| Design & Construction |
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| 71-pai Holistic Hollow . Mt. Ida Arkansas 71957 . USA |
| Design & Construction |
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| 71-pai Holistic Hollow . Mt. Ida Arkansas 71957 . USA |
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Dedicated to helping the owner builder design and build their dream home
at an affordable cost for construction, as well as creating an
environment which is healthy and aesthetically delightful. Also designing
for the future by providing a structure which is as energy self-sufficient
and as permanent as possible. The following photographs are of projects I’ve designed and built as well as the projects of other owner builders. Please feel free to contact me with your questions. loren4sun@bigfoot.com |
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Alan's Fireplace shows interior creativity possible in an owner built home. |
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This balloon I designed and had built to my specification. It inflated in 15 minutes after kicking it out of the truck. It is one method of erecting a ferro-cement dome. |
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The blue forms I designed to erect quickly with a minimum of effort. The total time to build the 20’ dome was 5 days over a few weeks of spare time. Materials cost was less than $1000. Upon completion it was loaded with dirt and then a John Deere 500 backhoe driven up on top with NO deflection. |
| Dragon House shows work in progress on a black water distillation unit which has been working well to produce only distilled water for years. The room in the background is the bedroom which is shaped like the head of a dragon, with soil yet to be added to the roof. The skylites are made of 64 oz. apple juice jars set in mortar. Windows in the lower level are glass block to provide light into the bathroom. Obviously one can have windows all round an earth-sheltered home! |
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Katie's shows the steel armature in a single level home and our 200-acre community early in the process. |
| This mailbox holder has drawn hundreds of comments from people in the local community who appreciate a bit of art along the drive home. Each time I change something on it people want to know what’s happening. Just to show that ferro-cement can be fun! |
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This 40’ dome shows the uniformity possible with a hand tied structure. It was built with 1/2” rebar on 1’ centers. |
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An interior shot of a home completed by an industrious young couple. The two lites in the back provide a view of the starry sky from the bed. |
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An exterior shot of the same structure showing the greenhouse which brings light and warmth into the home in the winter, and is shaded by vines in the summer. |
| The erection of the steel armature by my crew of three ladies, including the owner. |
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A 20’ root-cellar is a dome built with burlap as the backing material and cemented in an hour or so using a commercial cement truck. Interior height was about 12’. Lots of storage room at a steady state temperature. |
| The front of this home shows the beauty possible with the proper use of landscaping. This picture was taken 13 years after I designed and built this home in Northwestern Arkansas. |
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For an illustrated 21-page construction manual which walks you
through the process of building your own home using ferro-cement
as the primary construction material, send a $15 check to Sun Life,
71-pai Holistic Hollow, Mt. Ida AR 71957 USA. The manual includes 22 illustrations detailing the procedures you see above. |