Tiny Insights from the Countryside.
No. 067 Reading Time 6 minutes
Building a natural home is more than just constructing walls and a roof.
It’s about creating a space that reflects your values, lifestyle, and aspirations.
You can choose from various approaches to make your dream home a reality.
It depends on your goals:
Your desire for involvement in the build,
physical strength,
timeline, and
budget.
If You Ask Us: What Approach Should You Take To Build a Natural Home?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
The best approach often involves a balance between
owner-building, volunteers, and professional labor,
tailored to your specific needs.
Here's how you can navigate this journey:
Owner-Building:
It’s a wonderful feeling to look at the house and tell people we built it with our own hands and with the help of a loving community.
If you have the time and physical strength,
owner-building can be a transformative experience.
You’ll learn invaluable skills,
make lifelong memories,
and create a home with your personal touch.
However, owner-building requires
patience,
commitment,
and a willingness to embrace the learning curve.
Benefits of Owner-Building:
You save on labor costs.
You gain a deep understanding of your home’s construction.
You have full creative control
Challenges to Consider:
It’s physically demanding.
It may extend your timeline.
Volunteers:
Engaging volunteers is a beautiful way to bring people together,
share knowledge, and make new friends.
Volunteers can assist in labor-intensive but low-skill tasks,
such as mixing cob or preparing materials.
How Volunteers Add Value:
They bring enthusiasm and energy to the site.
You foster connections and a sense of community.
You can exchange knowledge and even learn from them.
How to Make It Work:
Organize volunteer workshops or retreats with clear expectations.
Ensure they have proper guidance and a safe working environment.
Combine their work with professional oversight for quality control.
Professional Labor:
Certain aspects of building a natural home are best left to professionals,
especially when precision, durability, or technical knowledge is required.
Hiring skilled workers can help you stay on schedule and ensure high-quality results.
Key Areas to Hire Professionals:
Foundation and Stone Masonry:
Skilled masons can handle heavy lifting,
such as excavating, building retaining walls,
and laying a strong foundation.
Their expertise ensures structural stability.
Carpentry:
Professional carpenters can craft durable and aesthetic frames,
doors, windows, and roofing structures.
Plumbing and Electrical:
These are non-negotiable areas for professional involvement to ensure safety
and compliance with local codes.
Roofing:
Hire professionals for roofing,
especially when working with materials like clay tiles, thatch, or slate.
Their expertise ensures proper installation and longevity.
Finish Plaster and Flooring:
For lime plasters or polished earthen floors,
hire skilled masons or train them under expert supervision.
Their muscle memory from working with cement mixes can be adapted to natural materials.
The Balanced Approach: Best of All Worlds
A hybrid approach often strikes the perfect balance between cost-effectiveness, quality, and community involvement.
Here’s how you can structure it:
Foundation Phase:
Hire skilled masons for stone masonry and excavation.
This ensures a solid base and takes care of the most labor-intensive tasks.
Cob Wall Building:
Invite volunteers to mix and apply cob.
Unskilled construction workers can assist with sieving and delivering soil to keep the workflow smooth.
Plastering and Flooring:
Hire skilled masons or
Train unskilled laborers/volunteers for lime plastering or earthen floors.
Provide them with detailed samples and guide them on finishing techniques.
Specialized Work:
Hire professionals for carpentry, roofing, plumbing,
and electrical work to ensure precision and safety.
Beyond Building: Adding Value to Your Community
One of the most rewarding aspects of building a natural home is the opportunity to uplift others:
Train Unskilled Workers:
By involving local labor and training them,
you provide valuable skills that they can use in future projects.
Create Employment Opportunities:
Hiring local professionals supports the economy and fosters goodwill.
Build Relationships:
The collaborative process of building your home can strengthen your connection to the community.
The Journey Matters
Whether you decide to build entirely on your own, rely on volunteers, or hire professionals, remember that the journey is just as important as the destination.
Enjoy the process!
What you can watch - Building with the Earth
What you can listen to - From Constraints to Creativity: The Art of Sustainable Renovations - Sigi Koko - BS131
Sigi shares her journey of blending sustainability and health into home retrofits, highlighting the transformative power of materials like clay and hemp in creating spaces that feel alive, healthy, and grounded.
What You Can Read - Braiding Sweetgrass
She embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Kimmerer shows how other living beings - asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass - offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices.
Your attention is precious. Thank you for reading.
Tiny Farm Friends Newsletter. Every Sunday, we share tiny valuable lessons to help you transition to the countryside and build naturally.
Comments