The Matchbox is a 140-square foot house that, upon completion, will be fully off-grid, zero-waste, and self-sustaining. The house combines a mix of modern design and sustainability techniques with older and proven natural methods such as shou sugi ban for siding protection, rain chains for rain catchment, skylights and wide windows for passive cooling, and earthen plaster for humidity control.

Construction kicked off in July 2012, and should wrap up in April/May 2013. The Matchbox was designed by Jay Austin with assistance from Tony Gilchriest and Matt Battin. More information on the house is available here.Full information at Jay’s blog: http://www.jayaustin.info/

Jay and Tony contemplate the next steps

Putting on the door.

Leila burning some cedar.

Chris trying his hand at the blowtorch.

Freshly-charred siding.

Jay burning some wood.

Shou sugi ban: Abby

Shou sugi ban: Abby

Leila carrying some wood to the oil stack.

Shou sugi ban: Leila

Freshly burned wood

Shou sugi ban: Leila

Burning the edges of some wood.

Lauren doing some burning.

Lauren oiling the boards.

Lauren and Dan stacking wood.

Lauren oiling the boards.

Sicily trying out the Boneyard Studios flamethrower on some window trim.

A blurry shot of the interior, with floors and cabinets and trim.

A blurry shot of the interior, with door trim, window trim, and baseboard.

The Matchbox with a nearly-complete facade.

The Matchbox’s to-be porch decking, donated by Foundry Architects.

From left to right: Lee’s Pera House, Elaine’s Lusby, and Jay’s Matchbox

Kitchen cabinets and finished walls.

Completed floors and walls.

Applying earthen plaster to the walls.

Troweling the plaster.

Dried plaster finish.