busyboo has lots of small house posts
http://www.busyboo.com/
http://www.busyboo.com/category/small-houses/

The woodman’s cottage, an inspiring story of building a house in Great Britain

We spent today looking for land… it is a search that is often so frustrating, but quite necessary.

I have had several search engine visitors asking- “how they make ecological green homes in Sweden“.
I would have to say that they don’t.

We are nowhere as advanced as builders of earthship and strawbale houses in other parts of the world.

Often, when you read about an “ecological house”, they just end up saying they used non-toxic materials in building the home.

Non-poisonous building doesn’t mean green in my book!

But let us think about this very important question- where do you start in building an ecological house?

My answer is very simple- do your own homework! Every single ecological house I have heard of has received some kind of end user criticism.

People building earthships in harsh northern climate have complained of cold, humid area dwellers are complaining of heat, and straw bale construction has brought complaints of mold.

However, a smartly planned ecological home can save you money, health, and make you financially independent at an early age, if you are willing to rough it and homestead.

Here is where to start

1) Decide what you want.

People often do not know what they want. This is where the kind universe comes in and beats you on the head until you at least know exactly what you do not want.
If you don’t have money, you will probably want to build your own home (which you can, a la Simon Dale).
If you are making lots of money and have no time, you can hire someone to do it for you.

Do you have health concerns? Are you allergic to certain materials or electricity/wi-fi (some people are). Do you need constant hot-like warmth in your house, or are you content with wearing warm clothing?
Is there enough wind and sun in your area to provide for off-the grid living? (Surprisingly, deserts are energy-plentiful, what with hot sun and strong winds)

Every single aspect of your life will determine your needs, and thus your house.

Do you know how much of a commitment to the house you want to make? Planning every aspect of the new green dwelling, is this something you will enjoy? Are you a happy shopper or a happy maker?

Ecological is a term that is often too broad to give any definition.
Think of it as a sliding scale that should fit around your life.

On one end, you can grow your own food, make your own electricity, recycle all your water (so you do not need sewage connection), and need no heating.
On the other, you can simply use energy efficient appliances, better insulation, LED lights and use of sun’s energy to cut your heat and energy bills in half.

The start with green solutions is in realizing that green truly is the color of simplifying your life.
With a bit of careful planning.

Stay tuned for your future articles on
2) Planning your green home

3)Homesteading
How to stop renting and live at the site of your future home- right now.

–Alex

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

How can You help us? Donate, volunteer, spread the word.

Easiest- post a link to our website on your blog, forum, website, email!

We need construction materials

A trailer

A jeep or 4wd to tow the trailer (loan)

construction help

I am thinking of making a small house on a trailer for working on the bigger house. Doing some research on my options to make a small cheap house from recycled materials.

One man is using pallets.

Other options?
Either a wood or a metal frame.

If metal, will need a welder.

Some good ideas for DIY welders made from a used microwave.

you can also weld with car batteries alone.
This only makes sense if you have used batteries lying around.

Takasugi-an, a tree tea house by Terunobu Fujimori, is the scariest and wonderfulest little house we have seen in a while.

We love downsizing, and this is an easy and fun project to start with if you want to explore building yourself.

The name Takasugi-an means, “a tea house [built] too high.”
via dezeen
another great design by Terunobu Fujimori is here

We are putting a green grass roof on our house,  it provides great insulation and is very cheap. Green roofs are quite popular in Sweden already, but not on large city buildings.

It is also great for the environment, providing food for bugs and birds.

Rooftop gardens are being proposed for the top of some of London’s biggest buildings. By installing them on the rooftops of places like universities and town halls, it is hoped that endangered species of birds and bugs will be saved.

The Living Roofs for Wildlife project will create seven “living roofs” which will recreate the natural habitats of some of the species and include wildflower meadows, sandy areas and beach.

find out more:
Buglife Via : Evening Standard
via treehugger

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.