|  Having
once experienced a "natural home", it becomes
difficult to return to conventional living; and you
may begin scheming how to build your own earth-friendly
dwelling…
Within the peaceful silence of a structure built
from simple, natural materials, is such a graceful
harmonizing of elements and energy, there is the sense
one has truly come "home."
For
millennia humankind has devised shelter from materials
at hand, earth, clay, straw and rock; everyone, young
and old, helped shape and maintain simple dwellings
that provided shelter from the elements. Today's construction
industry has become so complex, that many would not
imagine they could build their own home, yet surprisingly,
with natural building it can be done, through accessing
resources and workshops or hiring experienced help.
Amazingly enough, many simple natural homes are built
well by the industrious, for anywhere from $500 to
$20,000 by those who utilize their own labor, and
obtain materials creatively, such as reused, seconds,
or cutting beams from standind dead timber, etc. And
then of course many larger natural homes are built
in a more tradional price range by a contractor with
new materials.
One might wonder, why build an alternative,
natural house?
Cultural awareness is emerging that we must change
course, as our fossil-fuel driven industrial age depletes
resources faster than they can be replenished; many
products of our complex society, including conventional
building materials, may be harmful to our health.
We might also ask, how big is big enough? Simplifying
life in many areas can free us from excessive financial
obligation and stress, so we can follow our hearts
and live more meaningful lives.
Whether motivation is health, environmental or personal;
what we find upon arriving in the natural building
world is the return to a magical quality of life,
where home is a haven for the spirit, and materials
carry a reverence for our Earth Mother.
Whether you’d like to build a conventional home,
or retrofit your current home, or plan to build a
simpler, natural dwelling, there are a myriad of earth-friendly,
building methods to choose from, as the examples here
demonstrate.
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