Kyle's Crazy House: EARTHEN PLASTER on the Nestle

In this video, and the next few I post, I will be showcasing the buildings of Kyle Yoder, who's lived at DR for several years and is known for the organic forms of his design. This one is the Nestle, unusual, crazy house that Kyle built as his personal home. One of the great things about natural building is the freedom it gives builders to think beyond the 90 degree angle. Building with natural materials, you also know that the embodied energy of the house is low and there is no need to worry about chemical off-gassing. Kyle's just begun the finish earthen plaster and we're going to get a peek at his work and a little explanation from the builder himself.
Dancing Rabbit is the best place to see many examples of natural building first hand. We have over 30 natural buildings in one place built from mostly local, natural, and reclaimed materials.
To visit Dancing Rabbit follow this link for more info:
www.dancingrabbit.org/sustain...
If you want to visit Dancing Rabbit, we host 5 visitor sessions every year from 1-2 weeks long along with long weekend visitor sessions. These are intensive experiences learning about how Dancing Rabbit works. See this link for more info about our visitor program:
www.dancingrabbit.org/sustain...
To follow what Kyle and the other "Critters" are doing at DR, check out the Critter Blog.
www.crittercollective.net/

[@HardcoreSustainable]

To visit Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage and see the biggest collection of natural buildings and tiny houses in the Midwest, follow this link: www.dancingrabbit.org/sustainable-living-visitor-program/?Dan&Viz_Video_2019

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Lovely place there, I hope more of these eco villages come about now people can see how well they work.

[@donaldjohnson3265]

I love this. It will be the wave of the future as more & more people decide to build this way.

[@apachecry8015]

I'm thirst'n over Kyle, it's been a long Pandemic.

[@thisisthewronghat2706]

Your not the only one 😅

[@dennysmith7862]

This AWAKENING to living life as we shld be doing...ie cutting out money-grubbing COMMERCIAL WORLD...PROPERTY DEVELOPERS... BUILDERS .... et al FANTASTIC...Younger generations are CLUED UP & SHARING & ENCOURAGING OTHERS.... huge hug to you innovative boffins....

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks for the encouragement! Thanks for teaching me the word boffin. I figured it must be a positive term. We don't have it here.

[@erroleabrown4317]

its the most beautiful house iv ever seen , your heart sure was in it , love love love it.

[@thelightison8629]

focus + knowledge + talent + patience + hard work = really cool house! thanks for sharing! would love to see when it's finished! 😊

[@lauraanderson4256]

So beautiful! 💖💖💖

[@juliaoliver8400]

I love this house!!

[@Mwj2023]

Love this house

[@monkeyearcheese420]

I love the drip over adobe . how it looks like its oozing over the rocks is very pleasing

[@enerchia]

one of the best ever, so well integrated and an amazing natural feel about it, love it!

[@branimirmarold7343]

thanks for sharing, respect!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks for watching!

[@ms.sleeper1902]

Beautiful work!

[@trees915]

Beautiful!

[@katelynbrokaw9016]

mix some powdered pigment in that linseed oil and boom. you've got oil paint

[@linpekngulom6611]

Beautiful 😍

[@mdlhemachandra8906]

you have a great energy.thanks for this

[@DandelionWinds]

LOVE THE DESIGN and added Artistic touches all over, that's work, I would love to be involved in. The plants above the house is excellent

[@tanyalow4090]

Thanks for sharing

[@carlagarrett3244]

Surprized that grasshopper's legs didn't catch fire! Beautiful home, thanks for video.

[@livinglife8333]

Beautiful

[@cryptochiefs4752]

looks awesome

[@Kralphrn]

beautiful style.. love it!!!

[@CheifPwnsanoob]

these hand sculpted houses are perfect

[@meldacano1525]

Nothing less than amazing. I love your simple and beautiful life. New subscriber.

[@20greeneyes20]

Very cool.

