There’s no place like little ingenuity the settlers
home,” sang Dorothy in could have a quite comfortable
movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” house to live in, and also
And ‘home’ can be a hut, a hovel, protection for their animals.
or a house, depending on which This practice of making a home
part of the globe you live on. from natural products such as hay
What do you build your house bales is now being renewed in
with? It all depends on what you many parts of the central states
can put your creativity and hands of the United States.
on.
Most people assume that the
When the early settlers crossed cavemen lived in caves. Although
through the Great Plains in the sometimes they used them for
United States and decided to shelter, the main use of the
settle, they didn’t find the caves was for resting places for
usual wood and stone to build the dead, or for drawing and
their houses with. The settlers expressing their own style of
solved the problem by making sod religion or magic. Nevertheless,
houses. By cutting rectangles the cave is still considered to
about 12 inches by 18 inches and be the first house. From that
stacking them on each other like basic start humans evolved to
bricks, they were able to using tree houses to protect
homestead and be protected from themselves from the rising waters
the fierce winds and cold and the wild animals.
winters.
Always that word ‘protect’ seems
By the early twentieth century connected with a house. Centuries
the prairie settlers found that later in Egypt royal houses,
hay bales made great insulation, palaces, and temples were built
and when covered with sod and a of lime blocks. The Pyramids,
considered to be a home for the the present owner wants it to,
dead, have left humans in awe for thanks to the freedom of interior
centuries, as has the elaborate design that can be applied to
Taj Mahal in India. suit one’s whims. During a twenty
year period a house can have a
The average modern-day house western look, and then be
would be like a palace to people remodeled to look like a 1960s
of centuries ago. They would not party house.
be able to comprehend the running
water, both hot and cold – or the Perhaps the next owner
multitude of items provided by redecorates it to look like a
electricity. What? No candles? Mediterranean home, and the next
Just flip a switch and there is owner likes a super-modern style
light! Turn a little dial and dim that matches Picasso’s
the light! Press a button on a TV pictures.In theory, the
and there are dynamic pictures of appearance of a house can fulfill
horses running, people laughing, your dreams and fantasies, yet it
or fire consuming logs in a will always be only a house, not
fireplace that looks like those a home, until you add love and
used centuries ago. laughter.
The house of today will look like
About the Author:
Paul Babs is the owner of Mantle Homes which tackles all housing issues. For more information, go to: http://www.frfhouse.com
