K.I.S.S. = aquapondics - keep it simple stupid!

Party house. Private space vs public space.

We had a party at our house last night. 

I was cleaning the half bath that is off the kitchen area. It also is where our laundry is located. We also store stuff on the shelves in there. 

This house is 10 years old. We are the 4th residents. At some point there were doors that hid the laundry area. They were taken down. And I agree that the doors get in the way - totally impractical ...

But moments before the party started, ... I wished I could offer my guests a more soothing experience. 

So, the bathroom in the new house ... 

Just a nice toilet and sink. Wheelchair access sized. (Hold off on the actual grab bars). And then that pocket door we have mentioned, that goes into the master bath, and that is where the laundry will be. 

Should be able to dash from the main living area, through that bathroom, into master bath. Sink on one side. Toilet on the other.  A obstacle free dash. 

Pod cast

I like a pod cast. It's entitled "Green architects' lounge."

It's by an architect firm out of Maine 

Green Design Studios

261 main st

Yarmouth Me 

Architectureforlife.com

207.847.3788 

I like some of the homes in the photos on their web site.

He does "PassivHaus certified homes" 

Something to look up - is this the same company that unity college used? I know that was "of Maine" also. 

Unity house - the college presidents residence- was built by bensonwood homes. 

 Terra haus hot water system designed through ReVision Energy. 

Terrahaus was designed with architect "Go logic LLC" 

From Belfast Maine 

Fireplace

Fire places are horrid heat suckers. 

But maybe a wood stove that LOOKS like a fire place? 

A mantle is just the thing. 

I want a mantle. 

I want a mantle more than a fire place. 

Is that even logical??? 

A welcoming home

Came across a book. Dave ordered it. It's such a sweet book! And what a great guy for making this a priority... It a book about how to design a home that has a welcoming and inviting feel to it. A place where people come in and say..  "Ahhhhhh...." And just melt a bit. 

How awesome is it that my hubby wants that for us??? 

landscaping with fire pits

I like the idea of a fire pit. About in the middle of the property.
I googled
landscaping with fire pit photos.

I liked the ones where the pit was raised.
I liked the round ones
I liked the ones that did NOT have a built in bench - so chairs around the fire can be adjusted based on how hot it is.

But then...
What about an outdoor wood brick / bread oven?

Or a spot to grill over the flame?

Need to work on getting away from the uni-tasker.
But keeping the "form" of being something appealing to gather around.
Because, being a gathering place, is a function too.
And in the end, having folks gather is more important than bread.
(but hey, lets go for both while we are at it eh?)

Lingering nagging bits

Still don't have "google sketch up" up and running yet. Would like to punch in some ideas. 

Heights- need to make sure that the lowest point is a tad higher that the ceiling in our living room. Funny story - hubby reads the paper, then stands up and stretches. Leaves finger prints on the ceiling! Probably won't be able to change his habit, but will for sure plan on the lowest point being calculated! Carefully! 

Solar - still won't know if it is possible till all the trees are down... 

But hypothetically a possibility. 

It sounds like we have to choose between 

A) a solar unit that feeds a battery bank

Or 

B) a solar unit tied to a grid (net zero)

The grid connected is good. But when the power goes down (not if) it won't work. What's the point if you still have to live for 6 days without heat, boiling water to wash dishes, and no hot showers???? 

There must be a way to say "oh?? Grid is down?? Okay. Lets have the solar energy feed batteries while this gets worked out. " 

Or maybe two separate systems? 

Essential basic stuff should be able to run on back up solar power 

Heat in the floors

Master bath hot water heater - warm shower

Kitchen sink hot water heater - washing dishes

Clothes washer (not dryer) - and not for hot water but for running the machine. 

Kitchen lights

Fridge in kitchen

Freezer in garage 

One outlet for charging gadgets...

.....

And the TV... Maybe... That's a tough one... 

The other issue is my strong desire to have a garbage disposal. I know I'm being pig headed wanting it. 

So ... Would it be possible to have a tank system? 

The garbage disposal to have its own drain? It would grind up the waste. And the Ort would go to the tank. About every three years we would switch over to the other tank. 

Confused? 

Lemme explain..

Once sat on an outhouse toilet. 