[@go.gators]

wow. love it!😁

[@ThePinkwing]

Hey Kyle, give us an update on what it all looks like now, we would love to see it :)

[@loveisthekeythatwillsetyou4648]

I'm just loving these videos up ..... life is for living 😊👍

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Glad you are enjoying the vids. I always get energized knowing I'm reaching people and inspiring them.

[@aion2177]

extremely beautiful shapes!! :D :D

[@donaldjohnson3265]

I love your home.

[@gregcrawford1523]

Love this, thanks for sharing! More people need to build their own homes and use organic, natural materials. Cob is especially awesome since you can create so many amazing shapes and designs. Plus, it's been used for thousands of years! Proof positive.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Cob is a great material for many applications. It does not insulate though, so cob walls in cold regions have to be insulated somehow, unless they are entirely interior. Kyle insulated his walls with rigid foam and spray foam, so he was able to use cob on the exterior to make such amazing organic shapes.

[@criticalthinking176]

wow, great information

[@sharynhughes1061]

Thankyou for Info!

[@donaldjohnson3265]

I Love It... I want one...

[@missymoonwillow6545]

Nice!

[@groundpounder8855]

Wow!!

[@iambicpentakill971]

Awesome house, Kyle!

[@arnevengb.madsen2346]

Hell no i wouldn,'t try maling that kind of workshop....cracking and cracking, no!!!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I'll do an interior video next season. There's not a lot finished inside yet.

[@mahendersingh6347]

jebmak ...awesome job done , but not able to see interior of the house

[@duranopaulo]

Inspiring & I will do the same in my home in the Philippines. Make a garden in the rooftop. Thanks for a great video.

[@lucyndariley2159]

I like that he used stones to hold the dirt on his roof. I've been wondering how to do that.

[@elizabethmontgomery4024]

lovely home dude

[@Mark-xt8jp]

Dancing Rabbit looks like a lovely place to live, I first saw it on the 30 Days show. Depending on how much water you have there are various cover crops that could be cultivated to build up the soil and make it more productive growing food ( as you mentioned a few months ago that around 20% of the food is grown now). I visited Heartwater Farm in Utah a couple years ago (a permaculture farm in southern Utah) and they had an effective system of rebuilding soil quality with willow and red clover among other things, I think. I hope you guys do great things moving forward, it's really a community that deserves to thrive!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks for watching, and for your encouraging comment!

[@donaldjohnson3265]

I love your house...................... I want one now....

[@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639]

The Nestle is absolutely beautiful!!! Congrats Kyle, I love it!!! All of my love and the love forgiveness and grace of the LORD ALMIGHTY unto uyoau

[@heidelindeholtzhausen5439]

Reminds me of the flintstones

[@jbvibrations]

Dayyum Kyle

[@jonathanwilliams8208]

Ah Missouri. Of course. The luckiest people in the nation, in regards to building codes anyway. Carry on. You guys are awesome.

[@zonaeastham1748]

This is an awesome insulation want to do this. Looks very natural I want to do this on my tiny house.

[@dilan_sanes4698]

you have a great time. It took a while to evrday finish.

[@earthchildmarket3256]

Very cool! That's the kind of house I want to build eventually. I'm an artist and it would be fun to use my artistic expression on my house. I'm enjoying your video's. You have a great energy!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Thanks. Glad you like it.

[@StRain-zx2vo]

Could you do video of the interior. Stunning home. Love it.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I've asked Kyle about doing a video of the interior this season and I'm hoping we can soon.

[@timtv5664]

Đẹp quá

[@rubygray7749]

Thankyou for this! I hope you continue to make videos of the ongoing progress with your cottage too. That would be very informative and useful. And ... did your seaberries ever recover?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

The seaberries never recovered from being in flats. I think direct planting them asap in the spring would be best as they didn't like spending so much time in the flats. I'll likely start them later in the future so I can plant them outside right away. The gojis did well after transplant, but then rabbits got in my garden and ate them down to almost nothing. Hopefully I can protect them and they will recover. There were a lot of them. I will be posting more videos of Kyle's house soon.

