An independent guide to houses built from natural materials. We do not build, do not sell, do not run workshops and are not connected to the former website on this domain. Leave the structure, the stove and the building services to professionals.
Ideas
You do not have to build an entire clay and straw house right away to find out whether it is for you. Many people start small: they plaster one wall with clay, put up a garden cabin or insulate a porch. Steps like these teach you the material, show how much labor it takes and give you time to look around. Below are several ideas of different scale, each described in one paragraph and without brands. Anything involving load-bearing structures, a stove or a roof requires a professional design.
A small building teaches you more than a thick folder of inspiring pictures.
How this section works: we describe one idea per card, in general terms, without brands, dimensions or costs. Before taking on any of them, check your local rules and discuss the structure with a professional.
From small trials to projects that need a full design.
A tool shed or summer room is a good testing ground for light clay-straw walls or straw bales. Even a small building needs a dry base, a roof with overhangs and a clear structure that is worth showing to a professional.
A cold enclosed porch can be made cozier with natural insulation and a clay finish. The main thing is not to trap moisture inside the wall and to think through how the joints meet the main house. Agree on the order of layers with a designer.
The gentlest way to get to know clay: plaster one wall in a bedroom or study. The work is dusty and messy but reversible, and the result shows clearly whether you like the texture and the process itself.
A masonry stove and a radiant floor appeal to many people thinking about an eco-house. But the stove, chimney and any heating system are designed and built only by a professional, and their place in the house is set together with the floor structure and fire requirements.
If the main windows face the sunny side and there are fewer on the opposite side, the house gains more free heat in winter. In summer, though, those windows need shading from a roof overhang, an awning or trees, or the rooms will overheat.
Water from the roof, led through a downspout into a covered tank, is handy for watering. The key is to carry it away from the walls and plinth, keep the tank closed to children and debris, and never use it for drinking.
Garden ecosystem (in Russian)
Plants on the roof look beautiful and help hold in heat, but such a roof is heavy and needs reliable waterproofing. Its load capacity and layers are calculated by a professional; a green roof must never be built by eye.
The order of works from idea and plot to final inspection: local rules, a professional design, the wet-work season and your budget of time and energy.
Clay, cob, straw bales, timber, lime plasters and natural insulation: their properties and weak spots. The article catalog lives here too.
Note for an archived address: soil, water, plants and compost as one system next to the house.
Make Stroy retells widely accepted knowledge about building with clay, straw, timber and lime in its own words, without mix ratios, dimensions or calculations. Load-bearing structures, the foundation and the roof are designed and calculated by a professional; stoves, chimneys, wiring and gas are handled only by professionals. Look up your local building and fire rules before the first shovel goes into the ground, because the rules differ by country.