Go Green! Build Your Own Eco-House!
If you want to build your own eco-house the good news is, it’s getting cheaper. In the past it was only large commercial concerns or the wealthy who could afford to build environmentally friendly homes. The costs of building these homes has historically been out of range of the average family. Many architects have only been interested if there has been substantial money to be made.
Now architects and developers wants to make it easier to build your own eco-house at cheaper prices. There are already a few designs on offer that are affordable. Eco-housing is a way of building homes that minimize negative impacts on the environment. A “green home” is one that uses building materials that offer a healthy living environment including indoor air quality and natural light.
So when you build your own eco-house it could range from being energy efficient and using natural interior finishes to being built from recycled materials and using solar energy for all its lighting and heating needs. In Texas the first rating system for environmentally responsible buildings has been developed.
However if you have a very limited budget it may still be too expensive to build your own eco-house. A budget of $80 to $125 per square foot will offer a home with energy-efficient windows and a ground-source heat pump, a solar hot water system and radiant floors. Less than that, and you could be compromising your quality of life. A middle-range eco-home could cost from $153,600 to $240,000. (the average mortgage in the U.S. is $106,750.)
At present American architects are not invested in building affordable eco-homes. According to the American Institute of Architecture (AIA), only 500 of its 58,000 members were interested in finding cheaper housing alternatives. So can you go it alone? Many experts feel that it is difficult to build your own eco-house using published blueprints (i.e. without the expense of architects and environmental consultants.)
If you want to build your own eco-house consult the Operation Solar “Solar Home Planbook. Operation solar is defunct but the book is still available for $25. You can order complete construction plans from the book. Homes cost around $82,000 to build. House plans are sold through national magazines can also be used to build eco-homes.
If you decide to build your own eco-house remember that window orientation and wind direction are important in harnessing solar energy. Try “Climatic Design: Energy-Efficient Building Principles and Practices” (McGraw Hill, $29.95) for more information on how your home needs to respond to local climate.
If you decide to build your own eco-house it may be a good idea to hire an architect to review the plans and the site where you want to locate it. This will cost around $200 to $300. The architect can actually save you money in the long run by providing good advice on cost-effective eco construction.
The Hickory Consortium is a group of Boston developers, builders, architects and manufacturers. They work together with DOE to design “Eco-Dynamic” housing. The homes are fitted together from modules and can be about 20% cheaper than other alternatives offered to build your own eco-house.