[@aurelnicusorcraciun9479]

frumos

[@troyb.4101]

45 years ago we used Portland white cement, blueing( used to whiten laundry) and lyme. That's what we call white washing, in Tucson AZ. in the 1970's

[@taniacosta7729]

Looks amazing. Congrats! Do you put lineseed after the plaster or you mix with the paster to then aplly it? Could i do a bathtub like this?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You put the linseed oil on after. You could not use this method for a bathtub because it's isn't water resistant enough. But there is another italian method of plastering that uses marble powder and can make smooth waterproof washbasins. Not sure about bathtubs.

[@chippychin]

Do we get to see what it looks like when it's all finished with the many coats of lime? Lyme? Sorry, I don't know the proper spelling. I'd love to see it finished and the inside. What an amazing little house! Cob is my favorite.

[@thefaceofawsomeness491]

Lime refers to the fruit and the stone, lyme refers to the disease you can get from ticks.

[@chippychin]

Thank you!

[@Makapida]

chippychin lime is also the caustic sodium salt used to make soap, and is the present case the like chalk powder containing this sodium salt that you can mix with sand for plastering, or water and pigmentfor painting. Both very healthy for house and its inhabitants.let the ealls breath and repels insects.

[@thefaceofawsomeness491]

melendu29 that's lye isn't it

[@humanfirst8981]

Damn it I had these houses back 20 years ago in my Indian village. Now after owning luxurious home and style I learned I need to go back to that style. How will this be possible in Florida

[@HardcoreSustainable]

That is the way it goes, eh? Living simply is more sustainable, so you were doing it right 20 years ago. It's difficult to live this way in Florida because of local building and zoning codes, but there are other ways to live sustainably, and the tiny house movement is big there (see my other videos on the St Pete Ecovillage)

[@lilliebelle8676]

This is a great house!!! I'm not sure about cow manure, but I know that horse manure is actually very clean... and doesn't smell bad (especially when it dries out). I think that is a great addition to any cob structure!! Plus, you get the benefit of it being premixed... you would just need to add in the sand and water. I may experiment with some of that myself. I am wanting to build a small cob structure to help keep my chickens out of the elements better... Please post more videos of their progress.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

The cow manure stinks when you are mixing it, but not when it dries. You may want to add clay as well to the mixture you were talking about. Horse manure wouldn't be a good binding material. It just provides fiber. We use what we have available. The cow manure is much wetter than horse manure, has finer fiber, and provides more bonding and other key material to create a good mix. I'm sure you could incorporate what you have a lot of if it's horse manure. I plan to do more videos on Kyle's crazy house when I get back to Dancing Rabbit.

[@lilliebelle8676]

...yup, yup... we only have sandy clay here in our area... and plenty of it! You do have to use what you have on hand, and I have LOTS of horse manure...lol. I'm always looking for creative ways to utilize it. I put it in my flower beds... fill up low spots on the ground where I need a more even base... of course I use it in the garden to give an extra boost to my veggies... this is just another great idea!!

[@vintageandfabulous2990]

Greek David does it smell nice? I love the smell of fresh manure

[@misamisa2677]

they both eat grass so they are both clean

[@jerryskidlsd]

Would like to see more than the one wall

[@RVBadlands2015]

Can you show more Strawbale homes in dancing rabbit.

[@relaxingwhitenoisenatureso1111]

I totally get the blessed and cursed clay. Our's is full of iron and its sooo heavy!!!!

[@RVBadlands2015]

Nice home thou.

[@linpekngulom6611]

Do an update of this house. Would love to see.....

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I wanted to do one last season but Kyle was too busy.

[@TomTom-gl6ds]

How did they integrate the foam insulation? Is that sandwiched or mounted on the exterior wall?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

It is sandwiched in the cob.

[@geovanniinusa5973]

Do you water the finished clay wall as it dries to allow it to dry slower?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You can do that and it might help, but usually it's just a matter of having the right plaster mix for your local clay and not applying it too thick in the finish layers, 1/4 inch thick is the best for final two coats.

