How to Make a Model and Shape Your Home

Tiny Insights for building naturally, building beautifully.

February 23, 2025

No.076 — Read old posts on Tinyfarmlab.com
Reading Time 3 minutes

Before you start building a model,
let’s first map your daily life in response to the movements of the sun and the earth.

This exercise from the book The Hand-Sculpted House, will help you place different activities in your home so they align with the planet’s natural rhythms.

Step 1: Create Your Sun Map

  • Take a big sheet of paper and draw a circle (this represents your home).

  • Mark the directions: North, South, East, and West.

  • Imagine the sun's movement throughout the day and divide the circle into morning, afternoon, and evening zones.

Illustration credits: The Hand-sculpted House

Step 2: Map Your Daily Routine

  • Think about when and where you do certain activities (sleeping, cooking, working, relaxing).

  • Draw small shapes on your Sun Map to represent these activities.

  • For example, if you love waking up with sunlight, place your bedroom in the East.

Step 3: Experiment with Placement

  • Cut out small paper shapes for rooms and move them around on your Sun Map.

  • Find the best positions for comfort, energy flow, and natural light.

  • Consider shade, wind, and outdoor spaces too!

Once you've mapped your home around the sun, you’ll have a strong foundation for building a 3D model that truly works with nature.

How to make a model of a cob house?

Most people struggle to imagine real spaces from flat drawings. That’s why starting with a physical model is a better way to design.

A model helps you see, feel, and shape volumes naturally.

Step 1: Choose the Right Type of Model

Start with a hands-on model instead of a 2D floor plan. You can make:

  • Conceptual Models → Just to explore space and form, without precise dimensions.

  • Scaled Models → Using a fixed scale (e.g., 1 inch = 1 foot or 1:10 metric).

  • Full-Size Walk-Ins → Build with sticks, string, and cardboard to step inside and experience the space.

We suggest to try all three!

Step 2: Gather Materials

You’ll need:

  • Clay or Cob (fine sand, clay, fiber) for walls

  • Small Sticks for beams and rafters

  • Ice cream flat sticks for doorways.

  • Toothpicks, and matchsticks for windows and furniture.

  • Pebbles for foundation and paving

  • Cardboard or Stiff Paper for floors and roofs

  • A Rigid Board like MDF or Ply (2–4 feet wide) as your base, large enough to show surroundings.

Step 3: Include the Permanent Features of the Site

Before designing, map out the landscape. Measure and include:

  • Trees & Bushes → Use tiny plants or scale models.

  • Other Buildings → Nearby houses or structures.

  • Roads & Water Bodies → Represent with a mirror for water.

  • Level Changes & Rocks → Show with small stones or sculpted sand.

These elements affect where and how you can build.

Step 4: Position Your Model with the Sun

  • Set your model where sunlight reaches it, like a porch or a room facing south.

  • Mark North & South on your board (use the sun at noon).

  • Tilt the board to simulate summer and winter sun angles. This helps you design the right window placements, roof overhangs, and wall heights.

Step 5: Make Tiny Models of Yourself

To create realistic spaces, make small figurines of the people who will use the space. This helps you establish and understand the volume of the space.

  • Use clay or modeling clay and keep a consistent scale (e.g., 1 inch = 1 foot or 1/2 inch per foot).

  • Make a standing, sitting, and sleeping version of each person.

  • Arrange your spaces around the people, instead of forcing them into random spaces.

Step 5: Shape Your Site and Spaces

  • Use earth or sand on your baseboard to mimic the landscape.

  • Start with verbs! Think of actions first— eating, sleeping, gathering—and build around them.

  • Build your walls little by little, like real construction, letting them dry before adding more.

  • Test different layouts → Make at least three different models to compare. Spend just 30-60 minutes per version before moving to the next.

You can build a model at 1/2 inch = 1 foot before building more detailed models.

  • Keep the roof removable so you can see the spaces inside.

Step 6: Learn by Doing

As you shape the model, ask yourself:

  • How will the foundation be built? (Start with pebbles and compacted earth.)

  • When do walls go up? (Layer by layer, letting each dry before adding more.)

  • Where should openings be? (Test different window placements for light and ventilation.)

  • How does the roof interact with walls? (Plan overhangs for shade and protection.)

By the time you finish, you’ll have a physical plan that teaches you not just design, but the actual sequence of building.

Step 7: Final Check & Next Steps

Once your model feels right, pause and review. Ask yourself:

Do the spaces feel natural for movement and daily activities?

Are the windows and openings placed correctly for light and views?

Is the structure responding well to the surrounding environment?

Once you’re confident, you can move to a full-scale on-site mock-up.

Don’t focus on making a “cute” model. The goal is to test and explore spaces and unleash your creativity.

Love,
Raghav and Ansh

PS: Check out our latest post on LinkedIn where we share about why India doesn’t need to become sustainable!

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