This passive solar home features hand-crafted details throughout. Strawbale walls keep heat inside in winter, while a curvaceous living roof keeps the space cool in summer. Other features include cob walls, adobe floors, thick clay plasters, & site-harvested wood throughout.

Zigbone Farm is a unique place with a unique vision…to transform old farm buildings into a comfy country getaway. The existing buildings all received energy efficiency upgrades. While new construction features strawbale walls and a variety of natural finishes.

This passive solar strawbale home was built almost entirely by the owners…who had little construction experience. This empowerment is precisely the beauty of natural building! The home uses strawbale & cordwood insulation, cob mass walls, and a super-efficient masonry heater.

Natural building meets modern architecture. This strawbale home marries ancient materials with high tech systems and an updated look. The focus was to bring in ample sunlight, connect to the outdoors from every space, & ensure superb energy efficiency. The result is a quiet, elegant oasis.

This was my first strawbale project, designed with Helicon Works. The strawbale addition features many salvage materials. And generated almost zero waste during construction. We even reused the clay soil dug out for the foundation to build 2 cob mass walls inside.

This passive solar home is built with strawbales to ensure that it stays warm in winter and cool in summer without using much energy.

I built this little garden folly for my Mom. Almost all of the construction took place during 5 weekend workshops. The structure rests on a rubble trench footer and is constructed using salvage & natural materials. Above is a luscious living roof to accent the garden it sits in.

The goal of this addition was to add a master bedroom suite & art studio, plus improve the flow of living spaces. But the true mission was to reuse everything and incorporate tons of reclaimed materials. Everything found a re-purpose! We even snuck in a secret room...

Black Ankle is truly dedicated to natural building. They've built 4 super-insulating strawbale buildings to date, with more on the drawing board. Finishes feature site-harvested wood, clay plasters inside, lime plasters outside, plus planted roofs for passive cooling.

Yes…strawbale buildings can be curvy! This cozy studio keeps passive solar principles in mind with 3 huge salvage windows that allow free solar heat in winter, while blocking hot summer sun. Clay is used extensively for floors, walls, & plasters. Built over a summer by the owners & many volunteers.

A new natural home designed to look timeless. Adobe with in-floor heating provides comfortable radiant warmth all winter, while strawbales with thick natural plasters ensure the heat stays inside. In summer, the same materials, keep the inside nice and cool…naturally.

This round home still follows passive solar principles despite all the curves. It was built by the owners with strawbales insulation plus clay floors & plasters. They incorporated a plethora of salvaged building materials & site-harvested wood to keep costs down and quality high.

This strawbale home is designed for a budding family. Passive solar strategies ensure the home is flooded with free solar heat in winter, while staying shaded & cool in summer. Backup heat is provided by a wood-fired masonry heater. A graywater system plus composting toilets handle waste naturally.

The challenge with this historic DC townhouse was to open the maze of living spaces. We stripped everything to the bones & saved all of the unique wood work for reuse. We also added a sliding glass wall to bring in more light. The end result is open and airy with spaces that flow with life.

Yes, you can build tiny with natural materials! This studio apartment sits on an existing garage founation. The strawbale walls insulate so well that a tiny space-heater keeps the whole place warm. The lofted bedroom is accessed by a space-saving alternating ladder stair.

This home is a great reminder that strawbale walls can be finished with siding (instead of the typical lime plaster). The super-insulated house stays toasty through the coldest winters with passive solar strategies...plus a little help from a wood-fired water heater that warms all the floors.