[@catalinababy6068]

u need larger overhang boiled cactus with clay n sand and lime will protect

[@williamshearon4309]

I have watched several of these earthen home build videos and the one thing they all seem to have in common is that when you ask the "builder" about erosion they go stupid and do not know what there talking about or they become withdrawn, will not face the camera, and start to mumble or they will simply change the subject asap. Now i love these homes and there beautiful BUT i want an honest answer. If erosion is a major drawback to these homes i want to know. I have no problem putting more cob on the walls but i want to know what to expect. How often, how much and is there anything you can do to STOP the erosion PERMANENTLY (if not permanently then at least to mitigate the number of times you will need to resurface the walls)? Power issues i can solve, water and plumbing issues i can solve, toilet issues i can solve, roof issues i can solve, HVAC i can solve, refergation i can solve BUT the exterior eroding away with the rain i can not (as of yet) and NO ONE has addressed this issue to my satisfaction as of yet. Someone tell me what i can expect from the erosion (repair time, frequency, amount of erosion, and ways to mitigate or stop the erosion from even starting. I want the truth and not some BS answer (lipstick on a pig does not change the fact that its a pig and an outhouse may look beautiful but it still smells like shit).

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by erosion, but I'm guessing you mean erosion of the earthen plaster from the exterior of the walls. I don't know that anyone would claim this kind of erosion doesn't happen. I do not use earthen plaster for exterior walls because it requires a linseed oil protection and even then, the wall washes away fairly quickly, like in a couple or few years, less if there is little overhang. I recommend lime plaster for exterior walls unless you are in a dry climate (where earthen would be more feasible). I don't like the practice of earthen exterior walls, but some people don't like lime plaster because it has more embodied energy, it isn't a locally available material (though you can make your own lime plaster if you have shells or limestone in abundance locally), and it is somewhat caustic. I think earthen plaster looks good anywhere, but it's not as practical for exterior. In places where it's traditional they just make resurfacing an annual practice. Overhangs will protect against some erosion, but obviously rain can be driving and come in horizontally. As well, the more fiber it has, the better it will hold up. Hope that helps.

[@dennismitchell5276]

I think of it as similar to having to paint a house. It can be a big issue, or just part of maintenance. I have a large overhang. I'm in the process of building a stone wall around the base, just to help with the erosion. My house was also designed as a rectangle with the small sides facing the driving winds. Plants have grown large enough that they also provide protection. That said it involved a lot of trial and error.

[@MSmith-sv9gk]

I want to buy land and build a house like this .

[@CheifPwnsanoob]

she's so cute ♡ look how nervous she got when explaining

[@edixasanchezpacheco3692]

It’s so weird to see how confident guys are not wearing a shirt on.

[@lalotz]

Why don't you put a protective coat so water doesn't damage it?

[@jonathanwilliams8208]

What state is this in? Nice climate. . . . during this video anyway.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

We are in Missouri. It's a typical temperate climate. This was late in summer of a year with plenty of rain, so it looks very lush and tropical. Kyle does a great job with the flowery and edible landscaping, too. We have a lot of productivity in a good year.

[@Lovintruckinusa]

Linseed oil isn’t good on cob walls for large areas because it prevents the natural breathing of the walls.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yes people here have been experimenting with earthen plaster instead of lime plaster because of the caustic nature, higher embodied energy, and non-local nature of lime. I think most are finding that with our rains and weather, the earthen plaster doesn't last long as an exterior finish, even with the linseed oil. And linseed oil in itself has embodied energy and needs to be reapplied frequently just to make earthen plaster kind of weather resistant. It would be nice if the earthen stuff worked better, but for me it's not worth it. I actually prefer lime because it is more durable and doesn't need the maintenance that the earthen plaster does. And if done properly, it does breathe.

[@terileef3330]

I really want to build a few of these houses as soon as I find a piece of land. I will need help though. Anyone want to join me for a building party? It will be near NC maybe VA etc I am looking for unrestricted land right now. Thank you

[@lacey2450]

I'd be down

[@soorajcalicut0012]

Hai

[@nizarahdragon3973]

Change 1/2 your water out for milk on the first coat then do a second if you need

[@andretorres8452]

How does the Earthen plaster fair against the elements?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

It has to be treated with a coating to keep it from washing away in the rain. This house has large overhangs to protect the plaster but still it needs a finish of linseed oil to keep it intact, and that has to be refreshed every few years. This is the major flaw in earthen exterior plaster. Kyle was going to try a lime plaster and pigment finish to protect it from the elements.

