Green Housing
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As the outdoor season approaches, many homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts look for ways to control mosquitoes . With all the publicity about the West Nile virus, mosquito repelling products are gaining in popularity. But many commercial insect repellents contain from 5% to 25% DEET.
5 Easy to Grow Mosquito-Repelling Plants | Eartheasy Blog
Good things come to those who wait – particularly in a work of uniquely detailed and highly curved architecture. Nearly a decade in the making, this structure by Robert Harvey Oshatz is much like a tree house – lofted toward the top of the canopy around it – only bigger, grander, more complex and curved than most any tree house in the world. The perimeter of the structure is pushed out into the forest around it, curving in and out to create views as well as a sense of intimacy with the coniferous and deciduous tree cover. The wood and metal detailing is incredible in its variety and customization – each piece designed to fit a particular form and function.
Lofted Forest Home: Organic Curves & Natural Materials | Designs & Ideas on Dornob
This 1434 sf home was designed specifically for an off grid building site. It's floorplan allows all spaces to be easily heated by the solar gain or by the woodstove at night. All of Integral Design Studio's strawbale plans incorporate an internal modified post and beam structure, with bales on edge as infill. This method streamlines the building process and allows more living space on the inside compared to flat bale construction.
Eco Nest 1200 Plan
SOLAR OVAL ONE is a compact passive solar design with a loft which can be an outbuilding for many possible uses. It has many valuable and green/sustainable features: Building with cob allows the use of local sustainable materials. In many areas the earth at your site can be used and only water, sand and straw will need to be brought to your site to make your cob. The cob is mixed right where you are building and stacked up on an impervious foundation.
Solar Oval Cob Plan
This 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom 692 sf cabin will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. It also has the potential to provide as many as 12 "berths" for use as a hunting cabin or such. Each berth could have its indiviual heat or A/C duct for greater efficiency.
Grain Bin Cabin Plan
Despite technological advances in weather forecasting, natural disasters are often unpredictable. Even when we do know a geological or meteorological disturbance is on its way, very often little can be done to protect existing homes from destruction, so TF Forming Systems is building in that protection from the ground up. TF Forming Systems owner Steven Huff is in the process of building a large residential structure that will be able to withstand the toughest natural disasters, all while reducing dependence on oil, gas, and coal. TF Forming Systems manufactures and distributes a variety of insulated concrete forms (ICF). The Pensmore Chateau , a 72,000 sq. ft. structure located in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, is said to be able to withstand F5 tornadoes, in addition to earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fire, and insect damage.
Go Green || Sustainable Design - Buildipedia.com™
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The Leap Adaptive 'Dragonfly' is our most evolved home design to date. It features an active sliding moon-roof over a dramatic 2-story glass stair well in a progressive-modern design. The nearly 2,000 square foot design provides for contemporary family living with a spacious open family-dining room, designer kitchen, and an opulent master suite. Also included are two secondary bedroom suites, a roof top sky room, and a flex-room that can be used for an office, game room, media center or a children's play/ teen room. Wow!
Kalypso Garage/Storage Loft Plan
The second floor of this versatile garage plan can be readily converted into an apartment. With some modifications, it could also make a nice home. 357 sq. ft. interior, plus 357 sq.ft. 2nd story, total 714 sq. ft. interior; footprint: 20' x 24' not including decks or benches. My main goal has been to reduce the cost of housing, while also making the designs sustainable, easy to build and livable.
Dreaming About a Green Home? Have you been dreaming about that perfect green home that is welcoming, cozy, and provides for all of your housing needs, while also allowing you to live lightly on our earth? DreamGreenHomes.com can help you discover a home plan that matches your needs and aesthetics, in a way that will conserve energy and resources. Ecological Designs Each design shown here has been chosen because it embodies some significant aspect of sustainable architecture.
Dream Green Home Plans
perFORM[D]ance House Teams participating in the 2011 Solar Decathlon strive to create high-tech, low-energy houses, but one team has created a home that also "dances." Florida International University's perFORM[D]ance House features movable facades that allow it to adapt to the needs of its occupants and environmental conditions. This flexible concept fosters connections between indoors and outdoors while mitigating Florida's hot, humid, and hurricane-prone climate.
2011 Solar Decathlon: Florida International University - Buildipedia.com™
Upgrading your furnace, water heater or washing machine to the most energy efficient models will immediately slash your energy or water bills. Save on energy costs and stay cool and comfortable this summer using simple changes like using a programmable thermostat, upgrading your air conditioner and adding a ceiling fan.
Article Index Page | EcoLiving
Plans for Passive Solar Homes
Plans for a cabin based in the shape of icosahedron. "This shape was chosen for a dwelling because of its simplicity of design, economy, case of construction, great structural strength and maximum utilization of a minimal amount of materials. It has an advantage over 'pure' domes in that placement of windows, doors, and skylights is more conventional.In the classic story of the Three Little Pigs‚ a naive piglet decides to build his home out of straw, which soon gets the huff and puff treatment by a big bad wolf, resulting in the poor little pig's untimely end. But perhaps unbelievably to some, straw homes do really exist, and they are a lot safer and sturdier than their mythical counterparts -- not to mention beautiful and stylish. Many may wonder why a person would want to build a home made out of straw, but apart from providing a place to hide from the big bad wolf, they have some substantial benefits. They are undeniably green‚ as straw packed tightly in the walls helps to retain heat, keeping a home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, minimizing the home's carbon footprint.
Sustainable Web Hosting - 10 Sensational Homes Built from Straw | green-building
Many people have never even heard of straw bale homes, but building with straw is actually one of the oldest ways to construct a house. Straw bale homes built by early pioneers out west are still standing today, which just goes to show how strong they are. Andrew Morrison is a straw bale home builder; he also runs StrawBale.com , a comprehensive resource on how to build straw bale homes. According to him, straw bale homes use 75% less energy than traditional homes. The reason is because the densely-packed straw bales are natural insulators.
Building A Straw Bale Home
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