Creative home-building

[PaulConventionWV]

I was recently reading about these expanded polystyrene dome-houses they build in Japan which are apparently very efficient energy-savers and weather-resistant. This got me thinking about some of the other non-traditional ways in which we build homes. Many people have built very interesting homes in unusual ways, and I'm wondering what are some other low-cost homes that one could build that don't have major health concerns. The dome-houses I was reading up on are apparently very easy to build and they are pretty cheap, but there are some concerns about HBCD flame retardant chemicals among other things I do not know much about. If someone could shed some light on these concerns as well as other ways to build houses and what the budget might be, I would appreciate it.

 

[KevinR]

Look into homes made from ISO shipping containers, they're cheap and indestructible!

 

[fisharmor]

My current favorite is cob. Though it's incredibly traditional... it's only non-traditional in the sense that there are no established codes for it.
It's fireproof, easy to work with, takes on whatever form you work it into, serves as a thermal mass, and free.

I like the idea of buying a parcel in rural Virginia, where there's a lot of clay soil, and over a period of three years or so, taking out 1' of soil in rectangular plots, converting it to cob, and backfilling the holes with shredded leaves, kitchen scraps, and free manure from local stables. By the time the house got done I'd have about 2 acres of garden, too.

 

[tod evans]

There's very few areas of the country that it is financially prudent to build new right now, especially with "non-traditional" materials.

Are you actually looking to build or just seeking knowledge?

 

[PaulConventionWV]

Look into homes made from ISO shipping containers, they're cheap and indestructible!

Interesting. What does ISO stand for?

 

[PaulConventionWV]

There's very few areas of the country that it is financially prudent to build new right now, especially with "non-traditional" materials.

Are you actually looking to build or just seeking knowledge?

I seek knowledge. But I'm curious why you say it isn't "financially prudent" to build right now. Does that include things you build yourself?

 

[BAllen]

Better check with the landowners. Gubmint regulations may prohibit you from building such structures on their land.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

My current favorite is cob. Though it's incredibly traditional... it's only non-traditional in the sense that there are no established codes for it.
It's fireproof, easy to work with, takes on whatever form you work it into, serves as a thermal mass, and free.

I like the idea of buying a parcel in rural Virginia, where there's a lot of clay soil, and over a period of three years or so, taking out 1' of soil in rectangular plots, converting it to cob, and backfilling the holes with shredded leaves, kitchen scraps, and free manure from local stables. By the time the house got done I'd have about 2 acres of garden, too.

That sounds extremely un-traditional. Something about the idea of stuffing leftovers into cracks in the wall doesn't make the idea seem very homey. Actually, something about the idea of building your house from clay, food, leaves, and crap doesn't sound very appealing.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

Better check with the landowners. Gubmint regulations may prohibit you from building such structures on their land.

Yes, that's always a concern, but in WV there are lots of places without building codes. In my hometown, building codes only exist when the bank is concerned.

 

[tod evans]

I seek knowledge. But I'm curious why you say it isn't "financially prudent" to build right now. Does that include things you build yourself?

Existing homes in many areas are selling for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the building materials and interest on loans is ridiculously low..

Spend some time looking at what's available in your area then shop similar sized house packages from the local lumber yard (Not Lowes/Home Desperate!)

I've never seen such a positive market for buyers in my lifetime..

 

[Kelly.]

i would suggest you look into rammed earth homes.
there are a few different ways to build them. you can either make rammed earth bricks and build with those (like adobe) or you can form walls, and compact the earth directly into the form/wall. i prefer the formed walls, as it is easier to mechanize. (most natural homes use free/cheap labor, if you arent planning to do this, you better figure a way to mechanize, imo of course)

when we were looking to build a energy independent house, i was looking into the best way to mechanize a natural home similar to an earthship. (passive solar, thermal mass home)
rammed earth was the best compromise i could find. the walls are built our of road base type material, mixed with cement/portland to stabilize.
we found a local home build this way, and talked to the owners.
they used a skidsteer to dump the roadbase/cement mix into the wall form, then came back with a whacker and compacted it down. the guy mentioned with 2 high school laborers, we has able to put up ~ 30 ft of wall a day. Once the walls are up, the forms are taken off and the wall remains.
the walls are 18in thick so the temp inside stays pretty stable. south facing windows help capture heat and the floor walls hold/release that heat at night. a wood stove will go a long way in these types of houses.
the couple we met also had a 2100w PV array and told me they produced more power then they used over a 12 month period.

