Comments on: Going Brown – A guide to real ‘green’ housing

By: Pierre Soleil

Pierre Soleil — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:58:03 +0000

Sister Kay, this is not our place it belongs to a guy in the UK. he had a hard time.. they tried to evict him.. but he stood up for his rights.. the Brits are good at protest.. and he got there in the end.

By: sister kay

sister kay — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:33:27 +0000

I love you man.

How do you ever get this accepted by Zoning? or do you just do your thing and hope not to get run out?

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:02:04 +0000

Isabel, what was your thermal mass made of? Where did you build? Did you document? Did your projects involve miosture barriers?
We are building an earth bermed cob house (against the earth). Interested in hearing more about your project. Please contact us.

By: Isabel Crabtree

Isabel Crabtree — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:48:54 +0000

One thing to learn in a hurry about dirt and cheaply-built homes though is that in the Southern US Humidity houses have to be off the ground!!!
There is a major problem with thermal mass here…humidity. Which leads to MOLD which can lead to serious health problems.
Look at the traditional “Cracker style” homes of FL….

We’ve built several small dwellings costing from $50 to A LOT more than that, and all of them have issues with thermal mass and humidity.
If you look to indigenous peoples, in Taos they build for thermal mass, it’s dry and cold in the winter. But in the southern US it was wood and thatch or palm fronds, etc. which are cheap and replaceable when they get moldy.
Happy building!

By: Sam Wayne Smith

Sam Wayne Smith — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:19:09 +0000

I live in a squat in Amsterdam. It is very low impact, a throw-a-way house that I have made into a home. The urban homestead can follow your model as well. BTW solar and wind electricity here are approaching par on the grid..