Author Archives: kobermeyer
Bamboo eco-house- who wants one?
You may have seen past blog posts about the use of Guadua bamboo (Guadua sp.) a type of so-called giant bamboo that is perfect for construction. Unlike some other types of large bamboo species that grow in the Americas, Guadua … Continue reading
Posted in Nicaragua
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Shifting to Costa Rica!
Since the turmoil in Nicaragua we have become full-time in Costa Rica and Kim is available to design, build, consult and get it going! Starting soon he’ll be offering several different “eco-home” solutions- smaller environmental footprint, faster build times, lower … Continue reading
Posted in Nicaragua
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New construction at Tierra del Suenos
Hip-E Habitat (aka. Permagreen Compania Limitada) just started construction of a new 2 story, 2 bedroom/2.5 bath, 2000 Square foot home on Lot #1 at Suenos (https://suenosnicaragua.com/lot-map-and-pricing/). It will feature a clay tile roof, and an open floor plan kitchen/living/dining … Continue reading
Posted in Nicaragua
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Casa Amarilla
Casa Amarilla came about when frequent visitors Jacek and Ivona found their piece of land in the area and decided they want too build a house. They came to see our house and when they left they asked if I … Continue reading
Posted in Nicaragua
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Rancho Supremo
Currently in construction: Dan and Evan partnered on a small lot close to the beach at Brisas and came to me with a few thoughts about what they wanted to build. They wanted it to be mainly open-air but still have … Continue reading
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Designing Hacienda Boom (our house)
I (Kim) lik L-shaped or U-shaped houses with courtyards that would allow you to be outside but have privacy. That’s where my research on floor plans started. My stepfather, one of the early leading architects in environmental design, took me … Continue reading
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Green building in the tropics- thermal mass
When I first started researching green building I found pretty quickly that the vast majority of material, books, websites, etc. are made for people living in the temperate zones of the US and Europe. There is a ton of material … Continue reading
Designing the Hacienda at Brisas Del Alma
The design process started with a piece of sketch paper and a discussion of how many bedrooms and other spaces we wanted. We knew we wanted two bedrooms an open living area/kitchen, an office, and of course a workshop/bodega for … Continue reading
Belgian IPA homebrew “Belguraguan”
OK, here’s the brew I’ve been waiting for, wanting to try for months, yearning for – a home-brewed Belgian IPA made right here in Nicaragua. I’m thinking of throwing a packet of dried Belgian yeast into our palm-thatch roof so … Continue reading
Posted in Eat drink and be merry
Tagged belgian IPA, belgian yeast, hipehabitat, homebrewing, kim obermeyer, nicaragua
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“Volcan” Cacao-Cafe homebrew Stout
The third, and possibly the best batch, in tropical home brewing adventures, almost met its end in the moldy rainy season condition of June. The rainy season brings clouds of mold that drift invisibly through the air landing on … Continue reading
Posted in drink it, Eat drink and be merry, Make your own
Tagged beer, cacao, coffee, DIY, hipehabitat, holly beck, homebrew, homebrewing, kim obermeyer, mold, nicaragua, stout
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Windmills In Nicaragua
One of Nicaragua’s most valuable resources turns out to be wind. Super strong (often hurricane force) and consistent winds blow across lake Nicaragua. These amazing winds are basically Trade Winds that are funneled and amplified as the high pressure on … Continue reading
Make Your Own Cottonwood Balm For Muscle Pain and Wound Healing
Kim was in Oregon for an early spring trip and on a hike along the Columbia River found a grove of young cottonwood trees in full bud. Cottonwood is in the same family as willow, the tree from which aspirin … Continue reading
Posted in Make your own
Tagged bees wax, candle, cottonwood, Cottonwood balm, DIY, hipehabitat, make your own, muscle ache, muscle rub, patchouli
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Growing Guadua bamboo
We had been searching for it for nearly a year, since we learned about it in Ecuador. Guadua bamboo (Guadua angustifolia and other species) is the giant bamboo species native to Central and South America. It is one of the strongest … Continue reading
Our garden grows
We started planting the garden in late October, 2011- lots of chillies (habanero, jalapeno, arbol, New Mex, serrano and others), various greens, tomatoes, Thai basil, lemongrass, dill, tea tree, sunflowers and a bunch of randoms like purslane and indigo. Some … Continue reading
Posted in Eat drink and be merry, Make your own, Nicaragua, Uncategorized
Tagged chillies, garden, gardening, hipehabitat, holly beck, kim obermeyer, nicaragua, organic agrden
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Wild (and free) Fermentation
When we were at the Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland, CA last September, fermented pleasures were not (as usual) far from our minds. We had already rounded up beer-making supplies to take back to Nicaragua (no more being … Continue reading
Geodesic Dome with solar, wind, geothermal power
A friend of a friend’s place in NY, also has old tire terraced gardens, crushed rubber paths and an awesome 40’+ foot inside climbing rope!! Click the link to watch the video: http://www.sciencefriday.com/embed/video/10407.swf
Bamboo: Hip-E habitat?
The search for a sustainably built home has led us all over the place in the past months. We’ve been learning a lot about various green building methods and materials, from hay bales, to clay, earth ships and bamboo. … Continue reading
hip-E habitat 