The Small DIY Houses Of Ernest Flagg Americas Forgotten Architect

Architect Ernest Flagg designed the Singer Building in New York. In 1908 it was the tallest building in the world. Flagg also spent years developing a method of construction that was reasonably inexpensive very practical and created an attractive and unique-looking house. The method he came up with is called the slip form or flagstone method of house construction using stones from the property that is being built or the neighborhood and other local construction materials.
Flagg also used standardized design and construction years ahead of other architects and then worked to eliminate many unnecessary costly features of homes.
Flaggs slip form stone house building method has been used by many people over the years and improved upon in some cases but it's often overlooked by people searching for alternative architecture and
less expensive methods of do-it-yourself home building.
Flagg's Small Houses: Their Economic Design and Construction, 1922 (Dover Architecture) Kindle Edition
amzn.to/4cj82gz
The Stonebuilder's Primer: A Step-By-Step Guide for Owner-Builders Paperback - October 1, 1998
amzn.to/4bs6ZcC
How to Build a Low-Cost House of Stone Paperback - January 1, 1978
amzn.to/45NXVO9
Build Your Own Stone House: Using the Easy Slipform Method Paperback - January 2, 1991
amzn.to/3VDmiJC
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Robb MoffettRobb's Homemade Life / mrhulot101

[@bctruck]

I have always loved small houses. I always felt like my trucks were cozy little homes.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I remember when I worked on the ships no matter how small my room was if it had a porthole or window window it was a lot more enjoyable I imagine the cabin of a truck could be very appealing.

[@WillowsGarden]

Robb, that was very interesting. I totally agree about them tearing down some beautiful buildings over the years. The architecture on some was just gorgeous. Very interesting man and probably years ahead of his time. There is a house next to my mother that is a rock house this gentleman built years ago and everyone calls it the rock house. It’s really beautiful the way he used the big rocks and even made a wall around the property that is so exquisite. The house and wall almost look like a painting, very different. Thanks for sharing and that was fascinating to see. Have a blessed weekend!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hello willows thanks a lot for watching much appreciated. I have been thinking about making this video for ages. I'm glad you liked it. The first house I remember growing up in as a child in Miami was a coral rock house.

[@thebaldchef14]

I rember the Whole Earth catalog! What a fantastic story about Ernest Flagg . I have never heard of the guy. Not only am I a KZbin chef. I have been a lifelong contractor and to tell you the truth. This is a amazing guy! Thank you much for the back story and history so interesting! As an architect. This guy was way ahead of his time! Thanks for the post . I found it very interesting!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey chef thanks for the nice comment always happy to hear from you.

[@jchiliw]

Interesting I almost built a cordwood cabin on some mountain land. But there was a landowners group (hoa). Decided to sell to my neighbor. He had the money to sue them out of existence. But the cordwood would have been from my property and has great insulation. Its easy to build and I think it has a beautiful rustic look to it.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I remember reading the mother earth news back in the 70s and the cord wood house articles and designs they had were some of the most popular articles they ran. It seemed like it was a no brainer if you live someplace where there was a lot of timber and not that many termites.

[@saltyshellback]

Build houses out of gopher rocks! 😄

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

If you have enough Gophers you can use a rock on them and make your house out of Gophers

[@minniegibson8722]

I have seen some of those stone houses from the outside. They look great.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey Minnie I think that would be cool I would love to go inside I haven't seen too many interiors in my photograph searches

[@islandgal500]

