When I walk on the main road, there is a happy man who stops in the middle of the paved road and talks to me. Last time I talked to him was last year. I was in the laundromat for about 6 hours washing and drying my down bag and I told him about the hike that I was washing my bag for.
Today he stopped me on the road and asked if I made it. I said, “Yeah, and it was my best hike ever. I stayed happy and strong the whole way.” He said “I would love to do something like that but I’m working on my earthen house.”
He showed me some pictures of it and he told me how he is going even further below ground to pipe 50 degree air into his house year round. So it will be warm in winter and cool in the summer. He did a lot of stone work. He said he built it all with just a wheel barrow and hand tools.
When I bought this land it was so I could build a small cob cottage on it. A cob cottage is a dwelling sculpted out of clay, sand, and straw. So far, I have been more interested in hiking then building when spring rolls around, though. Someday.
I told him that I would be really interested in seeing his earthen dwelling and he told me to give him a call.
I’d love to hear more about that gentleman’s house.
I’ll post some pictures and more info when I go see it.
There are a lot of people doing alternative building out here. I met another guy who was building a dome from filling bags with dirt and covering with cement. He was looking for help but it didn’t work that he was working on it and I was free at the same time.