I wonder if Les Stroud is a bit jealous. Simon Dale and his father built this amazing house in under 4 months and for about $5,000. These pictures show a bit of the process and the final product. He estimates that it took him about 1000-1500 man hours. He took great care and regard for the natural environment enabling a life very close to nature. He chalks up this impressive accomplishment to simple self belief and perseverance.

Simon gives great insight into why he decided to build his home:

“This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage.”

Simon listed a few key points of his design and construction:
- Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
- Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
- Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
- Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
- Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
- Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
- Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
- Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
- Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
- Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
- Water by gravity from nearby spring
- Compost toilet
- Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

It is an impressive feat and worth highlighting in the context of urban farming. While Simon has obviously taken this to the extreme, there are a lot of great things to learn from his house and lifestyle.

Simon states that “the simplest, sustainable solutions involve small-scale permaculture type land management systems centred around individual or small groups of dwellings.” Urban Farming is about much more than growing a few tomatoes and a basil plant. Backyard farming is a powerful way to transform a patch of boring, foreign grass into a productive garden that creates a small ecosystem just outside of your home. Whether you have a couple square feet of garden or a sprawling backyard farm, urban farming is both an educational and fun way to live as well as a responsible decision for the environment.

See more of Simon Dale and his curious houses here: http://www.simondale.net/