The Cheap-Ass Curmudgeon's™ Guide to Alternative Building and Being

Accolades

2011-08-27T20:57:00.028-07:00

For those of you who can't quite make up your minds weather to download a copy of The Cheap-Ass Curmudgeon's Guide to Dirt... Victoria in Cape Town wrote, "I started reading The Cheap-Ass Curmudgeon's™ Guide to DIRT (I love the title!) at midnight, thinking I'd read a couple of pages and finish the rest in the morning. It was so interesting and exciting that I finished it in one sitting.

Beautiful

2011-08-19T20:18:00.002-07:00

Shake it up! A beautiful way to side a house that both protects it and actually adds to the artistic beauty. Love it!

FLYING CONCRETE!

2011-08-16T12:47:00.005-07:00

Check out Ranchito Cascabel aka "Timmyland". This is some of the most amazing free form architecture on the planet! Many more pictures of this increadible home and a New York Times article can be seen and read at http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-timmyland-photos,0,1918173.photogallery?index=la-hm-timmyland-photos-001 Also, go to www.flyingconcrete.com for more homes done in the

Here and There, Up and Coming...

2009-09-13T15:19:00.019-07:00

Hey all you curmudgeons out there who have been waiting a long time for my next post...We have been in the process of moving from Arizona to northern California. Wow! The architecture is sure different here. There are lots of interesting structures to take pictures of and share with you.We are living by the coast now so once we are settled, we will be building a hand-built adobe structure using

GONE BROWN

2009-07-21T09:25:00.016-07:00

700 Year Old Houses gone BROWN! In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mt. Sahand in Kandovan, the villagers live in cave homes carved out from volcanic rock. Some date back more than 700 years. Just try to imagine how much work it was to build homes into the mountain like this without any power tools.If this one were painted white, you might think it was a

Have YOU got this disease?

2009-06-19T09:48:00.106-07:00

It's not my fault...I've got a disease—a disease I've had to live with for over 10 years now. It's called boredom. I'll bet some of you have it, too.It's a dis-ease with sameness. A dis-ease with our replicated, dull, assembly-line living.Oh I know, the process of replication in the manufacturing, housing, textile and automotive industries has led to much more affordable goods—and services too.

"DIRT" — Review by Jennifer Morkunas, Eco Metro (Celilo Group Media)

2009-06-16T08:51:00.043-07:00

Michael Van Hall’s The Cheap-Ass Curmudgeon’s™ Guide to DIRT offers a fresh perspective on building outside the box, and some great advice on avoiding the shape of a box.A whole range of topics are covered, from building with your own earthen building blocks without having to wait for them to cure, to interior walls and making your own doors. His trademarked Self-Locking Pour-in-Place System is a

Reversing corruption and greed in America

2009-06-09T07:40:00.015-07:00

One man, one vision...Here is a book that I have really enjoyed, so I thought I would share a few passages with you.Excerpt from the book The Last American Man by Elizabeth GilbertEustace Conway created Turtle Island—the thousand-acre perfect cosmos of his own design—the ultimate teaching facility, a university-in-the-raw, a wild monastery. Because, after years of studying primitive societies and

Take the Eco-Color Test - Just how "green" ARE you?

2009-06-02T14:58:00.096-07:00

Just what is "GREEN?"Lately, I've had a lot of trouble communicating with others about "going green." There is a wide range of what people think that really means. Is it owning a Toyota Prius...or walking to work? Is it a dual-flush toilet...or an outhouse?When one person says they are "going green" they may mean something entirely different from what the listener thinks.So I have taken it

What's wrong with this picture? EVERYTHING!

2009-05-29T08:33:00.025-07:00

Is it or isn't it—only your United States Green Building Council knows for sure...Here is a house that has received not merely a single green certification but a "TRIPLE GREEN" certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, the Florida Green Building Coalition and Energy Star for Homes...AND commendation for "adhering to rigorous green applications."The USGBC’s LEED-H (Leadership in

Bare Feet & Cell Phones

2009-05-27T15:08:00.004-07:00

Not long ago, I was listening to a radio interview while driving home. The woman being interviewed had just returned to the United States after spending a few weeks vacationing with her husband in Central America.I listened while she told of the fabulous luxury hotels, white sand beaches and fine restaurants she and her husband had so recently enjoyed.They had a gloriously wonderful time but

If only I had known—Keep it simple STUPID! (part 2)

2009-05-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to read part one.Fast forward ten years...I woke up this morning all safe and secure in my little underground casita, dug into the side of the hill, just below where I used to sleep in my tent. I turned off the light, opened the door and stepped out into the full brilliance of the sun.My temporary kitchen—temporary till a much larger, permanent kitchen could be built in it's

If only I had known—Keep it simple STUPID! (part 1)

2009-05-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

If only I had known...Life was about as good as it gets. Dawn was fast approaching as I unzipped the fly on my tent and stepped out into a star-studded sky. Stars were everywhere. Scorpio was just setting on the southwestern horizon and there was just a hint of first light, barely discernible behind the mountains to the east.I had been nudged from my slumber by the distant sound of coyotes

GO BROWN and SAVE GREEN!

