Pallet long drop and compost toilet

Here are a couple of compost toilet designs you can make very quickly using a few pallets. First of all the situation: you need a toilet that same day, and you then need a permanent compost toilet for the foreseeable future. So here is our idea, using the same pallet for the long drop as…

Make window frames with re-used train track sleepers

Old train track sleepers are really heavy, really strong, and using them can ease your conscience as you are not cutting down new trees to build your house. They are however likely to have been pressure treated with seriously dangerous chemicals which keeps them strong for a long time but makes them pretty toxic especially…

Home made Scaffolding and Ladders

You can easily make your own scaffolding and ladders from wood if you do not want to use the metal commercially available ones. If you use a strong hard wood then they should last many years and serve you many building projects. We made some of the basic scaffolding below two years ago, they have…

Cool Bamboo stuff from the Pindorama Team

We recently went to the Sustainability festival in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro. It was an amazing festival and I would recommend visiting next year. We saw many excellent lectures, including a talk from the author of the barefoot architect – Johan Van Lengen. The team from Pindorama were there with their beautiful bamboo structures….

Mortise & Tenon Joint

The Mortise and Tenon is a really easy joint that anyone can do with basic tools. To make it fit perfectly, snugly, tightly takes many years of carpentery experience, but a beginner can make one which fits tight and does the job it needs to do. So first up you need to mark out your…

How to fit a 1st floor in a cob house

If you are planning on building a cob castle with two floors, then you need a few extra techniques to hold that 1st storey in place. Here is a simple step by step guide showing you what to do as you approach the top of your ground floor walls. First of all you are going…

Easy to Build, Strong Bench

Here is a design and photos of a style of bench we use here. It is really strong and very quick and easy to make. It lasts years, is stable, and can be built with only basic tools. We had a day to prepare an accomodation for a group of 25 young scouts. One of…

Make a Pallet Composter

Here is a straight forward design for a big composter that you can make from pallets, and a few more materials. Before we start, here is a picture of the composteira in situ, looking beautiful in the hills of Cardinot, Brasil. It took a couple of volunteers a couple of days to build this. All…

How to Make a Bamboo Plant Bed

Beginner build time around 3 hours with power saw Here we have a really straight forward design that anyone can make. If you have a power saw it will make things a lot easier. If you are using a hand saw then you may be looking at a one day build time. First you need…

Simple Bench Design

Beginner build time approx 2 hours We are making the furniture for our new volunteer house right now and have made this beautiful table and benches using the same design for all three. If you follow these techniques you will have a very strong table which has only one bolt holding the legs so it…