After making a deposit, you were to toss on a handful of saw dust. 

After three years of "deposits" they used the other toilet (toilet b).

While they used toilet B, the pile under toilet A turned into compost. At the end of 3 years, they emptied the tank under toilet a, started using toilet A again, and then toilet b got to have a three years break while its pile turned to compost. 

Surely,,, there must be a way to do this, septic tank style, in the yard, with two small tanks that service JUST the garbage disposal. I mean really?!? You should, at this point, be breathing a sigh of relief that Im only talking about food waste! Ha ha! 

Stones

So the diagrams I have seen about passive solar talk about increasing your heat storage by having some sort of thermal mass.

Sure - concrete floors are awesome. But I will - in all likely hood - have furniture on the floors too. This would prevent the floors from absorbing all they can. 

They also suggest a wall of some sort. 

What if....

We do the stone in the kitchen around the stove - so it looks like a giant hearth -  then use that SAME STONE  in the living room on a wall between the living room and library or bedroom. That would be our heat sink wall. 

Would maybe need to plan the foundation to have a slab there to bear the weight? 

And about that hearth stove arch idea - lets make CERTAIN it's HUGE! So no tall folks have anything to bang their heads on! It's very possible that the next generation will be even taller! 

Beams. Big beams look great with stone.  Lets see what we come up with...

Mmmm.... 

Goals reviewed

I do not think it is possible to build a home, in that location, that is fully off the grid. I believe there are limitations - out of my control, that limit the practicality of solar or wind. 

I still think it is worth trying to achieve an off grid home. 

When the almost annual blizzards and hurricanes wipe out power for days on end, I want to be a bit prepared. 

When we get done clearing the land, we will have a better idea of what is possible for solar. The best way would be net zero. But when the net is down, are you fully STUCK with no power? From all I have read it seems you must choose one or the other?  There must be a way to switch over to battery charging. Maybe one smaller unit that powers a limited number of things via battery, and the rest it net zero grid tied ... And maybe can be switch over when needed. Mmm... Won't know till the trees are down. 

When we are fully retired and living on a fixed income - there will always be taxes... But avoiding the paralyzing affects of rising oil prices... Being able to have hot water, and heat, without worrying if there will be any money left to buy food. 

Food prices will rise. 

I hope to have a garden. And maybe some chickens / rabbits. I could trade eggs, rabbit fur/meat, for fish, clams, any number of things. I like the barter system.

I have on my reading list a book about designing a home for people of all ages and needs - old, wheelchair, ....

I still think this is important. 

 

Reading list - book gift suggestions???

I would like these books ...for Christmas???

Maybe from amazon?

 Used is perfect! 

The cheaper the better! 

"Green from the ground up" by David Johnston 

"Building with Structural Insulated Panels" by Michael Morley 

"

Prefabulous & sustainable

Building and customizing an affordable energy efficient home"

By Sheri koones

"Towards a zero energy home"

By David Johnston 

"Living off the grid

A simple guide to creating and maintaining a self reliant supply of energy, water, shelter, and more "

By David black

"The Accessable Home 

Designing for all ages and abilities"

By Deborah pierce and Michael graves

And then a few books on passive solar heating and cooling: 

Perhaps a few titles to cull from?

"Passive solar house "by kachadorian

"The solar house" by chiras

 

A bit off topic but maybe worth a read- 

"Design like you give a damn" by stohr

"Magic machines in a magic house : get off the grid" by saville

"Taking on water" by pabich

more sage advice from Mother Earth News

Jan 2013 issue
page 35

A guide to DIY Kit Homes

gives a link I want to follow up on sometime:
www.B4UBuild.com
which answers questions about home contruction.
and it says a new home will cost $80 to $200 per square foot.

Taking Shape on the outside

This house is being designed .. kind of... from the outside ... in!

I saw a house ... in our neighborhood here in Alaska that is a boring version of what I think we want.

So first I will upload the boring photo.

I like it because the house is on the right. Then the garage, then the car port are on the left.

Then I am going to post photos of the type of "ZING" it needs.

