Appropriate technology · Built where it is usedMake useful things locally, from plans real builders have tested.
Instead of importing an expensive machine, build it from soil, scrap, timber and local steel. Every plan here comes from a builder community that documented what worked — and what failed — with costs, tools, steps and honest safety notes.
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- Build plans
- 16
- Verified builds
- 6
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- Imported machines
Costed, step-by-step
Photo proof from the field
Shelter to sanitation
Everything from local stock
Sourced, not invented
Every plan links back to the community that developed and proved it. We index and translate into build steps — we never claim authorship.
Verified Build badge
A plan earns the badge only when builders submit photo proof of a working build, with location and outcome noted.
Costed in real materials
Tools, materials and a realistic cost range on every project, so you know before you start whether it fits your budget.
Browse by category
Six areas of everyday need. Pick one, or search across all of them.
Natural Building
Earth blocks, rammed earth, cob and thatch — walls from the ground you stand on.
See plansWater & Purification
Harvest, store, filter and disinfect water with locally sourced materials.
See plansEnergy & Cooking
Rocket stoves, briquette presses, solar dryers and biogas from waste.
See plansFood & Farming
Keyhole gardens, drip lines from barrels, compost systems and seed storage.
See plansHousehold & Enterprise
Small machines and products that turn a skill into an income.
See plansSanitation & Infrastructure
Handwashing stations, composting toilets, tanks and drainage.
See plansEco-briquettes & biomass fuel
Nine linked plans that turn waste paper, crop residue, sawdust and charcoal dust into cooking fuel you can burn or sell — hand tin mould up to a screw extruder, plus the char kiln, drying rack and stoves that make it work. Built from the Lee Hite / Engineers Without Borders documentation.
Open the fuel chainHand tin mould
Under $15
Lee Hite lever press
$25 – $90
Charcoal-dust press
$35 – $80
Screw extruder
$120 – $400
Verified builds
Manual Compressed Earth Block Press
A hand-built compound-lever press that turns local soil into load-bearing building blocks for about the price of a bag of cement.
Concrete Biosand Water Filter
A household slow-sand filter in a concrete body that removes most pathogens and turbidity with no power, no cartridges and no ongoing cost.
Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting with First-Flush Diverter
Catch and store roof runoff, and throw away the dirty first few litres automatically so what reaches your tank is worth storing.
Insulated Brick Rocket Stove
A J-shaped combustion chamber that burns small sticks hot and nearly smoke-free, cutting cooking fuel by half or more.
Keyhole Garden with Central Compost Basket
A raised circular bed fed and watered from a compost basket at its centre — high yield on poor soil with very little water.
Indirect Solar Food Dryer
A timber cabinet with a glazed heat collector that dries fruit, vegetables and fish faster and cleaner than open sun, without bleaching the produce.
Built something that works?
Send us your plan with photos, costs and the mistakes you made along the way. Local adaptations are the most valuable thing on this site — the design that survived your rainy season is worth more than any textbook version.