2009-05-10T22:08:00.001-07:00

Look everyone, when I said in a previous post entitled Up and Coming that I wanted you to send me pictures and stories for my next book Shacking Up, I asked for examples of people who live in low-cost to no-cost housing—by choice. I did not mean fancy, sterile, "eco" housing like this...Why not, you ask? It's green, eco, smallish and built with all the new, sustainable building materials. It

Fire Escape—in the Twilight Zone

2009-05-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here the Curmudgeon takes time off from building and writing rants to have a picnic with his wife and sister-in-law. Twilight turns to nightlight, as they share a beautiful evening under the world famous, star-lit, Arizona skies and roast some marshmallows.It's precious moments like these, when staring into the campfire, that our bodies seem to fall away forgotten, our minds hypnotized by the

DO THE MATH—"Green" gone wrong

2009-05-06T08:28:00.001-07:00

Give me a break. The end justifies the means? I don't think so.Image via: Wakeland Housing & Development CorporationLos Vecinos, the first LEED-Certified Platinum, 100% solar-powered affordable housing in San Diego, offer 42-units of state of the art in green housing. The $17.6 million USD project opened its doors today to visitors to welcome the new neighbors, who are already living in the

Utopia? Could be...

2009-05-05T16:31:00.001-07:00

My wife and I took a little road trip this past weekend venturing over to Phoenix to take a tour of Cosanti, a small version of Arcosanti which is located further north where the world famous Paolo Soleri Windbells are made...Cosanti Originals.Our pictures won't do this place justice but may give you an idea of the rugged concrete construction used by the architect Paolo Soleri in creating some

YOU can help ME

2009-05-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

I need YOUR help! There are now about 40 people viewing this site on any given day. Not bad after just one month "on the air" but I would like to make that number g r o W by leaps and bounds.I need YOU to tell me what you want to see, read, and hear...here. I am writing this blog for YOU— so Tell Me...Tell Me!!Post a comment/opinion/rant...I DARE YOU.CAC

How about a DIRT HOUSE? The "dirt" on...dirt

2009-05-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

For all you non-believers out there who have read my book and just can't imagine that what I said was true—that you can build a house out of dirt and ONLY dirt, and that you don't always have to have footings—take a look at this...Here I am standing in front of a 3-story, 35-foot tall building made entirely out of dirt. No stabilizer such as cement or emulsion was used, and there's no straw mixed

Livin' FREE isn't always EASY

2009-04-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

From the movie Easy RiderThen and now—40 years have passed, but seeing this may remind youof the saying, "The more things change, the more they remain the same."George Hanson (Jack Nicholson): You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it.Billy (Dennis Hopper): Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a

The Trouble with "Simple"

2009-04-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

For quite some time now, I've been looking around for examples of what I would call "simple living." I had no idea this would be so hard to find.Plug in the words simple house or simple living into a Google or Yahoo image search and what will you find?Images like these:What generally pops up is not a simple house but a normal, regular house.I guess the word simple has evolved over the years and

Desert Paradise—and it's for sale!

2009-04-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

NOTE: It is not my intention to use my blog posts to pitch real estate, but this home is so unique and different, I just had to tell you about it. I wouldn't want you to miss this one if it happened to be "just what you were looking for."I am always complaining about the state of architecture out there. Almost ALL of it is boring, sterile, and boxy. Trying to find something different, unique,

It's all about ME? NO...It's all about THEM!

2009-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

I've got to say, "I really don't get it..."Have you ever known anyone who buys new furniture then immediately covers it with stiff, see through plastic so it will be perfect for whom ever they sell it to 6 years from now?How about the guy I knew that would order a new car for himself with really nice plush seats every couple of years. That's all well and good, but as soon as he got the car, he

CONSTRUCTION PUPPY

2009-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

After numerous requests (and many "ruff-ruffs" and "grrr-grrrs"" from you know who about not showing up yet in my blog) I thought I had better show you all a few pictures of Gizmo the construction puppy featured in my book."Wanna play?""Yipee!!!""Just follow me!""Oh... if only.""I know, I know!"

A FEW "WORDS" (#@!%*) ABOUT PERMITS

2009-04-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mr. Building Inspector(The following excerpts are from my book "The Cheap-Ass Curmudgeon's Guide™ to DIRT". )The days of the independent contractor and the do-it-yourselfer are numbered.It wouldn’t surprise me if in the not-too-distant future, the only homes going up will be built by big development companies offering a wide selection of no less than three boxes to choose from. We are not far