Our House: A Summary

Supplies total: $3,769
Labor total: $3,497
 =$7,226

Supplies breakdown: 
Lumber: $1,227
Nails and screws: $317 (we did not use every one…maybe had 20% left over)
Metal roof: $255
Straw bales: $80
Windows and Doors: $172 (used)
Insulation: $372
Flashing: $202
Other: $1,144
(tools, weather stripping, lath, extension cords, gutters, stain, paint, lath, fabric, lime)

Missing from estimate: Sand, some additional labor, our own labor, the circular saw we borrowed from my dad, runs to the store to pick up more of something, door knobs, and electrical wiring (surprisingly, I think these unexpected costs probably add another $800).

In summary, it cost about $8,000; half went to labor, half to materials.

Note that there is no kitchen or bathroom in this structure yet (there is a composting toilet hidden under the table, a water cooler, and a hot plate).

Things we learned:

• NEVER build a house in a hurry.  
• We compromised on quality in order to be speedy. 
• The exterior lime was not done properly, reducing the lifespan and integrity of the entire building. 
• I never finished the floor properly, meaning it will need to be resurfaced much sooner than normal.
• Some of the upstairs walls are stuffed with DRY STRAW which is a stupid fire hazard. 

• Spend money on the things that matter the most. 
• I wish I had done all the exterior lumber in cedar. Especially the siding.
• A few of the pine boards I ordered were damaged by rot on the ends, but I used them anyways. I'm thinking that was not a good idea.
• We found a great salvaged door, but it is ruined now due to exposure to the elements. I should have built an overhang to protect it right away. 
• A bigger porch would have been better, since we spend so much time outside. 
• Next time, if I build something more than one story, I will hire professionals. Even doing the loft (making my home 1.5 floors) was difficult and terrifying.

• Building a house is a social activity! 
• My family chipped in a lot, and we became good buddies with our builders. People often wanted to talk about my house, and I was glad to do so!

•  Building is an outdoor activity.
• This may be a "duh" for some of you, but our work was slowed by freezing rain, or just freaky cold temperatures (and we live in North Carolina!). I consider myself quite outdoorsy, but I was not happy out in that cold weather, elbow deep in wet straw. 

• Flexibility is Required.
  • Shit happens. Especially on your very first house. Don't expect exactly what you envision.
  •  I bought a giant window to be a super long window seat, but structurally it wasn't safe. So I did two small window seats. I also added windows I hadn't planned for.
   
• Stick to the plan.
• The building was supposed to be 12'x12' so it could legally be a shed. I added an extra foot at the last minute, because my rough cut 12 footers were actually 13 footers. Now it's a source of worry that it will prevent me from retroactively permitting it. 

• Build the house to code. 
• For us, the stress of building an under-the-radar house is absolutely not worth it. I'd rather pay the $500 to get the plans looked over by an architect next time. 
• Building a house that works for yourself is fine, but building an alternative house that others would want to live in too is more valuable. 
• Modern green building materials are getting more and more affordable, giving less and less reasons to build a cheap, secret green house like we did. 
• Building on someone else's land is a great low-cost solution, but you are at the mercy of their life and their luck. If they leave, your house will have to be moved at great expense... or left behind. 

Dome Houses: A Review

Last week, we got to spend the night in a dome house in Marietta, South Carolina. We met these folks at the Home, Garden, and Green Living Show in Asheville, NC a few weeks ago. Scroll down to the bottom for a video tour.




 We were interested in alternatives to the options we had seen so far. One option is building tiny houses out of conventional materials (usually on a trailer, to get around building codes). Another is building them out of 100% natural materials (the most green option, but labor intensive and difficult to navigate with building codes).

These dome homes claimed to be tornado proof, low maintenance, and highly efficient. But most importantly, they are more affordable than conventional structures of similar size. An often-ignored aspect of sustainability is living within your means.

 These homes are built by US Dome Builders (their facebook page). If you browse around, you can see MUCH larger structures are possible, as are structures of various building materials and multiple stories. The design aspect is quite customizable.



