hi

please keep me informed about ecofriendly techniques of house building.I am interested in low cost green housing in hilly areas.

Another blockage to "building green' is your local building
dept. Try explaining Monolithic Dome to them. We fought with Mason
County (WA) building dept for 2 years to get our earth sheltered
dome approved. Only to have financing fall out. I'm willing (and
able) to do anything I can to go green; but can't on our one-worker
budget. And banks aren't willing to help. Too 'unusual' for many of
them.

Installing insulation directly under the roof poses its own
challenges. You have to do it a certain way to accomodate moisture
and the temperature fluctuations (sp?) of our crazy Iowa climate.
But we do have an electrician coming next month. Then we will also
be able to replace the 23 year-old water heater.

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I doubt if I will ever be able to add solar panelling or the
other expensive stuff, so I do little things; I grow my own
vergetables in the summer; changed all my light bulbs to energy
efficient ones. My actual electricity usage per month is $15.00 (I
have a six room house with basement). I use 'green' cleaning
products. I recycle. I just reserved 2 water-collection rain
barrells (courtesy of my Electric Company); I signed up for
renewable energy sources in my electric bill. I take the bus (and
lost some weight!). I buy local produce. I don't sweat not being
able to do the big stuff.

For me, getting an eco-friendly house has meant designing the
smallest possible structure which is both functional and
comfortable. This idea arose from designing and building a
playhouse for our daughters. The initial cost is minimized along
with the environmental impact from utilizing only what is needed
both initially and with the ongoing heating and cooling costs. Les
Walker's book "Tiny, Tiny Houses" was a good resource but as I
started my own plans, I found that I wanted to minimize waste so my
final design was based on the fact that plywood comes in 4' by 8'
sheets. The final structure is 8'x 8' x 12' which includes a ladder
to a sleeping area. My research reminded me of how ingenious travel
trailer companies are at making the most of the space avaiable so
their plans may guide others in their endeavours. Maybe, in the
future, I will come up with an earth bermed verion as
well.**Remember small is beautiful and friendly**

The hard part about trying to fix windows to make them more
energy efficient is the condition of the windows themselves. As you
know WI winters can be brutal. How is the wood on the windows? if
the wood is rotten there is not much that can be done with
them.Does the glass rattle inside the wood casing? if so you can
caulk it as a temporary fix it will hold the glass in place and
make it a bit more energy efficient at least it wont rattle. as for
how to keep the air from blowing in I use duct tape and painters
plastic the painters plastic is thick and tougher than the stuff
that is sold to insulate windows I use duct tape which is not
pretty but it is sturdy and holds on to the rotten wood in my
really bad windows. Another idea for both summer and winter for
windows is using window quilts you can either hang a regular quilt
from the curtain rod or better yet get some thick strong velcro put
it on the top of the frame and attach the quilt to the frame of the
window itself this will keep all that cold air out of the room
completely and during the daytime lift the quilt off the velcro to
let the light in. I do not know what to do about your basement I
would invest in insulation for the floors and attic and make it
thick and DEEP rolling out insulation is easy you will need a
staple gun to seal it to the base of your floors but insulation in
your attic should be about 15 inches deep for our cold area. (the
pink stuff) If you are concerned call a home weatherisation
inpector you can get a hold of these guys at most realitors
officers they can give you tips on what to do to improve your home
they do cost some money to have them come look at it but it will
help also get your home tested for the radon. it will cost some
money but it is worth it for your safety!

Ever thought of bartering? Did you ever throw a "moving party"?
What kinds of skills do your friends have, you have? Trade them!
Use the old fashioned "Barn Building" technique. Choose something
you do, like drinking that latte, by doing it less and save the
money. I once created change for a whole year, I almost had
400.00!!!!! in created change!!!! I was a single mother with two
children. Have you friends and family do the same, save change.
Throw a fund raiser, a BBQ, something to generate monies, etc. Why
not use the share system to purchase the property, and then buy
each share out right?

