House Salters designed by Eco Design Architects In the rural town of Teslaarsdal, the majority of the materials used to build House Salters (right) were natural, locally sourced materials. All the stone and timber poles were gathered from within 100m of the site. The straw and clay came from neighbouring farms. Locally harvested timber poles were treated on-site with local labour using non-toxic wood treatment methods. The windows and doors were either second hand or made of recycled Oregon pine. Rainwater tanks and a compost toilet help save water together with the re-use of bath water which helps nourish a grove of fruit trees. Energy is saved with the use of a solar hot water heating panel, which is backed up for any cloudy winter days, with a heat-exchanger that circulates waste heat from the fireplace chimney to the geyser.