[@RVBadlands2015]

This would not work in calif. we have driving rain all winter. We have a Strawbale home we used stucco due to the rain.

[@jimbobojim4634]

How hard was it to get building permits for this? And did it meet all the codes and pass all inspections? Its illegal to harvest sod here without a license. And the licensed sod you can purchase can only be used as lawn material. Also do they r test it for insulation values? And does it meet fire codes?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Our ecovillage is located where it is because we have no local building codes and this allows us to experiment. It would probably not pass IBC because as far as I know cob isn't allowed in IBC. I don't know what the R value of the walls and floor and ceiling are. I only know there was rigid foam insulation in the walls but I don't know how much. I don't know where you are. Seems like there is a lot of code. Probably there are a lot more people living there too.

[@jimbobojim4634]

@@HardcoreSustainable heavily regulated, not over populated though. Depressing.

[@bradhorner]

I thought slake process was with quick lime. Hydrated type S has no need for that or so I thought.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Well, in my experience the type S does need to be slaked, can be 24 hrs but up to 6 months is better . I don't have my natural plasters book with me that would tell me why. However, looking up the explanation of type S hydrated lime online, it apparently is fully hydrated and doesn't need the slaking for a long period of time and can be used right away. It doesn't undergo the hydration reaction like type N does because the magnesium oxide (as well as the calcium oxide) has already been hydrated. Thanks for pointing this out. We probably do this at DR because of bad info being passed on, or maybe there is a reason for it. It does need to have a layer of water over it in the unused state to prevent it from reacting with CO2 in the air and becoming calcium carbonate. Wish i had that natural plaster book with me because it's very thorough, and might give another explanation of why it might need longer slaking in natural plaster applications.

[@bradhorner]

@@HardcoreSustainable I would like a natural plaster book too. So many possibilities and it would be good to see it used more. Thanks for good video.

[@eleonoramladenova6883]

What about the base ... how they make it ???

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You mean the foundation?

[@gyorgyangelkottbocz9766]

great house only the plastic buckets disturb the aesthetics spread everywhere...

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yeah, plastic buckets are like seeing how the sausage is made. They are integral to our small scale natural building process. Kyle's were being actively used in the earthen plaster they were applying.

[@carolferguson5467]

Wow I think I would just cover the whole house with venison plaster?

[@paloma_hill]

slaking lime is a dangerous process that happens before it becomes type s powder that you can buy.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

What do you mean dangerous? Yes, S type lime is already hydrated and not as caustic as quicklime.

[@aleksandarmistopoljac464]

Where is the place

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri USA

[@donaldjohnson3265]

There's Musles

[@ashtongrist]

its the son from american dad... keep taking the intreganol

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Can we see a picture of you so we can make fun of you?

[@Gitabhakta78]

For plaster we use cow or buffalo sung in India.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Most of our finish earthen plasters have cow manure in them as well. It's a good binder and has microfibers in it. I love hearing about how people build with natural materials in other countries.

[@pla4825]

What's the difference between cob, adobe and strawbale houses 🏡

[@HardcoreSustainable]

I will be sure to post more videos on this in the future as I continue to document the over 30 natural buildings we have here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, but the basic difference is cob is a solid material of sand, clay, and straw (a small amount of straw, just for structure and strength). When I say cob house, I mean the walls are entirely made of this material, which is built up slowly by putting loaves (cobs), essentially large blobs of wet but solid material, on top of each other. They dry to form a solid wall. Adobe is made of blocks of a similar material, only they are made into bricks and dried before being used in building. They are usually used more in dry climates as a traditional building material. The walls of adobe are solid as well, being finished with more earthen plaster material, like cob. The walls of strawbale houses are built with strawbales and finished on the interior and exterior with lime or earthen plaster. The bales provide insulation, whereas both cob and adobe lack insulative qualities, but they do have thermal mass, helping them to stay cooler in hot arid regions.

