“Low-Impact Woodland Home” built in Wales for under $5,000.
The home was built by Simon Dale’s himself (along with family and friends) with minimal tools from stone, mud, reclaimed wood, and lime plaster. Green features include solar paneling, a composting toilet, rooftop rainwater collection, and natural insulation. Water comes from a nearby spring and skylights provide ample natural lighting.
Here’s a taste of what Dale has to say:
This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage.