Low impact living in Wales

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Looking to live simply and in harmony with the land they would raise their children on, one couple in Wales set out to build a hand crafted house on a modest budget.

The basic construction is a series of vertical posts in an oval, the tops of which are connected with horizontals. This ring of horizontal pieces makes what is conventionally referred to as a roofplate or wallplate. The horizontals are 'tennoned' into the posts although a simpler alternative is to 'half lap' the horizontals and use a metal bar / big nails to fix the joint on top of the post.

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Their site has lots of details about the construction, theory behind the build, and ideology surrounding their choices. The photos page has full sized images of all the pictures on the site.


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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: Curtis on July 5, 2009 at 11:02 PM

Is that baby falling down the stairs in the second pic?

Is that baby falling down the stairs in the second pic?


Posted by: Stunmonkey on July 6, 2009 at 12:25 AM

What amazes me aren't the details of the house (though it is staggeringly cool).

What amazes me is that somehow these people got away with doing it in what is probably the most intrusive, over-regulated, inefficient, and byzantine bureaucracy on the planet.

How in the hell did they manage to even dream getting this through the insane 'Orwell vs. Kafka cage match' that is the current UK political climate?????????
Getting this through the local council had to be like a sequel to 'Brazil'!


Posted by: Anonymous on July 6, 2009 at 6:18 AM

Hobbittezzez


Posted by: Mig on July 6, 2009 at 6:24 AM

Stunmonkey is the world's worst overexaggerator

I hardly think our beurocracy is that bad. I, too am surprised this got planning. If you check the site there is some very sketchy and downright unhelpful info on planning.

It's a good enough idea but I for one would not be too keen on living there.

"Orwell vs. Kafka"? What?


Posted by: Mig on July 6, 2009 at 6:34 AM

The more I read...

...about this project the stranger it seems. He calls for this kind of "permaculture" to become the norm yet relies on retrospective planning applications. This implies that prior applications will be refused calling into question whether this kind of development is widely applicable.

It seems almost selfish. Anyone can do it so long as most people don't.


Posted by: kyle on August 3, 2009 at 8:53 AM

lord of da rings

That b a hobbits house & frodo left the door open. LOL


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