I want to build a natural house

[Sustainer]

I want to build a 100% natural house. Nothing synthetic. But I also have to do it as inexpensively as possible, because my budget is going to be so small, it's not even funny.

So, what is the least expensive, natural...

...building material?

...roofing material?

...flooring?

...insulation?

..._____________ (fill in the blank)?



I live in the Northeast.

Thank you!

[harmonymama]

earth bags are very cheap, not quite sure if they provide enough insulation for the NE however. You may want to go with Straw Bale and straw-earth plastering. Roof- there is always the possibility of a dome, also corrugated metal is very cheap, not sure if you count that as natural. But an earthen home (dug out) with an earth roof may be your best bet. Check out the book Mortgage Free. Since you are in the NE, you may also want to check out cordwood masonry, but I think this usually uses some cement, etc. So many great books out there. Choose your location first, then look at the patterns of sun and wind, and what materials may be indigenous, or available salvaged materials. This will cut down your costs, and you'll end up with a house more in harmony with the environment. Mortgage Free recommends never attempting a first home over 1000 sq.ft.

[ladywolf]

Also, look into straw-bale, light straw clay (econest.com has examples), and cob. I would pick up the book _The Hand Sculpted House_ (see if the library has it). It deals with using cob but the first portion of the book is about design and building small enough for needs, not societal norms. Also, the writers do touch on other techniques when it comes to design so it may give you ideas of where to look for more information.

As I read more and more about sustainable reading and natural building, one of the biggest things is to keep the home small. One site had a rough estimate of 200 square feet per person, 250 if you may be snowed in.

[Sustainer]

Thank you for the ideas!

Originally Posted by harmonymama

Check out the book Mortgage Free.

I've read it Isn't it great??

Originally Posted by harmonymama

Mortgage Free recommends never attempting a first home over 1000 sq.ft.

It's definitely going to be small.

[AngieB]

We are in the process of building a house. We used trees from our land that had to be taken out anyway for the building pad and driveway. We then paid someone with a really good sawmill to mill the lumber for us. we had Doug Fir for framing, Cedar for siding the house and pine for trim. We also had to pay someone to grade the lumber but it didn't cost much. We are in CA, so the rules might be different where you are. It cost us about a 1/3 of what it would have cost if we had bought the lumber, and it's better quality. It took 15 trees for a 1400 sq ft house, and we should have extra for out builds.

[surfcitymamma]

You might want to check out this week's "The Green Guide":
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=107&s=kitchen
It has lots of great ideas as well as links.
We've been talking about building an environmentally friendly "green" home as well, so I'll be checking in to see what other great ideas are out there!

Deborah

[Sustainer]

Has anyone heard of using clay-coated straw as insulation?

Any ideas for affordable natural flooring?

Does anyone know where I can find a good price on one of those on-demand water heaters that heats water as I need it instead of heating a bunch of water and keeping it hot until I need it?

[Livi's Mama]

Can't help on the insulation. I have read about people who make their own clay & install clay tile-like floors. Photos I saw were gorgeous. Unfortunately, I don't recall any specifics off hand & all the info I have is on paper somewhere at home. I'll try to remember to look it up for you.

We have an on-demand water heater. We got it off ebay. Can't remember the brand (boy, I'm SO much help.) It has saved us gobs of money, but it can be a pain. Takes quite a while for hot water to reach the far side of the house (bathroom) (therefore wasting water) & when dd takes a bath, we need to fill the tub w/the shower because the flow from the tub spigot is too strong for the water heater to keep up. These things aren't the end of the world, just gets annoying. If you have/will have gas, I'd maybe try that vs. the electric version. But overall I'm glad we have an on-demand heater.

HTH and best of luck to you!

[Simplicity]

this is something I've always wanted to do also! I just need to figure out where I'd want to do it! Hopefully someday!

[farmer mama]

Originally Posted by Sustainer

Any ideas for affordable natural flooring?

Does anyone know where I can find a good price on one of those on-demand water heaters that heats water as I need it instead of heating a bunch of water and keeping it hot until I need it?

I know a few homes with poured earth floors that are packed down and sealed with linseed oil. If they are done well they can look really nice.

