Last weekend's Chronicle included an article on a woman who made her house out of soil. Sandy Lawrence, the owner of vegetarian restaurant Ubuntu in Napa, built a 3,136-square foot house on 90 acres of land with a winery and gardens that supply the restaurant.

Rammed Earth Works made the home of recycled materials -- and Lawrence's earth, which is mixed with cement and water "into temporarily erected boxes that, when removed, hold 18-inch-thick walls that require no painting or finishing, not to mention no Sheetrock."

The home includes a pool, Buddha pond, meditation lawn, and yoga studio. It also has 33 doors. Oh, and caves were excavated to create garage space, a wine cellar, and guest quarters. Lawrence says, "I wanted to live outdoors and I wanted to have a simple lifestyle." Hmm, one person's simplicity...

Click here for Susan Fornoff's article.

Images: Eric Luse

Originally posted by Leslie on AT:SF.