Advice on sustainable building

We've had an inspiring visit from Rob Buckley, of the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills...




...This is it, this is the very start of our new Eco lodge! We have the planning permission, now we have to rise to the challenge of creating truly sustainable holiday accommodation. And one of our first steps has been to listen to what Rob as to say - afterall, he is 'mr straw bale south west'.

We've met him a few times over the last couple of years - at an open day at the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills, at a sustainable building show in Exeter etc, and he has offered to talk us through some of the basics. So we've swept the straw out of the barn, tidied the wood store, and thought through some ideas.

He's suggested modifying the overall design, keeping more of the 'barniness', reusing what would have been building waste within the structure, and making better use of the interior space. But most importantly, he's talked Ian through the stages of the build, and shared his knowledge of techniques and materials. There's nothing like experience!