We have the aquastar (from Bosch) tankless water heater from Backwoods Solar http://www.backwoodssolar.com/Catalo...ATER%20HEATERS

Not cheap, but not as much as some. Also great for waterbirths as you never run out of hot water!

Straw clay makes great interior walls, but need to be pretty thick to provide good insulation for external walls. As far as roofing, we are going to do a metal roof to make rainwater collection easy, and it is relatively cheap and low maintenance. But I really love hand made cedar shingles and thatched roofs.

[momto l&a]

Be careful with on demand water heater. I have a friend that works in ordering parts and such in a appliance store. She is forever ordering parts cause the things break down. She says the just dont have problems with tank heaters. I really wanted one till I talked to her. Imagine a nursing home without hot water I asked her if it was just a certain brand and she said no she was seeing a wide range of brands needing parts.

If you get one you need to be sure its the right size.

Another thing to think of is cedar burns very easily and quickly because of the oils in it. If you live in a high fire danger area I sure wouldnt have it. I would go with the cement siding.

[frolick16]

my partner is a natural builder and is currently building a 4,000 sq ft natural home that utilizes cobb, straw bale, timber frame, earthen floors and living roofs so he has experience with all natural building types and he says each one is good for meeting different needs depending on climate, resources available and of course if you have to follow any sort of codes, that comes in to play.

[Sustainer]

Does anyone know a natural way to clear up an icky pond?

How about a natural way to shock treat a well?

Thanks!

[momto l&a]

Are you shock treating the well for iron? If so 35% H2O2 can be used. I cant remember the amount for well size.

[spyiispy]

frolick! WOW......that sounds fabulous. Does your partner specialize in natural building?? I would love to see pix of this house. I am absolutely in love with cob......but my hubby is not so convinced. I think he's turned off by the smallness that is recommended as well as ?'s about the resale value. I keep trying to tell him that people would line up to buy such a unique house IF we would ever decide to sell.........but making a house for resale is a bit icky for me. I want to design a house for US, not for someone else, ya know?

Lisa

[Sustainer]

I think the concern with the well is microbes.

[Morwenna]

Building a natural home and doing some light homesteading (not totally self-sufficient) is a BIG dream of mine! Cob building is very practical and affordabe--here are 2 of my favorite cob links and they are both right here in Oregon!

Cob Cottage Company

Groundworks

[OceanMomma]

Cob is free. Or you could do adobe, which is just bricks made of cob. Or cobwood instead of cordwood.

I'm not good on US geography but if you are coastal NE, you can make insulation out of eelgrass which is free. I think there used to be an industry there which made insulation out of eelgrass. Cabot's quilt I think it was called or something like that. There was some old 17th century house in cape cod that had eelgrass stuffed in the walls & it was still in good nick. If you live in a sheep farming area, you could buy a bale of raw fleeces & wash them & use them.

A friend of mine has a mud brick house. All the floors are clay. They tamped them down forever & then finished with linseed oil & beeswax ( I think ). Very nice. You can make clay tiles the same way as you make adobe bricks & use these.

Not sure about free roofing. Unless you can find a supply of thatching reeds, but then I doubt you'd get a permit for it or insurance on the building when it is completed. You can get roofing iron from demo yards but you would probably need to patch it.

You could volunteer to demo a building for the bits. I have a friend who got the flooring for his house dirt cheap by removing it himself.

Obviously demo windows & doors are still way cheaper than buying new.

http://www.thatroundhouse.info/ is an interesting cheap house too.

[Sustainer]

I'm very intrigued by rammed earth and cordwood cob ("cobwood"). We scavenged some galvanized steel from a scrapyard, which might do for the roof. I'm still looking for ideas for everything else, including a natural alternative to chlorine as a shock treatment for the well.

Thanks!

[Gunter]

Helpful, Interesting info!

Dh and I are very interested in building "green" in the next few years. Definately solar...passive and active. He's a big fan of rammed earth but we are both very open.

Went to the library tonight to check out "Mortgage Free" and had to request it from another library in the extended area. We did find about five other books on "green" building. I have borrowed "The New Natural Home" probably three times now!

There is a solar house for touring at the univ. I graduated from so I have visited it. We have checked out the websites of green builders, too and even green homes that are for re-sell. Like the OP, we'd love tips one getting started from those who have gone from dreaming about their natural home to dreaming (and living) IN that natural home!