im probably not very good at explaining it, so here is a gallery of what im referring to: http://www.rammedearthhomes.com/gallery.htm
also here is a book that explains more about it, and should be available at most libraries: http://www.amazon.com/Rammed-Earth-House-Revised/dp/1933392371

 

[TonySutton]

Earthbag and superadobe are the 2 techniques I have been reading up on lately. I am leaning towards building an earthship style structure with earthbags or superadobe instead of packing tires. Although I am prepared to modify my plans based on govt restrictions that I may not be able to get an exemption for.

My main attraction to earthbag and superadobe is they are cheaper and do not require extremely specialized skills. I also like the old pioneer concept of building your own house and not having a mortgage hanging over your head for a long time. I would like to see young couples be able to build their own homes and be able to work for themselves instead of donating 30% to a mortgage company.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

Existing homes in many areas are selling for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the building materials and interest on loans is ridiculously low..

Spend some time looking at what's available in your area then shop similar sized house packages from the local lumber yard (Not Lowes/Home Desperate!)

I've never seen such a positive market for buyers in my lifetime..

That's true, and I have been looking. I'm not actually looking to build a traditional house, though, so building one might not be that bad depending on what's being used.

Also, what's a house package?

 

[ClydeCoulter]

That sounds extremely un-traditional. Something about the idea of stuffing leftovers into cracks in the wall doesn't make the idea seem very homey. Actually, something about the idea of building your house from clay, food, leaves, and crap doesn't sound very appealing.

I think the "backfilling" he was talking about was replacing the 1' of earth that he removed from the top of the ground (clay) to make the bricks, therefore having good land (fertile, not clay) to grow cops in (garden).

 

[TonySutton]

My current favorite is cob. Though it's incredibly traditional... it's only non-traditional in the sense that there are no established codes for it.
It's fireproof, easy to work with, takes on whatever form you work it into, serves as a thermal mass, and free.

I like the idea of buying a parcel in rural Virginia, where there's a lot of clay soil, and over a period of three years or so, taking out 1' of soil in rectangular plots, converting it to cob, and backfilling the holes with shredded leaves, kitchen scraps, and free manure from local stables. By the time the house got done I'd have about 2 acres of garden, too.

Actually what you want to do is sample the land for the right combination or at least a consistent mix of clay/sand. Then pull the topsoil from that spot and set it aside. Next you dig out all of the material you will need for the construction project. Backfill with logs and sticks, then any leftover soil, then the topsoil and finally any mulch. (leaves, straw, etc) If you use straw bales to border your mixing pit you can use them as mulch when you are done.

This may not prepare a 2 acre garden area as you described but within 2 years the reclaimed area will be fantastic for growing.

 

[tod evans]

Also, what's a house package?

A house pkg. from a yard is everything to get dried in, no mechanicals, no finish goods.

 

[69360]

Seems crazy to build anything right now with the market the way it is.

 

[The Free Hornet]

i would suggest you look into rammed earth homes.

Do you or does somebody know offhand the cost/benefit of using insulation in addition to the thick wall of earth/mud/brick/concrete???

Although a sufficient quantity of earth/stuff will make for a great R-value, it is also a tremendously large heat sink. Thus, to heat a room quickly, wouldn't you always be pouring heat into these walls???

In the picture gallery, you can often see the exterior wall from the interior which suggests no inner wall or insulation.

Or is it that these are often used in desert environments so that cooling is preferred???

My question is - generalized - how does one build a passive house, creatively... with dirt?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

​

 

[PaulConventionWV]

I think I'm most interested in the shipping containers idea. Does anyone know how energy efficient those things are and how well the walls act as insulation?

 

[dancjm]

That sounds extremely un-traditional. Something about the idea of stuffing leftovers into cracks in the wall doesn't make the idea seem very homey. Actually, something about the idea of building your house from clay, food, leaves, and crap doesn't sound very appealing.

This cost an estimated 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 in materials.

Some other examples of cob houses:

I'm hoping to do this one day.