Jikyeong bought a deralict property that had been stripped back by a previous owner and renovation work had stalled before it had really begun. Many of the surrounding dry-stone walls had started to collapse. Jikyeong says, “Ever since moving to England in 2000, I had dreamed of owning a traditional Yorkshire stone house, There is … Read more
Gale Marsland fell in love with Arizona’s desert climate and eventually built an off-grid home with her husband using sustainable design, passive solar principles, and traditional Southwestern building techniques. Living without utility power, they relied on photovoltaic solar panels, batteries, propane, and innovative cooling systems, gradually upgrading their technology as renewable energy became more efficient … Read more
Roberts Gray Architects of New Zealand has completed a coastal home wrapping two contrasting courtyards with rammed earth. Named Double Courtyard House, it sits atop a sand dune that is hugged by a pine forest on one side and faces expansive coastal views on the other. One courtyard is shaded and the other exposed – … Read more
The local town store will always carry special significance for the owner of this imaginatively reborn house. What was once a 19th-century hub in Victoria, Australia is now the place she calls home. Historically, this was a very busy gold mining area with about 6000 people living in the town. But a fire went through … Read more
Andrew Lunetta saw the same pattern over and over while working at homeless shelters in Syracuse, New York. Men would leave, move into the cheapest housing available, and soon return looking for a bed. After nearly a decade, the lesson was clear to him: People were not failing at housing; housing was failing them. Lunetta … Read more
In Arizona’s high desert, Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker are building an off-grid homestead that relies on earth walls, solar power, rainwater catchment, and a lot of hands-on labor. Their project is a real-world test of whether a modern family can reduce consumption, live more independently, and build a home that works with a dry, demanding … Read more