Some of my earliest memories were of gluing paper together to make something in kindergarten. My materials then were pieces of construction paper cut with…
When a neighbor offered us an old outbuilding—one that was in fairly good repair but that he’d no longer wanted—Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher,…
What is your ideal house-size? Is it 1,000 square-feet? 2,000 square feet or more? Right now across the country, many Americans are purposely moving into…
I reflected it was an odd way to spend a morning. Crammed in a bulldozer cab, my bottom perched on a side molding of the…
Repeat after me, “Blocking, blocking, blocking!” If there is one thing on a rent-to-own storage building to cabin conversion that will break your heart if…
There's something romantic or heartwarming about seeing a home in a clearing in the woods or down a lane with a glow of lamps or…
In ten years on my homestead, I have built many buildings from scratch, including living spaces, some better than others. This spring, I decided to…
Prior to the invention of wire fencing, farmers still had to contain their livestock. They used what they had on hand and what was easy…
When building a homestead from scratch, almost anything goes. This is especially true when your homestead is away from city building codes. While I can’t…
Preface This article is inspired by the craftsmanship and elegance of early American homebuilding and traditional homestead construction. Further, it endeavors to be a worthy…
Imagine that you are outside working in your garden. You have been out since 6:30 a.m., and now that cool morning air is giving way…
Today's hottest trend is off-grid living; unplug, disconnect, and get back to your pioneer roots. Bookstores are full of books on every conceivable aspect from…