The domes are made of two layers of concrete, with a layer of foam insulation in between. I am aware of the environmental concerns with concrete so I asked them about limecrete. You could use limecrete instead of stucco inside and out as a finishing material, but building codes will not allow the structural part of the dome to be made of anything but concrete. As for alternatives for insulation, I'm unsure about any replacements that would work with the curve of the dome. However, there is a type of spray foam insulation available which is made of soy instead of artificial materials.

The doors, windows, and interior walls of this structure were done conventionally (with wood, dry wall, etc) but this could be replaced with cob, straw bale, light clay straw, wattle and daub, etc. This would make the domes 100% fire and termite proof (the dome itself is fire and termite proof, but not the conventional materials). With more natural materials, they would need bigger overhangs over the doors and windows than is seen here to protect from water damage.




There was space for a full size fridge and full size stove in the kitchen. The stove vent is a real one which doesn't recirculate the air, and there was a proper vent in the bathroom, too.




There were few windows, but it didn't feel dark since the room sizes were so small. You can put dome skylights in for more light, without losing your R value.

Side note: because of the interior walls, there are plenty of places to hang your artwork!






 PROS:

• Tornado/hurricane proof 
• Just make sure you've done a good job with your drainage! 
• Seriously, why do we all live in houses that don't protect our very lives?? I would never pay money for a home that could squash me in my sleep. 
• Meets or exceeds all FEMA standards. 
• Termite/rot proof 
• The window, door, and interior framing is still done with wood, but that's not structural and is easily replaced if need be... or you can use the natural materials I suggested above.
• Low Maintenance 
• If you want, you can repaint it about as often as you would give a conventional home a new roof, but even that's not necessary.
• Fairly quick 
• Can build a 1-2 bedroom house in about 2 months
• Can bury underground 
• This could add protection from radiation
• Careful of radon! Digging down could release it from certain types of rock.
• Long lasting 
• Will stand for many centuries, hypothetically.
• Completely sound proof 
• Cannot hear most exterior noises with windows/doors shut.
• Ideal for those cheap lots, next to the busy roads and highways. 
• Energy efficient 
• Insulation is R-30... with all the thermal mass, it behaves more like R-60+.
• High ceilings make small spaces feel BIG!
• This is why they make good tiny houses; for example, the curved wall pushes the toilet out into the middle of the room, which means it feels like you have tons of space when you're sitting on it, even though the bathroom is tiny (fits a full-size shower, though!)
• Fairly affordable 
• This one bedroom, 453 sq. ft. model would be about $45,000.
• Lower insurance costs
• Can't confirm this personally, but their website slideshow claims this is true with some staggering examples.
• Playing music in there sounds awesome!
• Can be hooked up to electric, sewer, septic, solar, AC/heat, whatever you want!

 CONS:

• Concrete and foam insulation are not very environmentally friendly in their manufacturing... and in the post-300 year period when the house will hypothetically need to come down.
• Indoor echo 
• Sort of like what you hear in a new house void of furniture... only the furniture is all there. 
• Might be possible to get rid of this... any sound engineers reading?
• Even the carpeted bedroom had a weird echo affect going on, if you were facing the curved wall.
• Might be awkward for the super-tall or super clumsy 
• My 6'2'' husband did not feel he was in danger of hitting his head, but I hit mine one time when backing up to take a photo.
• The curve of the wall starts at about 6 feet, so most people would be under that, no problem.
• Challenging floor plans
• This one was cut in half, but diagonally to the door, which I thought was not ideal... but there are many ways to slice a pie!
• Completely sound proof 
• This depends on your perspective... if you like listening to rain on your roof, you might want to build a porch with metal roofing to get your fix. You can't hear your neighbor's shotgun, but you also can't hear the bugs and birds.

Click the photos above to see more photos.

Oh, and if you decide to talk to these guys about building a house... make sure you tell them Giovanna sent you!