Eco House Film - Ecological House in Sweden

Here are some earthship introductory reading materials and  more little houses we like

Martin Rauch Builds His Dream House (Rammed Earth, of Course)

A good looking home indeed.

We like the underground idea, as large mass equals good thermal properties.

We do prefer a straw bale or an earthship design to rammed earth because:

Earth buildings are costly in terms of labor. The silt and earthen mixture is compressed periodically in horizontal layers and compressed with air compression beaters and vibration rolls. In case of “House Rauch” 41% of the house’s volume is under earth, which results in some subterranean cave-like spaces. The building’s foundation is made of 60cm trass cement – the traditional roman cement, the ceilings are “Dippelbaumdecken” (beam ceilings) and the interior thermal insulation is made from rush mats, which is also a perfect underground for the finishing coat.

via <a href=”http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/martin-rauch-house.php”>treehugger</a>

On a side note, to add to our architects suck philosophy, the source for the story, anArchitecture, is an architectural blog.

Guess what is the top link at that said architectural blog? “a guide to architects fees” Do not trust architects. Do it yourself.

Try getting permits to build a green house in your area and see what nice people from the architectural and construciton lobby  you will meet.

Very little information on sustainable housing in Sweden, so I am going to do some feature articles, in the meantime here are some howto videos and articles that should get you started with earthship and straw bale building.

Environmentally aware sustainable housing is not only better for you and the biosphere, it costs less and is cheaper to build, while providing better value.

An earthship is built with earth and garbage, like tires, cans and glass. straw bale houses are made of straw bales, returning the best insulation value for least money.

People are building both types of houses all over the world in different climate conditions and having great results.

The best sustainable house in the world- Simon Dale

Earthships in Sweden

straw bale in Sweden

two videos on straw bale in sweden

Other resources outside of Sweden

solar haven

Jim and Mindy Phypers set out to build their own self-sufficient home on four acres in the sonoran desert.

They have a wonderful article on errors to avoid when building a house – make sure to respect regulations and beware bitchy neighbors!

they have now moved but the webpage remains.

sample “proper ” straw bale house budget- what it cost to build in their case 80 thousand Us dollars

good notes on a rubble trench foundation, of course in Sweden there are lots of rocks and you can just build on stilts get support from the rock foundation. check out the blog too.

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This is a story about freedom.  A family decides to build a simple cheap ecological house that will let them concentrate on living.

We will be making a documentary and keeping a blog to document our experience.

what is being done in Sweden with environmentally friendly homes?

Sweden being green conscious, there are several initiatives by government, groups and individuals to improve the conditions of life and sustainability.

Check back as we publish several notes on green living in Sweden.

Read part one with videos here