strawbale | Dacha Project

November 29, 2011

Video Series: Building the Straw Bale Cottage

LeaLSF buildings, DIY, film, visitors= we love you construction, DIY, do-it-yourself, fingerlakes, funny, how-to, new york, ny, straw bale, strawbale, upstate, video 0 Comments

Wow, I miss the days when we still had time to make mini-films about what we were up to. Maybe soon we will acquire a media intern to help us get back on that train!

For now, check out this series from when we had a kickin’ camera, and some time. It’s all about the building of our straw-bale cottage, named the Winter Palace. Each filmlette has its own style, so watch ’em all! They get funnier as the time goes on. Let us know if you like them, and maybe we’ll make more now!

Beware- after watching these, you should be fully equipped to start thinking about building a straw bale cottage of your own.

Winter Palace Pt 1- Let’s Dig- The start of our first building. A tool shed that emerged as a palace. Here we see the first steps (well after leveling the ground anyways) of digging the rubble trench.

Winter Palace Pt 1- Let’s Dig from Lea LSF on Vimeo.

More

May 4, 2010

From Straw Cottage to Straw Hat

russiandollfigure buildings, reclaimed materials mushroom cultivation, reclaimed materials, recycled materials, straw bale, strawbale, wine bottle windows 2 Comments

So here we are again. The summer is giving in to the spring and we are finding ourselves with some sunshine on our backs and tools in our belts. We can shed the insulated jumpers and slip into something a little bit more comfortable like a straw hat.

On the sill

We can take breaks outside. More

March 24, 2010

Straw Bale Hijinks

LeaLSF buildings, DIY, Uncategorized, video alternative building, bale, building, cabin, cottage, dacha project, DIY, eco-friendly, film, fingerlakes, gorges, homestead, southern tier, straw, strawbale, sustainable building, video 0 Comments

The Dacha Project presents a short by Lea LSF. Starring Joe Fisher-Price, Danilatron & Lea LSF. For more info visit. dachaproject.com.

Strawbale Hijinks- A near silent comedy about the countless opportunities to act like a monkey one can miss if they choose not to build a straw bale cottage. Critically acclaimed as the must see monkey short of this fiscal year. Sponsorships welcome.

-LSF

[vimeo 10397150]

July 23, 2009

For Ten Dollars, a Bag of Clay

LeaLSF buildings, DIY, video alternatives, bank, building, community, construction, contest, cottage, credit union, dacha project, DIY, earthen plaster, entry, finger lakes, ithaca, shack, shed, straw bale, strawbale, stucco, teaching, tompkins, top coat, truth window, video, workshop 3 Comments

Here is our video entry into the Pay It Forward Contest, held by our local Alternatives Federal Credit Union.

Alternatives gave out ten dollars to whoever wanted it, and those people were supposed to give it to someone else in the community, an organization or an individual.Then, the giver of the ten dollars is encouraged to make a video or write an essay about their recipient, and in it illustrate what they can do with it that would benefit the community. Afterwards! A committee at Alternatives picks ten or so videos they like the best, and set them loose into the public, where anyone can vote on which entry they think should get the grand prize-oh- $500.

Taking advantage of some beautiful footage our friend Shira took of us, plus friends, plastering the straw bale cottage, I put together this doo-hickey.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKYrn9NQ9O0&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1]

June 18, 2009

The Dacha Gets Plastered

russiandollfigure buildings, Uncategorized alternative, alternatives to vinyl siding, building, cottage, dacha project, earthen plaster, finger lakes, group, homestead, lime, photos, shed, straw bale, strawbale, stucco, sustainable, tompkins county 0 Comments

Since our straw bale shed has been upgraded to the “Winter Palace,” it is time to plaster the structure and to fossilize our work for future archeological findings. We put on our clay covered uniforms and head out to work. Our main sources of power for mixing the sand, straw and clay are our hands and feet. And to prove that there really is straw under all those layers of plaster, we built a truth window.

The Truth Window

March 12, 2009

Winter Palace Pt 4- Frame by Frame

LeaLSF Uncategorized building, dacha project, DIY, finger lakes, framing, green nettle dacha, intentional community, region, stick frame, straw bale, strawbale, sustainable living, tompkins county, video 1 Comment

Filmed in September 2008, edited some time later by Lily G, and myself. Please enjoy, “Frame by Frame” the framing of our straw bale cottage. This short film is a moving after school special about some folk who engage on a journey of building a stick frame only to find themselves doing just that.

Next to come: Winter Palace Pt 5- Stacking Straw Bricks and Goofing Around, a thrilling drama showing the real life context around the building of straw bale walls.

[vimeo 3583444]

October 8, 2008

Winter Palace Pt 2- The Work Party

LeaLSF Uncategorized building, DIY, foundation, friends, rubble trench, straw bale, strawbale, sustainable 2 Comments

Here is pt 2, just like I promised. Please enjoy, it took a second to edit. More on the way in future. Perhaps as it gets so cold in Ithaca that I can’t go outside, I will pump these out faster. For now we are still building, taking classes, making friends and being mad busy. This week we’re putting up the roof. Hoorah!

Love Lea

[vimeo vimeo.com/1914918]