Build With Natural Materials

You can build an economical, environmentally-friendly home using natural materials. These resources provide information about earth, earth bermed, straw bale, cob, and underground construction, and other varieties of ecological building materials.
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7 Articles in: Build With Natural Materials and Earth and Cob and Straw
Monterey style Old Customhouse 1841 by Larkin, Monterey, CA - Photo by Kristen (Krimp) Fuentes (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
What is adobe?
Learn about adobe and other types of earth construction, from our architecture glossary.
Detail of rammed earth textured layers at the Sirewall-built China Pavilion - Photo detail of rammed earth courtesy SIREwall news page
Earth Construction, Rammed Earth, Pisé, Jacal, and Barjareque
Learn about one of the oldest methods of home construction, rammed earth, and how modern builders are adapting the process.
Frameless Straw Bale House (straw bale walls carry the roof load) - Photo ©philipp, iphilipp on flickr.com, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Building with Bales of Straw
Architects and engineers are exploring new possibilities for straw bale construction. Which technique used may determine the architectural design.
Underground house at Coober Pedy, SA, Australia - Photo © Robin Smith/Getty Images
Underground Homes Save $
Learn about earth-sheltered homes and other types of earth construction, from our architecture glossary.
Cob house under construction, Greyton, Western Cape Province, South Africa - Photo by Mike D. Kock/Gallo Images/Getty Images (cropped)
Sturdy Houses Made of Mud & More
Made of clay-like clumps of earth, cob homes are generally smooth and sculpted with sloping walls. Learn more.
The Natural Home Building Source
Sustainable design, passive solar, high thermal mass, do-it-yourself house plans are featured with low-tech system kits.
the small adobe house by Agnesa Reeve - photographs by Robert Reck - Image courtesy PriceGrabber.com
Adobe isn't just a software company....
Adobe homes are historically eco-friendly. These beautiful picture books show today's climate-conscious builders the way to a perfect earth house design.