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There is only one thing to be said about housing. When choosing a house, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY! Do you really need 2 bathrooms in the house? Wouldn't it be cheaper if people just scheduled their shower times? Maybe to make things easier, you could just have an extra toilet. And what about automatic dishwashers? Think of all that water you're wasting when you have to wash dishes before the dishwasher does them. Turn you children into automatic dishwashers. My parents did. Of course, now I can't stand doing dishes. But that's just another story. Another question: Do you really need a television set in every single room? TV's use a lot of electricity - especially when no one is watching it. In my plans for a house, I will be excluding a TV because I plan to be too busy 'playing' in the gardens to watch it.

Okay. Enough bantering about what we don't need. Let's talk about what we do need. First, we need a house. Let's think small. It's cheaper to have a small house than a huge house. And besides, what were you thinking of doing with all that space? So, I'm planning on a small three bedroom house complete with one bathroom, one half bath, a kitchen, family room, root cellar, and of course a small greenhouse.

But, what kind of house do we want? We want one that isn't going to harm the environment in any way, shape, or form (i.e., no trash for the kids to pick up later).

Straw Bale Houses are houses built from strawbales and adobe. The stackable bales are used in insulation and are a wonderful source to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And I'm sure you're thinking, but... straw? Yes, straw. But what about all the bugs and mice that will get in? Well, have no fear because I did my research. Straw Bale houses when built correctly will have no room for mice or bugs to get in once it is packed down tightly and sealed. Worried about rot? Well, if you seal your walls correctly, oxygen can't get in to rot your walls. (regular maintenance is required of course).

Rammed Earth is an adobe mixture, but is actually shoveled between concrete frames, foundations, and beams. It's a great earthquake resistant frame, but being that I live in Wisconsin, I don't have to worry about earthquakes very often. Rammed earth like other forms of sustainable living is very economical for the builder.

Log Cabins are really quaint and cute, but I'd rather not contribute to killing any more trees than I really need. If you're going to use logs, do your best research to find out how you can use trees that have already fallen.

Domes are structures that I'm not very familiar with. If anyone has some good information that they would like printed here, please send it to gaiabalance@yahoo.com.

Earthships are really fascinating to many people including myself. They are a cross between rammed earth and adobe and use a lot of landfill materials that would otherwise just sit there. Tires are filled with dirt and aluminum cans for insulation and solar-gain (heating).

The Underground (earth bermed and sheltered) Home Web Site

 

 

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