Mud Home News, September 2024
Ancient Earthworks, Hempcrete Pros and Cons, Permits and a Hobbit House.
SEPTEMBER NEWS AND SHOUTOUTS
Following the Ancients
This month I have seen many an ancient building. I’ve been struck hard by how superior the building quality is, and how much love and pride has been invested into these structures. They have lasted way beyond what we expect our modern architectural icons will. Be it in the Saxon city of Brasov (Romania), an ancient cathedral in the Istrian island of Krk, or the rocks at Avebury, I have been delighted to run my hands over some truly inspired and very old architecture.
Avebury? Yes. You see, hunkering down there on St Micheal’s ley line is what my Dad described as “Stonehenge, but not as good”. He he he. Despite being less famous than its henge sister, Avebury is the world’s largest prehistoric circle. Of all the buildings great and small that I saw on my travels this year, this was by far the oldest. It’s an almost 5000-year-old neolithic structure. Yep, that’s five with three zeros. The only place so far I’ve seen older structures is Turkey. The world was a very different place around 4000 BC. Water levels were in different places, for a start. But I am one of those who always wonders about the truth of these times. We have been taught that human development is linear, and we are the pinnacle of it. But the more I explore ancient sites, the less likely that appears.
So many questions arise from structures this old. What were they for? How were they constructed? And how on Earth did they shift those huge stones? If, like me, you enjoy a good ponder on it all, this video is worth watching.
Hempcrete: the Pros and the Cons
In this very informative video, Natalie Bogwater (fab name if I may say so) goes in quite some depth regarding hempcrete (or hemplime, as is preferred among the natural building aficionados).
One thing I would like to add regarding hemp that many people misjudge, is that it sucks up the moisture in your plaster far more than straw. So, as always, experiment when using hemp in natural plasters before applying in large amounts.
Is It Legal to Go Off-Grid? What About Permits?
I was very surprised last year when I did a talk at a gathering in the UK on off-grid living. I asked the audience what burning questions they had, and what they thought was stopping them from moving off-grid. I assumed the questions would be about money. They weren’t. They were almost all about “permission”. Most people seemed to be of the (erroneous) opinion that being off-grid wasn’t allowed, that they would get into trouble, and that they had to run to the council and ask permission for everything.
It made me realise how cowed many people are in developed countries, how they are ill-equipped to understand rules and how to get around them, and how they are continually asking permission from faceless authorities for things which have nothing to do with said authority. I can tell you now, being off-grid in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand is perfectly legal (right now I’m next to a river in a busy English town looking at about five house boats which are totally off-grid). In the US, which seems to have the most restrictions for off-gridders worldwide, you can still by and large live off-grid, though you will make your life a lot easier by choosing your state wisely.
Anyway, with first time off-gridders or those considering this lifestyle in mind, I wrote this article on how to deal with red tape and legalities.
Charlie and Meg’s Inspiring Fairytale Strawbale House
Made from straw bales and lime, Charlie and Meg’s beautiful hobbit house in Wales has been inspiring people since it was built over a decade ago. If you are a natural home dreamer or beginner, read the next paragraph three times and commit it to memory:)
“We decided at first that it was going to be quite a small roundhouse,” Charlie said. “We didn’t want to get stuck with something massive that we couldn’t finish, so we started with a 20ft across circle, putting a reciprocal frame roof on it.”
I’m not someone who believes in listening too much to other people’s advice, and I wouldn’t blame you for ignoring me or Charlie, but I guarantee if you take the above quote to heart, you will thank me later. Wales Online posted a great article showing step by step how this gorgeous and creative home was built.
And (in relation to what I was saying earlier about permits) here is the story of how this home got planning permission.
My Online Courses
Just a reminder, The Mud Home has its own online school. My natural building and off-grid courses are popular. Some people have called them life-changing. Have a look!
Want More Natural Building Info?
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For paid subscribers, September’s Mud Home podcast includes:
Personal updates and an inspiring trip to Wales.
Is off-grid living too insular?
Eco-farms and natural filtration pools.
Traditional building in Wales and England. Shingles and thatched roofs.
Have you heard of witchert? You have now!
Energy efficiency.
The difference between earthbag and cob when it comes to flooding, and my experience of sitting in my earthbag house in a flood.
Foundations matter.