We have an older home and have spent thousands of dollars
improving its efficiency. If a person is very handy, very informed,
and has a lot of time greening an older home may be a good option.
Something to consider with an older home: As we improved the home
in one corner, another corner would bust; thus multiple projects.
Some things we can do a little at a time or through recycling, yet
many things we could not. It has been 10 years and we are still
looking at thousands more to improve the home. For some, 10 years
is no big deal. For others, it is too long. I agree that it is
honorable to move into an existing home and not disturb our trees
and earth. We have greatly enjoyed the getting to understand the
history and spirit of our home. I would also suggest to do a lot of
research before jumping in.

live in a tree

I am happy to share our journey with anyone interested it is
sure to be filled with lots of ups and downs! here is our blog site
tell your friends so I dont feel like I am just writing it for my 2
family members who read it LOL http://goinggreenish.blogspot.com/
my hope is to show people that an average family can learn and
build things with little experience and skills. To go from being
energy/resource hogs to being more aware and careful of our
consumption. I also want to show that small steps can make a HUGE
difference.

I am happy to share our journey with anyone interested it is
sure to be filled with lots of ups and downs! here is our blog site
tell your friends so I dont feel like I am just writing it for my 2
family members who read it LOL http://goinggreenish.blogspot.com/
my hope is to show people that an average family can learn and
build things with little experience and skills. To go from being
energy/resource hogs to being more aware and careful of our
consumption. I also want to show that small steps can make a HUGE
difference.

While I agree that many "green" options require money there are
many that are less expensive. I am a stay at home mother of 5
children we live on an extremely tight budget. We currently live on
4 acres in Northern WI in old redone railroad station (redone by
the previous owners in the 60s) This house lacks insulation has
antiquated electric the plumbing is an odd puzzle and the land
polluted with year and years of trash from the previous owners
(things like old matresses cans etc) My husband works 7days a week
to support us and the rest of the jobs are up to me and my boys.
There are inexpensive options for energy savings and repairs pick
the most important one to you and find a way to fix that problem
and then move on to the next one. Things we have done around here
meant a great of work and ingenuity my husband worked on electrical
and plumbing. bit by bit The boys and I seal off windows using
painters plastic and duct tape in the winter we dont have the money
to watch the heat go out the window. we also made "draft dodgers"
to fix drafts under doors This summer we are building a solar hot
water heater made out of stuff we have scrounged up from different
places Going green is a journey and when you live on budget you
cant get there all at once. So many things can be done when you
live on a budget and cant afford organic produce grown for you get
a pot and start a small amount even if you only grow a small amount
every little bit helps a bucket full of home grown potatoes, one
tomatoe plant , a planter with peas growing up a couple of sticks.
those can be grown on a balcony apartment So much can be done to
improve home efficiency even when you are broke we scrounged large
foam boards of insulation from a construction remodel they were
going to be thrown out free insulation I have not always lived in a
rural area we used to live many places apartments, and a small
house in the city. The boys and I are working to &quo

I agree with buying an existing house but stop at that when in
comes to the green factor. My boyfriend and I bought a house last
year that was built in 1915. The green improvements listed above
cost money, too, not just new construction. For instance, we are
currently paying a gas bill of at least $200 a month for heat and
hot water. We know a lot of the heat is lost through the atic but
can't add insulation until we can afford to bring in an electrician
to replace the the 93 year old wiring up there!

Heck, I'll give an acre of my five if somebody can build me a
"green" house. Walton Gwinnett border Cash-poor 9-11 WTC initial
responder

The advice concerning building a green home on a low budget is
sound to a certain extent. But I found that once again those who
really would like to make a difference are stopped economically.
The poor cannot eat organic nor find themselves living in a house
that not only would help their environment but probably there
health. Our family brings in an income of 55,000 but this is still
not enough to purchase some land to build an eco friendly home like
we would like and too few homes to buy cheap are structually sound,
believe we looked. As usual those who could go solar don't
therefore never bringing down the price of materials so otherwise
could possibly live a green lifestyle.