Straw bales being fitted to a Douglas fir frame to create an eco-house.

Self build and eco-housing

Wood is a naturally recyclable and carbon neutral building material.  As such it lends itself very well to a wide range of eco projects.  Timber frames can be used structurally allowing a wide range of insulation materials to be used - we've worked on buildings using strawbales, sheep's wool and even recyled newspaper. 

  • Douglas fir framed bungalow with recycled insulation and passive solar heating.
    Open plan bungalow

    This Douglas fir framed bungalow has a small but spacious open plan layout, with a useful gallery under a glazed lantern apex. The cost effective design incorporated many innovative and ecological features such as recycled newspaper insulation, locally sourced weather boarding and passive solar heating.

  • The hallway of an oak-framed self build house.
    Self-build eco house

    This project was featured on Grand Designs (series 2, episode 8).  You can find it on the 4OD website if you want to find out more and marvel at how young we all look!

  • Straw bale insulation in a Douglas fir framed house.
    Straw bale house

    On this project straw bales provide natural insulation. They were later rendered with lime plaster to allow the finished building to breathe – an excellent mix of old and new! Check out our portfolio for images of the finished home.

  • Cabin style eco-house built on greenheart stilts.
    Cabin style eco-house

    This two bedroom cabin house, built on a flood-plain was constrained by an extremely tight budget. The greenheart piers helped to save money (compared with the concrete alternative) while minimizing the risk of flooding.