Then... if you refer back to the Unity College Terra House ...
They posted this:

So, We need to block the summer afternoon sun. That is that lower right hand corner of the diagram - so this is a great place for a jutting out spacious porch. The South West Corner of the house is the first bit of the house you see as you pull up. This is the focal point of the home's exterior. It is a form, with a specific function... yet is as awesome as all hell! (here after referred to as "the FOCAL POINT PORCH"

Then, Across the South side you have to have an overhang or awning to block out the summer sun. Check out this diagram...

So across the South side of the house (from the street view this would be down the right side of the house) will be an overhang. I am thinking that visually it would look good if it came off the "focal point porch. - just a skinnier version. Actual math with be required to figure out the best size. Basically I want the heat "off" from May to October. So that is 5 months. We need to calculate the angle of the sun at the half way mark of those 5 months (not summer solstice since its hotter in August than on June 20th.)

So then, along that south side -
where the overhang is functioning to block unwanted sun,
there is also an opportunity to do this outdoor porch patio (see very left side of photo):

It would be a giant thick concrete slab - much like the one UNDER the addition at June's house.
The function would be to reflect winter sun up onto the windows. It also helps the windows lose less heat by being a heat source outside the windows.

Then, visual effect, it would have a railing like the one on the "focal point porch."

The roof line from the "focal Point Porch" would also continue across in front of the garage, and then over to the car port. The whole house would GIVE A FEEL of a wrap around porch. I will see if I can grab a photo of that roof line continuation as an example.
There are some around here.
(after a drive, here is the photo. Just see how the roof line continues from the front porch, across the big garage, and smaller garage. Now picture it going across the front porch, across the garage, and over the car port.
MMM.... and I am thinking the car port will be the length of 2 cars. maybe 2.5. Plenty of storage for Kayaks, bikes, Lawn Mowers, wheel Barrow, all that STUFF.

"open cell"

http://www.epochhomes.com

modular manufacturer
open cell insulation

Rich
Horin

epochdsm@cox.net

cool video!

from the National association of home builders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liTV_iLkdl0&feature=player_embedded

Panelized Home Directory



Company: Insulspan, Inc.
Address: P.O. Box 38
9012 East US 223
Blissfield MI 49228
USA
Web site: http://www.insulspan.com
Phone: 517-486-4844
Fax: 517-486-2056
Building Type: Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
Market Area: Worldwide

energy.gov is COOL!

OKAY,... not thinking of going this large but... this is a really cool link

http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?newsID=9428&fromGSA=1

Stick vs panel kit

found this article on the energy.gov site.
It compares a wood framed house to a manufactured panel home.
this is NOT SIP / passive house homes.

Two identical homes built side by side at the same time.

Less labor hours,
less waste (lowering cost of dumpsters)


http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentTypeID=3&contentID=164336&subContentID=369222

home fire causes

Here's a breakdown of the leading causes of fire:

Cooking equipment: 42 percent or 157,038
Heating equipment: 17 percent or 63,563
Intentional: 8 percent or 29,912
Electrical distribution and lighting equipment: 6 percent or 22,434
Smoking materials: 5 percent or 18,695
Clothes dryer or washer: 4 percent or 14,956
Candle: 3 percent or 11,217
Exposure to other fire: 3 percent or 11,217
Playing with heat source: 2 percent or 7,478


Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/gilbert/common-causes-of-house-fires-include-kitchen-appliances-dryer#ixzz2WJ6Ch8Q2





Kitchens are the leading area of origin for home structure fires (42%) and civilian home fire injuries (38%).

So.... how do you design a safer kitchen?
google this...
cooking stoves in alcove photos.
Could put the whole stove in an alcove that is fire retardant (stone/brick/tile/...)
And have it known from the start - the whole thing has TO BE B-I-G so Dave, and our tall children, can cook with ease (instead of cooking with concussions).

But that is assuming that the kitchen fires are caused BY cooking on the stove. What if they are all caused by toaster ovens?
maybe make it big enough for toaster oven, microwave, and a spot for an electic wok or fry pan to also be in the "cooking alcove"


An estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire
departments each year
Maybe the wash room will be outside of the home's vapor barrier? In the Garage? Or maybe there will be space between the garage and the house that will have heaters/boiler/pumps/ and a laundry room.

Grey Water

Back at it!
Still working on designing that house we will live in until we are 95+ years old.
Here is a glimpse of what we have ... so far!