[@pla4825]

Hardcore Sustainable Thank u I appreciate your feed back I'm in San Francisco Bay Area and I would like to take classes on how to build Strawbale, Cob and Adobe I would like to build my dream house in Oakland 😊

[@droxyy]

Do people ever sell these homes?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Yes there are a few for sale right now. You have to be a Dancing Rabbit member to buy one though.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Although the materials can cost less in natural buildings, they require a lot more labor so the cost of building can be the same or higher. But if you think of the fact that many of them include systems that reduce consumption of resources, they can save you money over time. People do sell homes here, but there are some larger homes that people have put a lot of money into that have relatively high asking prices that are beyond the means of many people who move here. A lot of people move here with the dream of building their own house, which doesn't help when there are houses already here that need new owners.

[@vintageandfabulous2990]

Hardcore Sustainable what is a dancing rabbit?

[@petertalgaard6540]

Vintage And Fabulous ...a dancing rabbit is a rabbit that likes clubbing Friday nights

[@RamonaRayTodosSantosBCS]

Come help me with my palm thatch vástago mud house in Baja California Sur! Lol

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Tell me more...that sounds like a cool project.

[@RamonaRayTodosSantosBCS]

Hardcore Sustainable hi how weird I was just looking at my walls and thinking about theses videos lol and whalah!

[@RamonaRayTodosSantosBCS]

I subscribed to your page it's the sweetwaterrmch one that's my email and my name is Ramona send me an email if you actually can find it lol and I will send pictures of my project, doing most by myself. I can't lift heavy logs or put thatch on as I am 66 years old and physically I no longer am able to do what I do 20 years ago. So the basic structure I hired a palapero to do. Still all materials were salvaged. And some purchased. Give me a holler and I'll tell you how I managed it.

[@BarefootViking]

Hello all. Im starting an old world trade village in the north west, im looking into land in several areas and searching for those who are interested in joining. We will be oriented around public workshops and also sales promotion

[@HerrisYutuiProduction]

how old is he? :)

[@HardcoreSustainable]

That's a good question. Kyle is quite a bit younger than me and I want to say he's close to 30.

[@HerrisYutuiProduction]

I C...a young gentlemen with great passion. :)

[@Xmariposa61]

Show us the inside of the house, what’s the point of looking the outside only.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Because there was not much to see inside at the time. I did another video on the interior last year (link below). Some people commented on that video "why are you showing an unfinished interior?" and it was much further along than it was in the first video. You could also search my channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6S2imCdrZd1gJI

[@pearlettoi2046]

Linseed oil and lime ?? Are you sure that is a good idea?

[@HardcoreSustainable]

What would be the problem with that?

[@larrybrown6654]

linseed oil will call in the wood worms to your house!

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Not sure what you are talking about. Linseed oil has been used forever as a wood preservative. What attracts bugs to wood in our area is moisture. The main bugs we have are powder-post beetles . Linseed oil prevents rot and moisture buildup in wood.

[@maralogio]

Ahí tiene que haber serpientes.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

Si, tenemos serpientes, pero no hay serpientes venenosas. Prairie king snake, rat snake, garter snake.

[@RVBadlands2015]

This would not work in calif. We have driving rains all winter. We live in a Strawbale home we used stucco. So we don’t have to keep reapplying.

[@HardcoreSustainable]

You can also use lime plaster. You can check out my other videos to see how my strawbale house has a lime plaster exterior. Stucco is less than ideal because these days it uses cement and doesn't breath. Stucco used to be just lime plaster. Lime plaster breathes, has less embodied energy than stucco, and holds up to harsh rains. It's still used in the Mediterranean parts of Europe.

[@sexykjetil]

love the crazy house, but why must so many people talk like their asking a question?

[@thegit8698]

sexykjetil it's called upspeak, drives me nuts, i think it's a Canadian thing