Unveiling the Essence of Underhill: The Waters of Houtveld Dam

Underhill Water Houtveld Dam

Unveiling the Essence of Underhill: The Waters of Houtveld Dam Nestled at the edge of the Groenlandberg Nature Reserve, the heartbeat of Underhill Farm emanates from a source as natural as the earth itself—the Houtveld Dam. This reservoir, cradled within the embrace of the Botrivier Valley, serves as the lifeblood for a network of farms, […]

How I built my eco-home for $7,000

The joy you get from building yourself, scrounging hidden treasures and learning new skills is something I relish every moment I spend in my tiny home.

Where to find recycled materials for your projects

recycled scrap wood to be used for decking

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start finding second-hand materials for recycled building projects. Nowadays there are a growing number of shops and picking yards springing up where you can browse through recyled lumber, finishings, and antiques.  These are a great place to start but you can also keep an eye on […]

How to build a living roof from recycled material

When building my latest cottage that I live in I was quoted $7,000 for the roof by a supplier (which is incidentally what it eventually cost me for the entire cottage – see my article on my $7,000 home). So I decided to do it myself. The idea was to create a “living roof” which […]

You can recycle more rubbish than you realise

At Underhill Farm, the stuff you throw away goes to one of two places – the local rubbish dump, or the local recycling center that benefits the local community. But we try to keep rubbish to a minimum. There are a lot of items you probably didn’t even realise could be recycled. The main categories […]

Recycling cider yeast

Underhill Farm’s homemade cider is a staple beverage for relaxing around here. But now we’ve figured out how to recycle the ingredients we use to make it.