Love architectural delights and surprises. I used to drive by two beautiful old homes on my way to work when I lived in the city. I would always ogle them every single day, they were so beautiful. Years ago I found a few thrift store books on unusual architecture and they are still some of my favorite books on a stormy winter day. Glad there are so many things that capture our interests so we can daydream and research for free online. Hope one of your future video topics will cover a long chart-list of fun things for adults to do. We are too often stuck on things we need to do: housework, jobs, chores, errands, long lists of get aroundtoit items and we forget about those fun things to rediscover and try. I'm going to dig out my glass terrariums and plant them again. Terrariums can be in large jars, aquariums, or thrift store glass finds although I have some beautiful glass Victorian style terrarium containers to fill again. Eventually the little plants grew too big for the container so I had cleaned them out and forgot about them. What wonderful mini worlds we can create in those! A lot of these fun things to do are very inexpensive but have a huge mental wellness benefit: sketching, calligraphy, houseplants, outdoor gardening, photography, or cook something new and special. The 'fun to do' list is nearly endless, so maybe we can help you with compiling a long list if we share some of our passions with you? My start was to fill a terrarium with small plants and other decoration or start some seeds in their own little world and make use of my grow lights again in the process.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hello island girl over the years people have written books on your topic that catalog different things people could take up to provide enjoyment in their life. I think I have a couple of them here at the house I will see if I can find them and I'll do a review of them I asked ChatGPT if they could come up with some suggestions of books and I'll leave its reply at the end of this message I have experimented with terrariums when I was younger and they are a lot of fun my favorite was simply a glass vitamin jar that I took a tiny piece of dirt and Moss that was growing next to a wall on the South side of the building where there was no sun and I put it on my desk at work it was just something growing i and alive in my cubicle. There is an author I like called Barbara Ann kipfer and I know she has written a couple of books on a similar topic of what you suggested here is what ChatGPT came up with I have a KZbin channel and one of my viewers sent me a suggestion for a future video encouraging me to come up with a list of things for people to do in their adult life or retirement. Here is her message Hope one of your future video topics will cover a long chart-list of fun things for adults to do. We are too often stuck on things we need to do: housework, jobs, chores, errands, long lists of get aroundtoit items and we forget about those fun things to rediscover and try. can you think of a list of books that people have written that catalog ideas have suggestions for people to reinvigorate their life with new interest ChatGPT Memory updated Creating a video on fun activities for adults or retirees sounds like a wonderful idea! Here are some books that can help provide inspiration and ideas for your list: "The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small" by Kath Stathers This book offers a wide variety of activities, ranging from small, everyday adventures to big, life-changing experiences. "101 Things to Do Before You Die" by Richard Horne A classic book full of quirky, fun, and adventurous suggestions for anyone looking to add excitement to their life. "The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World" by Chris Guillebeau While not a list book per se, it encourages readers to break free from conventional life patterns and explore new interests and passions. "100 Things to Do in Retirement" by David Leonhardt Specifically geared toward retirees, this book offers a variety of suggestions to keep life exciting and fulfilling post-career. "Live, Love, Explore: Discover the Way of the Traveler: A Roadmap to the Life You Were Meant to Live" by Leon Logothetis This book encourages readers to explore both the world and their own interests, providing a blend of travel inspiration and personal growth ideas. "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level" by Gay Hendricks Focuses on personal development and overcoming barriers to achieve a more fulfilling life, with practical steps to discover new passions. "Life's Little Bucket List Book: 100 Little Things to Add to Your Life's Bucket List" by Summersdale Offers a collection of small, achievable goals that can add fun and variety to daily life. "The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify" by Francine Jay While primarily about minimalism, this book helps readers free up time and mental space to pursue new interests and activities. "The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun" by Gretchen Rubin Chronicles a year-long experiment in pursuing happiness and offers practical advice for finding joy in everyday life. "How to Be Alive: A Guide to the Kind of Happiness That Helps the World" by Colin Beavan Encourages readers to engage in activities that are not only fulfilling for themselves but also beneficial to the world around them. These books provide a broad spectrum of ideas and inspiration for anyone looking to add more fun and adventure to their life. They can be a great resource for creating your video content and offering valuable suggestions to your viewers.

[@islandgal500]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife Wow. Hope others will also appreciate the titles. I'm already an avid reader so did this kind of research when younger. My problem is that I have too many interests. I just thought it was time for one of your listed talks again that suggests things for those who are constantly complaining that they are bored and lonely. Thanks for the info.

[@minniegibson8722]

I live close to a Frank Lloyd house.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

He had a lot of wonderful designs

[@lifeinthailand]

This was back when houses looked good, things have really changed over the years.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

There is a site called shorpy that has high resolution photographs from 100 or more years ago in USA and it shows the cities and buildings and amazing things people used to build check it out at shorpy.com

[@worldtravel5044]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife Wow, amazing quality pictures.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Those black and white photographs on the shorpy site we're taken with very large format cameras in many cases and have a stunning amount of resolution in them

[@sbcinema]

I love his design style ( I have to make a video of my small house, it consists of only three rooms, kitchen, living room, bedroom plus a small bathroom ). I have to see if such roof windows can be added 🙂

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Thanks SB if you make your video you're welcome to leave a link to it

[@sbcinema]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife I Will 🙂

[@chopsddy3]

Since the 50’s the formula seemed to be finding how many square feet of “ticky tacky” can be built as cheaply as possible on a given piece of property, without regard for orientation with the sun or water and sewage challenges. I think the “affordable housing “ problem stems from the crap that was built forty years ago fell apart and is too expensive to fix. The ticky and tacky start falling apart in two decades and both are becoming extremely expensive. I’m looking towards domed structures with skylights and ventilation built in. Start with function as the primary goal and let form take care of itself There a plenty of suitable “goops” to use. I’m thinking homes will be formed with some kind of reinforced goop or another in the future.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Well like that Jimmy Buffett song goes I'm just glad I'm not living in the trailer right now

[@chopsddy3]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife No kidding. I spent some time living in a little “Scottie” trailer. Tight living. Everything gets a bump eventually.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I saw a video the other day of a two-story trailer from the 50s people were renovating

[@chopsddy3]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife Brad sent you a trailer video that I sent him. It goes with a song named “My house has wheels”. The band is old ,but new to me. Southern Culture on the Skids. One of their lyrics in another vid is “You can’t fake cheap”. I have to respect that. I get a kick out of them.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I saw the video chops thank you very much I agree the musical group was very interesting I like them.

[@richardwilliams3302]

Thanks for sharing!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey Richard always good to hear from you thanks for watching