little (sustainable) house in the big woods

This past weekend I visited some friends who have started a new life for themselves out in the bush. He built this house almost entirely by himself, the dream is to live as sustainably as possible.

He got the lumber to build the house from a mill that had logged some huge trees and then realised their saws weren't big enough to processes them into boards. They trees had just been lying there for years, what a waste. So he bought the logs for a very low price, and had them processed at a nearby mill for next to nothing


Their organic veggie garden is still at the beginning stages but they had a big vision for what it can become. The composting centre is just to the left of this photo.

craftsmanship counts. I love the detail, reminds me of gingerbread houses from fairy tales.

You wouldn't believe the perfectly good things that people throw out. He sourced all the doors and windows for the entire house from second hand places, dumps, inorganics days, and things he found on the side of the road.

Upstairs, their bedroom feels more like the tree house of your childhood dreams.

This beautiful wood burning stove hooks up to the plumbing and heats the water for the home, keeps the all the rooms warm, and did I mention it cooks?

She on the other hand has been busy taking care of this wee bush baby, and with another one on the way, you know things are going to be busy. Out here, clothing optional.

If you want to see more, check out my flickr set about their developing house and lifestyle.

Hope you are all inspired by this, I sure am. But I think there are ways you can incorporate what they are doing into your own life with out having to make a drastic change like moving to the bush. For me, living in the centre city is a way of being sustainable. Using less space and land means less waste. Also living smack bang in the middle of things means shopping locally and supporting small businesses, it means no commuting, and it means using shared resources like public transport, parks, libraries. These things all help lighten the load.

We can all do more though.

-k