This house is built by my wife Konomi and I and is made of earthbags, filled with the earth next to the house, and features a double wall system that includes pumice from an explosion of the now dormant Melimoyo Volcano ten thousand years ago. Five hundred tons of earth have been moved by hand and everything that has been used to build the house has come up a very steep 150 meter hill on the backs of oursleves and friends. Next we are going to build a Pyramid! Seriously. The house has a spectacular view, is very cosy and has a very simple exterior, beneath the earth system, which keeps the surrounding earth warm and dry in what is an extremely wet and windy environment. The warm earth beneath the house, and the surrounding turf walls, warm the house to the extent that much less firewood is used to bring the house to a very comfortable temperature. As the house ages, the heat stopred beneath the house, will mean less and less firewood. The house is very quite and has been designed to capture the magnificent view of a mountain valley where two mighty rivers meet, and to fit into nature.
Presently terraces are being constructed,  out of the earth and turf that is being dug, to create a sustainable vegetable and fruit farm. A unique polytunnel featuring earthbags is also being built that should enable us to grow grapes and produce wine in a region where wine has never before been produced.