Info, news & debate
Low-impact retrofitting
Painting with limewash paint
Using, creating and choosing limewash for your home.
Heating old buildings with heat pumps
It looks as though heat pumps are going to provide a lot more of our heating in the future – although there has been some controversy about how well they work in old buildings. Heat pump specialist John Cantor answers some of those concerns.
Converting an old cottage to ground source heating: how we did it
Living in an older building but keen to heat your house with 100% renewable energy? Simon Lennane shares how he tackled an ambitious project converting his old cottage to ground source heating.
The European Straw Bale Gathering is coming to Yorkshire for 2019
The European Straw Bale Gathering is heading to the UK for the very first time in August 2019. Learn all about it here.
The benefits and challenges of natural paints with Sigi Koko
Sigi Koko outlines the pros, cons and considerations when it comes to making non-toxic natural paints from the simplest of ingredients.
How to make your own natural paints with eggs
A great project to try with kids, natural builder Sigi Koko shares her best recipes for how to make natural paints with eggs.
How to make natural non-toxic paint from clay
Natural builder Sigi Koko shares her tried and tested method of making natural non-toxic paint from clay.
How to make your own natural paint with milk
Whether it’s for your kitchen walls or your 5 year old’s latest masterpiece, Sigi Koko shares her simple recipes for homemade natural paint with milk.
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
A natural building bookshelf with Jeffrey the Natural Builder
In this post, Jeffrey the Natural Builder shares his top reading recommendations based on an original natural building books post on his blog. It’s over to him from here. Please note that this article contains affiliate links to bookshop.org – if you purchase we receive a small percentage. Thanks!
In praise of the domestic larder: an alternative to the modern fridge
Once a mainstay of households in times gone by, the humble larder provided a practical storage solution for foodstuffs requiring storage over a longer period of time.
SuperHomes: free open-house events for you to have a look at homes with renewable and energy-saving technologies
This year marks the 10th year of SuperHomes, the innovative and multi-award winning national network of over 200 homes which have all reduced their carbon footprint by a minimum of 60%. There’s a record 100 free Open House events occurring across all parts of UK
Waste not, want not: 5 tips for collecting salvaged building materials
Using salvage building materials brings new life to otherwise discarded items. Reusing materials can inspire creativity and reduce construction costs. But you need to have a plan, or you risk spinning your wheels and burning out from all the leg work involved.
Can you help Barbara Jones and Straw Works set up a National Skills Centre?
Barbara Jones of Straw Works / School of Natural Building is the country’s top straw-bale builder. She is the author of Building with Straw Bales, and is the star of our straw-bale building online course.
Visit properties refurbished for energy efficiency around the country in September
SuperHome Open Days this September promise to be extra exciting with at least six recently refurbished homes opening to the public for the first time. Around 50 pioneering households are preparing to open their doors across the UK.
Why cement should never be used with natural buildings
I am often asked to help with other people’s designs, but one of my principles is never to design with cement. Not everyone knows this about me, and I was recently asked what my general experience was with stem walls made of concrete
Unless your house is old, you probably don’t have rising damp, and if you do, modern damp-proofing methods probably won’t work
Twentieth-century homes tend to contain a lot of non-breathable materials – cement, metal, plastics, impervious paints and renders. Damp-proof barriers prevent rising damp, but the sealed, waterproof, non-breathable approach of modern building brings its own problems
Retrofitting existing houses for energy efficiency: learn how at ‘open house’ events around the country
The UK’s Federation of Open Home Networks believes the homes of the future will necessarily be dramatically improved older homes. Our homes accounted for 22% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2014.
Low-impact & the city 1: introduction – how possible is it to live in a sustainable, non-corporate way in a city?
I lived at Redfield Community for 13 years – it’s where Lowimpact.org was born – but now I live in London, and so I’m assessing my options for living as low-impact a life as I can.
Career change? How to become a self-employed natural builder
We’re approached a lot by people wanting to change career to one focused on one of the topics on our website. The most common topic is probably low-impact building.