Building Green Minus the Mold and Existential Dread : Home/Garden Edition

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Building Green Minus the Mold and Existential Dread : Home/Garden Edition

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; коммунизм хранится в яичках

friendbot2000 posted:

Well, my current plan is to get a loan for around 350K. The land prices around where I am looking range from 70-120K, which would leave me around 200-250K for building the actual house. Which would be anywhere from 1200-1500 Square Feet, though I haven't decided if I want a basement yet. I am not sure if that answers your question about budget or not.

I am trying to keep things small with a window for expansion because I loving loathe houses that have rooms that nobody ever uses (What the gently caress is with formal dining and living rooms?)

If you're thinking permaculture, you want a basement. The ground as a heat sink is great. Root cellars are a thing for really good reasons.

An interesting book I read on another goon's recommendation is Building Inside Nature's Envelope by Andy and Sally Wasowski. It's got a lot of good ideas for the theory of how to use the existing natural features of a building site properly.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2018 19:34

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 21:13

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; коммунизм хранится в яичках

friendbot2000 posted:

I was looking at the chicken tractor method actually, but this past weekend I was going around looking at properties and I am much more drawn to more mountainous topography with a large number of trees. That is why I was leaning towards Guinea Hens because they roam and then come back to their roost. I am "designing" a roost that has all the comforts of "home" to see if I can make it so they stay there instead of where I can't keep track of them. I am aware I might lose a couple of hens on the property due to predators from this method, but foxes got to eat too. I might merge chickens with Guinea Hens and have them flock together. That way the chickens can hatch the Guinea Hen eggs if I manage to lose all of them in a freak accident

That is kind of unfortunate that there isn't a grant or tax incentive to install solar panels. I think if that was passed we might see a huge spike in people buying solar and help wean us off gas and fossil fuels. Yeah, I have to find a property I want to buy before I jump into whether or not to do battery or power buyback. It is definitely something that needs to be on my mind so thank you for reinforcing that.

One thing I am keenly worried about is property taxes as that area of knowledge loving mystifies me on a spiritual and mental level. I am still trying to calculate what my property taxes would be at my end goal of the house, greenhouse, 2car garage with workshop, fish pond, and other assorted property improvements. I wonder if landscaping figures into tax calculations?

Also, no worries about quoting old posts. This thread moves slowly so there is zero reason to fret about such things. I accept and encourage all input

One thing I have been considering is lining the road into my property with trees, that way the runoff from the road gets soaked up by the trees, prevents erosion so I don't have to put so much gravel down, and having Crepe Myrtles line the drive into your home is just....too loving picturesque to not consider. They bloom multiple times through the year and are hardy swamp trees so they thrive in Virginia weather. I might still put gravel down once they are planted though just to have an added safeguard against erosion, I might just put azaleas around the trees to further make things awesome.

The odds are I will have a fairly long driveway into the house so I am trying to think of the best longterm way to make a non-asphault driveway. I love permeable driveways, but the length will get costly. I do know that I do NOT want asphault or a dirt road. Asphault will be a nightmare to constantly upkeep and the mud from a dirt road will be an equal nightmare because I categorically refuse to get a non-ecofriendly vehicle.

Domestic solar is pissing into the ocean as far as getting off fossil fuels for power generation. Still takes nearly as much energy (usually from conventional power generation) to produce the panels as they will generate over their lifetime, along with rare earths.

Municipal wind, water, and nuclear are the solution.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 05:57

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; коммунизм хранится в яичках

Oh hey, neat, that sounds like a gasifying stove.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2021 11:53

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; коммунизм хранится в яичках

cakesmith handyman posted:

Haha lol no. Wood treated and bleached then infused with clear resin, plastic or glass would be better/cheaper/infinitely easier to get.

I mean that's what that 'clear wood' was, if I understood it correctly. Bleached 1mm thick wood with hydrogen peroxide, then treated with clear epoxy. It's basically fiberglass with lignin instead of glass fibers.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2021 22:07

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Building Green Minus the Mold and Existential Dread : Home/Garden Edition