StrawBaleBuilding | Les Vignes Basses

Constructing Empowerment

International Women’s Day is a demonstration that our modern world fights the good fight daily in terms of equality, anti-discrimination and liberty to transcend gender boundaries. Some areas are making this transition in leaps and bounds whilst others are laggards stuck in their traditional ways with little or no thought towards progression. Thinking about this started a reflection process about our house build and the stereotypes which I unwittingly fought (and still fight) against on a daily basis.

8 Comments

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Kungfuflee

Sustainable Futures

action, building, confidence, construction, diy, ecobuilding, empowerment, energy, fitfam, fitness, gender equality, greenbuiilding, International Women's Day, Les Vignes Basses, life affirming, mental health, Natural Building, permaculture, permaculturedesign, permaculturedesigncourse, selfbuild, selfsufficiency, straw bale building, StrawBaleBuilding, sustainability, Sustainable, wellbeing

A Sealed Super Structure

With winter well and truly behind us, I find that now is the time to reflect upon some of the successes, failures and surprises which the winter and spring had in store for us and our straw bale house.

16 Comments

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building

auto construire, building, community, countryside, diy, family, france, house, learning, Les Vignes Basses, Natural Building, natural materials, nature, permaculture, selfbuild, selfsufficiency, spring, Straw Bale, StrawBaleBuilding, strawbalehouse, Sustainable, volunteering, winter

What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

Shakespeare knew where it was at; windows really are making all the difference to the house. It’s starting to feel like an indoor space now. Surprisingly we found the windows super easy and satisfying once we had all the right components.

5 Comments

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building

autoconstruire, diy, doityourself, ecobuilding, france, learning, livingnaturally, maisonenpaille, Natural Building, permaculture, permaculturedesign, selfbuild, selfsufficiency, strawbale, StrawBaleBuilding, upskilling

The Splendour Of Render

An account of the ups and downs, ins and outs of using lime render on our straw bale house.

3 Comments

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building

alifelessordinary, diy, ecobuilding, education, france, learning, lesvignesbasses, Natural Building, natural materials, nature, no debt, sharing, strawbale, StrawBaleBuilding, Sustainable

You Put The Lime In The Coconut…

For the past month or so our lives have been consumed with making lime putty. Processing quicklime and turning it into lime putty, ready to be mixed with sand just before it goes onto the walls of our straw bale house as render/plaster.

3 Comments

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building

alifelessordinary, carbonneutral, diy, ecobuilding, ecofriendly, france, lesvignesbasses, lime, limeplaster, limeputty, limerender, nature, permaculture, quicklime, StrawBaleBuilding, Sustainable

Making A Crust

Since our move to France, the most commonly asked question is “How are you making money/a living/ends meet?”. For all those budding homesteaders or people wishing to live their dream but who are worried about their modus operandi abroad, I thought I would share our experiences of not only making ends meet but actually saving to build a house.

5 Comments

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building, Permaculture, Sustainable Futures, Teaching English Online

diy, fieldlife, flexibleworking, france, lesvignesbasses, livefree, outdoors, permaculture, ratrace, Straw, StrawBaleBuilding, teaching, working

Rubber Rings & Stoney Things

Tyres and gravel have been a consistent theme at Les Vignes Basses over the last few weeks. With a lot of help from our friends, many bad backs and copious amounts of alcofrol (surprisingly, it has come out level!), we have completed the rammed tyre foundations and the structural box beam.

6 Comments

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Kungfuflee

Eco-Building

alifelessordinary, beer, doityourself, ecobuilding, followyourdreams, foundations, france, gravel, lesvignesbasses, levelling, music, naturalliving, organic, permaculture, rammedtyrefoundations, shovel, StrawBaleBuilding, Sustainable, tea, tyres, wheebarrow, wood, wool