For December, Dena Stevens recommended that the Eco All Star Group do an amazing Challenge. It is our GREEN Dream Home checklist, if money were no object. What 5 features would one choose for their home? This is all in Celebration of Brad Pitt's Pink Project in New Orleans.
If you follow Green Building, you know that this could very well be a difficult task. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Green features one could choose from. However, here is my list of 5.
Let's drift off to La La Land. :)
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I just invented a Battery for Solar Panels that can hold enough energy for a Year's worth of power for a 2000 sq ft home. It takes about one month to be fully charged and throughout the year, the panels can make enough power to supply 12 surrounding homes while keeping the battery full. This was a solution for average homes to be able to live off of the Grid for only 1% more construction cost.
I then sold the idea, and now I'm retired. ( told you it was La La Land. )
I purchased 1500 acres of land in West Texas to serve as Preservation and I am about to start construction on a 2000 sq ft home. During this process I am going to try and minimize the impact on the land. To start I decided to raise the home about 17 feet off of the ground to find use for the land underneath. Here is a list of the 5 Features.
1) SIP's- Because the home is raised, I decided to go with Structural Insulated Panels. This way the home could be insulated on all 6 sides. ( four sides, top and bottom )
2) Solar- Off the Grid! I am NOT going to depend on getting Electricity from a Local Utility company. Also, there is a Wrap Around porch for part of the home. On one segment of the porch I decided to implement Hit Panels to allow the growth of plants underneath AND store electricity for other items on the property.
3) Pervious Concrete- I mentioned that I want to minimize the impact on the land. For drive ways and walking paths I am using a Pervious Concrete. This allows water to go through (like a sponge). The concrete can be near trees and not damage them.
4) Rain Water Capture- There are 4 Rain Water Capture systems sporadically around the property. 1 is Potable for home use and the other 3 are Non-Potable for Property use. They are connected to 3 Ponds that gather water for Wildlife and watering the grounds such as the Edible Garden. The ponds also serve as a Reserve water for times of drought.
5) Geo Thermal- Since money was no object, I decided to go GeoThermal. How this will work with the home raised, I have no idea. :) But money was no object.
And there it is- 5 items from my DREAM GREEN home. Darn the bad luck, back to reality. :)
If you have a chance, check out the link to Brad Pitt's site for his Pink Project and make a donation. You can donate as little as $5. They are building 150 homes and as of right now only 10 are sponsored. This is a fantastic cause! Each home will have Photovoltaic Panels and will be of Sustainable Design for Affordable Living. They have joined with Architects Worldwide to make this happen.
Next I am going to write about the 5 Features I would choose for NO additional construction cost. Stay tuned!
Hi Gary, That Pervious Concrete is pretty neat stuff! I have heard that they are using it down here for parking lots and other large areas....sidewalks, etc. Let me know if you decide to do it, I would love to hear about your experience! :)
Hi Dena, I would raise the house just to have a smaller footprint on the land. I would most likely use it for parking/garage space. Maybe end up being split level, I don't know. I just like the idea of minimizing the iimpact on the land. :)
About the Retirement....I would then have time and money to come and visit you. :)
Makes sense, probably lots of good reasons to raise the house up like that. It's just not something I've ever thought about.
And as far as you coming up for a visit? Come on up, but warning it snowed all day yesterday and it could start up again any minute.
This is my backyard a few minutes ago.
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SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!
Thanks Carole! I was thinking last night....how nice would it be to not have to put panels on your roof, there could simply be a Battery that holds enough power for 12 months. Nearly impossible...but it could be more cost effective. The homeowner could then pay a one time recharge fee every year and exchange the battery that could be re-used.
Oh Wait....should I copyright that idea? :)
Judging by 3C's comments Cleveland must be gloomy today :( Does Cleveland get enough wind to keep wind mills active?
Stephanie, I do know somebody who has NO wires going to the house. It's all passive solar and PV's drained into marine batteries. She has to drain the batteries down everynight. Her PV's provide more energy than she uses. She now wishes (sort of) that she was wired to the grid. Other than being a really BIG Battery I wonder if your idea couldn't work?
Dena, I was being serious about that part. I really think it could happen. Even if..say...it was a rechargeable battery that, like a car battery, stayed charging while it was being used. Imagine if you could create electricity with your electricity and only had to use the grid to 'jumpstart'.
Or, like the solar battery idea. That would have to one heck of a deal though. :)
I think it will take something out of the box like that to be truly cost effective in the end for everyone.
Wish I was an engineer right about now. :)
Stephanie,
How about putting the home on a 'turntable' to take full advantage of 'passive solar'! Thanks, Fran
Hi Lisa, :) Hop over to the Eco All Stars and build your home in La La Land this month. :)
Hi Fran, You were kidding weren't you? :) Here is an article about a rotating solar tower in Dubai.
Hey Dena, I would like to hear about that house...
Hi Stephanie...From the interest you are getting a big guest room is in order!
Aren't dreams wonderful!
I just did a brief post on that pervious concrete a while back.They were experimenting with it in a town up here!
Stephanie, I live in a town where a lot of houses are 17 feet off the ground for flood prevention. I have to say it is a lousy idea for 999 out of 1001 days. Hauling groceries, slipping on icy steps, and bringing in new appliances are just a few of the joys you can look forward to with your elevated house. A much simpler way to make use of the land your house occupies is to do a green roof.
There have been buried houses for along time, but all I'm talking about here is a little snuggle into a berm along the north side of the house that would flow up the roof. This is a proven design strategy that minimizes the impact of the house on the surroundings.
There have been buried houses for along time, but all I'm talking about here is a little snuggle into a berm along the north side of the house that would flow up the roof. This is a proven design strategy that minimizes the impact of the house on the surroundings.
There is a brilliant solution to the problem of stored solar energy that is under development by many, many researchers. Batteries are very efficient, but as your friend found out, there is a limit to how much you can store. In addition, storing electricity would be useful if you had an electric car, but using high quality energy (electricity) for low quality use (water heating, space heating, cooking) doesn't make much sense.
The answer people are pursuing is hydrogen generation and storage. We're years away from reasonably priced fuel cells, but Honda has already produced consumer ready fuel cell cars for testing and they have built demonstration home fueling stations. In the home of the future, your PV array can be producing not just power for your home, but your fuel for transportation at the same time.
These technologies are still in the early stages, but if there is a clamor from the public and support from the government, they will make it into the marketplace more quickly. I don't like dragging politics into this forum, but energy efficiency and renewable energy shouldn't be partisan issues. They make sense for all of us. Contact your representatives and encourage them to support smart energy solutions that will benefit us, our children and grandchildren, and the planet.
Stephanie, Dave said everything I was thinking, only he said it much better than I could have. However, I have been in West Texas and seen funnel clouds there. I sure wouldn't want to be 17 feet in the air when one of those comes along.
I have a question about pervious concrete. What is its durability? It seems like it might not hold up very well. Otherwise I like the idea of it.
Bill Roberts
Hi Steph,
You have inspired me to join the eco all stars group. I look forward to reading your blogs.
Stephanie:
I like the SIP concept as well and would include it in my green home.
I have a friend in Florida who has one of the most elaborate water catchment system I have seen. Every drop of water hitting the roof is captured and stored in an 10,000 gallon underground storage tank. The water for drinking goes through two filtering systems while the potable water goes through one. The grey water is then used for irrigation of an 1 acre organic garden
Great post! You should probably go for some wind generators as well. Would be good to have an off the grid alternate source of energy in case the sun doesn't shine for a while. :) Since money is no object and all!
Joe Cline
Coldwell Banker Austin Texas