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44 Comments
- DiggieDarko, on 04/07/2008, -1/+17Pretty damn cool. I thought I was being radical trying to get a grey-water system for my lawn, I had no idea just how far some people take it.
- AmyWhere, on 04/07/2008, -1/+12If setup correctly, you wouldn't know the difference.
- Awspire, on 04/07/2008, -2/+11"Earthbag House"
I'm guessing that naming it the "Dirtbag House" would have seriously affected surrounding property values. - malex, on 04/07/2008, -2/+9This article is about strawbale houses.. not strawman arguments.
- Swivelstick, on 04/07/2008, -1/+7and in practice
- smacksaw, on 04/07/2008, -0/+6czeman is building a sustainable home with his arguments.
- salmatime, on 04/07/2008, -0/+5What kind of plumbing comes in a Yurt?
- FarmPunk, on 04/07/2008, -1/+6Is it possible to have an eco-friendly 4 car garage?
- CatalunyaBob, on 04/07/2008, -0/+4Very cool homes. Makes sense buying local for materials, considering the environmental cost of transport.
- smacksaw, on 04/07/2008, -2/+6That strawbale roof is a fire hazard. I can't believe it could pass building codes many places in the modern world. I do think putting vegetation on a roof is a good idea, but I have to wonder about pest control.
- jonmlm, on 04/07/2008, -0/+4check out earthship.org they build them all over the world, including the 3rd world where they teach those that will listen how to build them. they can be very affordable.
- elementop, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3My wife and I almost bought a very green house just outside of Anchorage, Alaska. We hit -30 for at least a week just about every winter (ok, at least -20). The house we looked at recycled its water, used composting toilets and had a woodburning stove that was surrounded by about a ton of brick IIRC to absorb and reradiate the heat throughout the day.
All in all, it was a very cool house. The only reason we didn't buy it is because the buyer for *our* house backed out at the last minute >:( - Pattyo13, on 05/14/2009, -1/+4if you're going to have a 2-page article please don't break between a picture and related caption
- jonmlm, on 04/07/2008, -0/+3i'm glad you noticed the locations where those homes were built. no need to make one to stand up to a -30 canadian winter in, um, new mexico.
with that said, the list was for 10 types of homes. i assure you there are more. and i'm sure if you look for a few minutes on, say, google you'll be able to find some suitable for canadian winters. - Lane, on 04/07/2008, -1/+4Not if any of those said cars can be described as an SUV
- brucerchapman, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3Correction: You would know the difference - no sewage costs to pay. I know plenty of people with self-contained septic tanks that have no sewerage charges to pay and the greenest lawns you have ever seen. All with no smell.
- jonmlm, on 04/07/2008, -0/+3yes.
- mos6507, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3...into helping me finish sentences.
- Spottswood, on 04/07/2008, -0/+3Not only that but also the moisture leaking down into the walls causing whatever wood that may be there to rot. I used to rent a house facing down-hill where garage was a level below the house and the front garden extended over on top of the garage making it like a cave... so similar thing. House was newly built and within a year the water from the poorly drained lawn on top seeped through and the concrete started to crack and mold grew. A piece ended up falling off the ceiling and damaging my car. Seriously retarded idea putting anything that retains moisture near building foundations.
- scrag10, on 04/07/2008, -0/+3But you would now that your garden is feed by your poop. A hard thought to over come.
- jabz, on 04/07/2008, -1/+3Wow...10 years ago I saw a documentation about these homes...you don`t wanna know what they burn to make fire....
- jordanau, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2If you want to build a green house, this is a great place to start. You really don't have to do as many fancy things as you may think.
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=14 ... - AllINeed, on 04/07/2008, -1/+3very interesting designs... going "green" not only does good for the planet, but makes ya feel good, too ;)
- Hexenmeister, on 04/07/2008, -0/+2I think a large yurt would be awesome, maybe two put together (double-wide yurt, why not?).
- Swivelstick, on 04/07/2008, -0/+2Well you can exit and state to the next in line that your ***** don't stink :)
- leerayIG88, on 04/07/2008, -1/+3I love to roll around on my grass. Feels soo good.
- declawedpaw, on 04/07/2008, -1/+3Does building a new structure in the forest qualify as "green?"
- jonmlm, on 04/07/2008, -0/+2oh well. suit yourself. endofsuburbia.com
- CYCLEORDIE, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2Earthships do perfectly well in colder climates, and actually cost less to heat, taking advantage of the sun and thermal mass of the earth.
- TBorachio, on 04/07/2008, -1/+3How bout a hybrid Hummer?
- CYCLEORDIE, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2Several common misconceptions here.
1. Fire is just as much an issue as conventional houses, since the straw is SEALED with adobe or papercrete (fibrous cement), neither of which burn.
2. Old school hippies in new mexico fought a long hard 10 year battle to adopt building codes for this kind of construdction, but the codes vary from state to state.
3. As far as pests go, if you provide habitat for them outside your house, they won't wanna go inside.
To address Spottswood's concern of moisture leaking down, the depth of the sod and the plants used on top can be adjusted for almost any climate to prevent the molding of straw.
With that said, I wouldn't build a straw bale house with sod roof in my bio-region of seattle. I would build one with a more "conventional" roof. They work great in this region. - CYCLEORDIE, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2why not? coz your friends would call you names?
- smacksaw, on 04/07/2008, -0/+2I wonder if something like Rhino Lining or Line-X would have worked as a cover for the roof of the garage? Of course they would never get it off if they needed to...
- Tipperzack, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2It would be nice if they put the amount of money and the amount of time it took to build these houses
- jordanau, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2In commercial construction, LEED buildings usually run around 5% more.
- tulizx, on 04/07/2008, -1/+2Nice, but no way Im living in one of those houses.
- jonmlm, on 04/07/2008, -1/+2yes.
- ClearEdgePower, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1All these homes are really cool looking and obviously each has lots to offer sustainable living, but for me, here in California, there are already so many homes built, and businesses running, it seemed that there had to be a way to improve the existing structures that we use instead of building new things all the time. I want to share with you all this new product from ClearEdge Power (the CE5) that creates more energy and heat for about the same cost as a solar system, only far more efficiently. It is a small generator type product mainly designed for large homes and small businesses that runs on natural gas (soon biodiesel too). I think it is a great way to limit dependence on inefficient, non-renewable energy sources and to take control of our own energy usage- helping us be energy independent. Check it out at www.clearedgepower.com.
Oh, and they are going to be at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa the weekend after next with a mock up of one of their energy and heat systems. They are gearing up for it by sponsoring http://ecosecrets.crowdvine.com. Check that one out too, pretty funny and cute. - Motivaaator, on 04/07/2008, -1/+2The Strawbale Home is the only one that looks halfway decent. Most of the other homes are just too crazy looking.
- puffinstuff, on 04/07/2008, -5/+5Composting toilets: Good in theory.
- jessestorm, on 04/07/2008, -2/+2For some reason I read this as "Innovative Green, Homies" as in some kind of good weed.
- inactive, on 04/07/2008, -2/+2Who can afford them? Certainly not someone living in Compton or Watts...
- mrguevara, on 04/07/2008, -3/+2I'd like to see anyone of those houses stand up to a -30 Canadian winter...then maybe I'll get one. The individual concepts are good, but as a package, I don't see them as being feasible
- czeman, on 04/07/2008, -8/+4Al Gore says those homeowners still aren't doing enough.
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