There is a passive house in Little compton, RI.
It is designed by a company in Boston.
Its ugly.
But...
They used:
"Passive House-inspired
strategies that reduced the home heating requirements to one tenth of a similar new code built home. With
exceptional insulation
(R-44 walls, R-50 foundation, R-60 roof)"
http://www.zeroenergy.com/pdf/2012_EcoHome_Design_Awards.pdf

They used a spray foam insulation. I am not convinced that is the best way to go.
It can pull away, shrink, and leave gaps if not properly applied. and its just so new that there isn't anyone that is overly experienced with it.
Around here in AK,
they use insulation on the outside of the studs to eliminate thermal bridging.

I still would like to look at a home that is made with SIP. The downside is that over the (hopefully) 300 year life of the home, it might be harder for future residents to put on an addition. ("SIPs are a component wall, roof and floor system comprised of foam core insulation, sheathed on both sides to form a complete exterior framing system of the highest energy efficiency.")
http://www.sipbuilthomes.com/index_2.php

I still think any wood used should be "bluwood"
http://www.bluwood.com/
because the area is filled with carpenter ants and termites.

I would like a rocking sound system. That I can crank. While the kids are up stairs in bed. So yeah, I want insulation between the first floor and second floor.
also heard about a house that was designed to "shut down" the upstairs bedrooms if/when the kids ever move out. With a simple switch of a knob, and switch, all water and heat was shut down. There was a door to close to stop heat from going up there, and it was all set. I wonder if we would need a separate air exchanger for the upstairs if we were to do that? Totally separate "zone" in all aspects.

I have been liking the concept of re-using the gray water waste (everything but toilet waste)
to flush toilets. Not sure if building codes would allow it. The water gets filtered... a bit.
I LIKE this: http://www.designwhys.com/?p=38

But I DONT like these: (The sink and the toilet are one unit... tooo ... weird!)
two web sites for funny quirky pictures:
http://www.treehugger.com/bathroom-design/roca-toilet-integrates-sink-grey-water-cistern.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/1288861/five-stylish-ways-reuse-your-grey-water

Okay, so we will have a grey water tank. and a brown water tank. [Standard septic construction] How about a rain water cistern too? Or... How about... we have a garbage disposal in the sink... and that particular sink waste is directed to a composting cistern? In an area with septic tanks, most folks can't have a garbage disposal. But... if that waste was separated to its own composting tank... perhaps?

As we drive around we look at homes - size, layouts, ... it is more fun than ever.
Some must haves - a window seat big enough to sit and read in comfortably.
a library
a sun room or sunny area to chill
a screened in porch
open concept Kitchen/living room/dining room.
Master Bedroom Suite on first floor - with 4 foot shower

About that Master Suite - I would like the bathroom to have a throne room. and also I would like a pocket door that leads to the "guest half bath" so... while one "throne" is occupied, the second person has easy access to the second "throne." Nothing worse that toilet competition!

I want Chickens and Rabbits too. Not sure Dave is on board with that part yet...

Gray water and Garbage Disposal

Just read an article in Mother Earth News.
this guy used "grey water" (water from sinks and showers), cleaned it up a but with some filtration, and re-used it to feed his tolets with flushing water. That's not a bad idea!

Then I was thinking about how much I like having a Garbage Disposal. But folks down that way don't have them in their homes, because of the septic systems. Which is fine since it is better to compost anyway.

When new septic systems go in, they have a "brown water" tank for toilet flushes. Then they also have a grey water tank for showers and sink waste.

How about adding two smaller tanks? (Could we get away with making these two smaller tanks out of trash cans? double layered? with cement between the layers?)
The Garbage dispoal could go to the first of those tanks. It's waste stream separated from the sink's other drain system. Then you have a way to say, "okay, that one has been run for 3 years, now we are going to use the second tank." On the 6th year, you clean out the first tank ~ removing the rich compost, and then let that second tank sit for 3 years. Still having the modern convenience of a garbage dispoal, but also the composting benefit. And besides, we all know stuff in composts break down faster if they are ground up first! Why not let the garbage dispoal do the grinding! lol!


Ah.. but wait... how much would it cost to have TWO additional things buried in the yard? and what about the cost of the extra piping and the control value? hummm...