycled building materials. Suggestions are welcome. Lumber, doors, door hardware,   Read more from > Easiest to Find Recycled Building Materials

Lowering costs is a major goal of earthbag building. One way to reduce costs is by using wood poles for lofts, roofs and other parts of the house. The poles are practically free if you obtain a firewood permit from the US Forest Service. There may be similar programs in other countries. This is a   Read more from > Roundwood Loft Construction

Here’s a practical list of tools that would be good to have on hand, whether you’re rebuilding from a disaster or not. These are the tools relief workers brought with them to rebuild Haiti. I would add how important it is to buy good quality tools that last. You don’t necessarily need top of the   Read more from > 50 Simple Tools Used to Rebuild Haiti

“Ever dreamed of an efficient earthen oven that was hot in just 15 minutes? How about a canning stove that could process 32 quart jars at once? Check out this efficient wood-fired barrel oven and canning stove that were made in Eugene, Oregon out of adobe bricks that were made on-site. These two wood-fired implements   Read more from > Barrel Oven

An engineer of note gave us some suggestions on how to improve earthbag corners in seismic areas. The engineer is concerned the barbed wire could shift in a quake. He felt that wire mesh anchors (4- 5 with 1″ long teeth, bent so it stands up nicely) would better secure barbed wire at corners. He   Read more from > Barbed Wire Details in Seismic Areas

Background information from Wiki: Open Source Architecture “Open-source architecture (OSArc) is an emerging paradigm describing new procedures for the design, construction and operation of buildings, infrastructure and spaces… it describes an inclusive approach to spatial design, a collaborative use of design software… A contemporary form of open-source vernacular is the Open Architecture Network launched by   Read more from > Open Source Architecture