Cordwood cabin built by Gary and Marlene Cooper on a small island in British Columbia. All the cordwood came off the beach. It’s a double-wall technique; there is an inner and an outer wall, each 4″ thick, with the cavity in between insulated with cedar sawdust created when cutting the blocks. More photos in Builders of the Pacific Coast.
Bedroom in log cabin at Nepenthe, the hilltop restaurant in Big Sur. The log cabin was open to the public for 3 hours on last Saturday.
This is the original building on the site, which was bought in 1944 by Orson Welles and his wife Rita Hayworth. They never returned, and when they got divorced in 1947, they sold the cabin and surrounding 12 acres to Bill and Lolly Fassett. The Fassetts then hired architect Rowan Maiden to design the restaurant.
I lived in Big Sur for three years in the ’60s and had never seen the cabin; nor did I know the background. The Fassetts still own Nepenthe, and Lolly’s granddaughter lives in the cabin.
Note: The roof sheathing is split (not sawn) old-growth redwood boards.
Despite all the years and the overcrowding of tourists on some days, it’s still a magical place.
Tip: You can avoid the pricey dinners by getting a draft beer and an “Ambrosiaburger” at the bar.
In Berkeley Tuesday. It’s so heartbreaking to see what’s going on in the cities these days, a result of the great transfer of wealth to the upper 10%.
The name of our company is Shelter. When we started in the early ’70s, it was a positive thing to build your own house or somehow create your own shelter. Don’t pay rent; don’t get locked into a bank with a mortgage. Because I’ve built my own home(s), I’ve never paid rent or had mortgage payments — think what that’s meant over a 50 year period! These days, things are desperate. You see it everywhere, but especially in housing, as the politicians in charge of the US government continue to skew things in favor of the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class.
The principles, as shown amply in our 7 building books, are still the same these days:
1. Keep it small. The heart of our book Shelter, published 45 years ago, was a section with plans for 5 small homes. Shelter II has plans for another 5 homes.
2. Look around in cities and towns for small fixer-uppers.
3. Do as much for yourself as possible, with your own hands. You don’t have to do it all. Do what you can — it’ll pay off in increased independence and savings (and satisfaction).
Shameless Commerce Dept.: Shelter is 30% off for the rest of September, with free shipping. Two or more books are 30% off at any time. We encourage you to buy books from independent booksellers, but IF you buy books online, buying them from us is cheaper than Amazon.
I shot this in 1972 when I took a trip to Europe, gathering material for our 1973 book Shelter.
This is Brielle, one year old, fascinated with a mini copy of Small Homes.
(I’ll be playing around with layout for a week or two in this brand new incarnation of my blog. I’m excited about now using WordPress instead of Blogger. Plus at last I can go BIG with photos.)
Note details: curved-out section above upper windows, little overhang at midway point, curve at bottom of rafters. Needs to be reshingled, but the bare bones are there. Architects take note: the elegance of simplicity.
Admittedly some of these are spacey ideas, but maybe they can stimulate some creative thinking.
From Lew Lewandowski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiB5V1CHn20
Hi Lloyd,
I spent Christmas with my family in Dabrowa bialystocka, northeastern Poland …
Yesterday evening Santa had the good idea to bring me one of your books, Small Homes, great idea, impossible to spend a better Christmas ….
I’m a fan of your books that I discovered about fifteen years ago.
It always makes me dream of a better world.
Thank you for everything.
If you go to Europe, it would be a great pleasure to meet you and to welcome you to Poland.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and lots of new adventures in 2018.
–Julien Croisier
www.justwoodit.com
I’d like to get this out to as many people as possible. Please send it to anyone you think might appreciate it.
-LK
Poster from 1885, designed to encourage people to move westward
I would like to offer some suggestions to people whose homes were destroyed by the California fires of 2017. I have built three homes of my own and, as well, been publishing books on building for some 45 years now. From this experience I’ve come to some conclusions about practical, sensible building.
Much of the emphasis in our books has been on owner-building, and if you will be doing design and construction yourself, these are things for you to consider. If not, these are ideas you can discuss with architects and/or builders you may be working with — the principles are the same.
Much has been learned about building homes in the last two or three decades. You may be able to take advantage of building materials and techniques that weren’t available when these homes were built. Here is a chance to do things better, to learn from experience, to create a home built from sustainable materials that will save energy, that will be better for you and the planet.