Your Green Dream Home: First Things To Consider

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The problem of finding good people to work with is exacerbated by our modern mobile society. Probably the worst thing you can do is move to a new area and begin building right away. Not only will you be unfamiliar with local conditions, but you will have no social network on which to rely. Remember, we are social animals. You can't expect to build the kind of relationships needed to create such a masterpiece as a good house by screeching into town and waving your checkbook around. People work for money, yes, but good builders also work to build good houses for personal satisfaction and pride. If things are to go well, then your builder needs to be your friend, or at least someone who respects you as part of the community.

Once you find someone who you trust and who is willing to work with you, make it your mantra that you will be a great client. Put yourself in the contractor's shoes and it won't be difficult to calm down at frustrating moments. At the same time, you have to hold firm to making your own decisions. This is your house, and having someone else build it is a compromise that waters down its specific nature to some degree. The balance between not getting in the way and remaining the decision maker will be a graceful dance.

Bounce Back From Mistakes

Regardless of how much you prepare, mistakes are inevitable. The best way to minimize them is with a construction process that combines intense preparation with flexibility while building. Lets look at straw bale construction for an example. Especially in a wet climate, you need to think ahead when using straw bales. First, you need to decide how your bales are going to interact with water and water vapor. Next, you need to plan the logistics of the construction carefully. In my climate, I recommend using a skeletal framing structure and installing the bales as infill. That way, you can build a roof to shelter the bales before they ever arrive. Finally, you need to plan all of the details that will keep your bales dry for many years to come: flashing, stem wall height, gutters, drainage and plaster. Even with all of that preparation, straw bale infill allows for some flexibility during construction. Window placement, for example, can be adjusted by mocking up bales and setting windows in place to see how they work. Diligent preparation will give you the peace of mind to be creative and adaptable during construction thats the dynamic you want.

Of course you're still going to make mistakes. You'll be in very good, or at least very large, company. But you'll have done your best to prepare, and hey, we all make mistakes. As in life, the grace with which you bounce back will say more about you than pretty much anything else.

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