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Going Natural: A New Wave of Creative Construction in the Hill Country

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Going Natural: A New Wave of Creative Construction in the Hill Country

Photo: theridgeatrosanky.com

The best part of her experience was the opportunity to reclaim destroyed items from their property to use again in the house. “If I had to select one favorite part, it would be the oak tree in the living room. Prior to the wildfire, we hiked almost every day with our dogs through the forest. When it burned, I felt like I had lost a good friend. Having the tree in the house keeps the forest fresh in my memory and reminds me of how much I loved it.”

Going Natural: A New Wave of Creative Construction in the Hill Country

Photo: David Reed (Pinterest)

Some natural builders, like David Reed with Texas Natural Builders, require the same type of hands-on investment from their clients as the Jones’ applied to their new home. This approach allows homeowners to build a house and memories along the way. “Many people move to natural builds because they want to get more attached to their home, use less chemicals and get away from the ‘cookie cutter’ style that we see in many suburbs,” David said.

Natural builds also allow homeowners to explore unique and custom design elements that would otherwise present difficult challenges in standard homebuilding. The Jones family, for example, have a “see truth” window in their straw bale home, that allows visitors to peek behind the cob walls and see the hidden straw walls for themselves.

Despite what those three little pigs have taught us about straw houses, it looks like they aren’t all that bad. Let’s face it; the best part of natural building in the Texas Hill Country is the view.

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