Our last post explored some skinny homes that, while cute, may not be your idea of full time living comfort. As a sort of compromise, we present to you our version of a skinnier home. While we currently have a typical 15' wide home in our catalog, we pushed the envelope a little and came up with 12' wide. The Fremont 1260-3 is actually a triplex that can fit on a standard 50x100' lot if your zoning allows.
This delightful little creation has actually been on our books for a year and a half. We'd get frustrated with the little gem, then have new vigor, only to repeat the cycle over and over. Even still we are trying to work out one more detail area. But it is available for sale should you like to maximize the potential rent on your lot.
Each unit is 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and 1181 square feet. We even managed to add a single car garage to each unit. We tried to give some character with a tipout on either side and ended up creating a bit of a nightmare roof line. After chasing our tails on that for a while, we tamed the beast and made it less Escherish.
This was a bit of an experiment in skinniness and our first attempt. We are researching some other design ideas and working on another skinny mini. Hopefully it will see the light of 2010. If you are interested in skinny homes for skinny lots, contact Istockhouseplans for a custom job. We are interested in some challenges for homes that are less than 15' wide.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Anorexic Architecture
Our current fascination with tiny homes started with one dimension only. Several years ago we were patrolling the web for skinny homes. Not just skinny homes, but the skinniest homes in the world. Our thought was in trying to cram as many homes as possible onto a 50x100' wide lot, assuming zoning allowed. Given that 5' setbacks are typical, we figured there would be a 40' wide footprint. Most folks would say 2 attached 20' wides would be typical. We are currently working on a 3-16' wide building. But you could easily do 4-10' wide houses. Crazy? Consider that building code requires a minimum 7' wide room in homes and you could cram 5-8' wide homes onto that lot.
But history has brought about some even skinnier homes. Boston, MA and Alameda, CA have their 10' wide homes. In Alexandria, VA is a skinny house that was built to close off an alley. The home is 7x25' and two stories tall. In the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle, WA is a house that, while 15' at the front, is 4.5' in the rear.
The most notorious of all skinny homes was the so-called Richardson Spite House at the corner of 82nd St. and the newly punched through Lexington Avenue. Built to spite his neighbor for an insultingly low offer for his 5' sliver of land, each of the two houses built contained 8 suites each which rented for $500 per year.
While we don't recommend building strange homes to spite your neighbors, we are interested in designing homes for lots that seem unbuildable. If you own a piece of property that seems too difficult to build on, contact istockhouseplans and we'd be happy to design a home for you. We appreciate the challenge of taking the zoning and building codes to their limits. Don't be fooled by our stock skinny offering. We can make this thing look like a wide mouth bass.
But history has brought about some even skinnier homes. Boston, MA and Alameda, CA have their 10' wide homes. In Alexandria, VA is a skinny house that was built to close off an alley. The home is 7x25' and two stories tall. In the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle, WA is a house that, while 15' at the front, is 4.5' in the rear.
The most notorious of all skinny homes was the so-called Richardson Spite House at the corner of 82nd St. and the newly punched through Lexington Avenue. Built to spite his neighbor for an insultingly low offer for his 5' sliver of land, each of the two houses built contained 8 suites each which rented for $500 per year.
While we don't recommend building strange homes to spite your neighbors, we are interested in designing homes for lots that seem unbuildable. If you own a piece of property that seems too difficult to build on, contact istockhouseplans and we'd be happy to design a home for you. We appreciate the challenge of taking the zoning and building codes to their limits. Don't be fooled by our stock skinny offering. We can make this thing look like a wide mouth bass.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What's the difference between an architect?
In Oregon there exists a secret society that has all but trademarked a common word and all it's iterations. The only way you can claim to be an architect, do architectural drawings, or practice architecture is to be a 4-year schooled and trained, passed the exam, and certified professional. The idea is to protect the public from folks who do the same thing but are not board certified architects.
I suppose this is rather smart as it would be akin to separating attorneys from legal professionals. However it seems the public is not so trained in the difference. To the general public, anyone who designs a house is an architect. Time and again we have been referred to as architects, asked if we do architectural work, or had our work referred to as architecture. While we are flattered, please be aware that we are not trained or certified as architects per se. However, the State of Oregon cannot keep other individuals from drawing houses and submitting them for permits. (Nevada, however, can and does).
So to be clear, we are not architects. What are we then? We have always referred to ourselves as design professionals. What's the difference? We have training and experience, but we are not certified by a board. We are limited to designing homes of a particular size, but this has been a threshold higher than we care to reach. The main difference is that we cost way less.
If you are looking for a custom designed 8,000sf house, please contract the services of an architect. If you are looking for a cute little stock plan for an 1800sf home, look no further than Istockhouseplans. We have a diverse portfolio of homes and would be happy to help you with your next project.
I suppose this is rather smart as it would be akin to separating attorneys from legal professionals. However it seems the public is not so trained in the difference. To the general public, anyone who designs a house is an architect. Time and again we have been referred to as architects, asked if we do architectural work, or had our work referred to as architecture. While we are flattered, please be aware that we are not trained or certified as architects per se. However, the State of Oregon cannot keep other individuals from drawing houses and submitting them for permits. (Nevada, however, can and does).
So to be clear, we are not architects. What are we then? We have always referred to ourselves as design professionals. What's the difference? We have training and experience, but we are not certified by a board. We are limited to designing homes of a particular size, but this has been a threshold higher than we care to reach. The main difference is that we cost way less.
If you are looking for a custom designed 8,000sf house, please contract the services of an architect. If you are looking for a cute little stock plan for an 1800sf home, look no further than Istockhouseplans. We have a diverse portfolio of homes and would be happy to help you with your next project.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Dream it, Design it, Build it, Pallet!
We at Istockhouseplans have been a bit busy this last month exploring a new outlet. While designing standard homes is a lot of fun, we yearn to trade in our mouse and T-square for a hammer and framing square. For a long time we have been following Michael Janzen's Tiny Free House blog. Michael is attempting to (and succeeding at) building a tiny free house out of found materials. The main structure of the 96sf home is made out of pallets. Intriguing! And very sensible. After all, most pallets are already built with rigidity and rough handling in mind. He expanded this idea to a blog called the Tiny Pallet House. Then there's John in Nova Scotia who has built several outbuildings and a fence out of pallets. We've even seen a pallet fence in our own neighborhood.
Enter our food co-op. The co-op runs a garden that is in need of a shed. Initially we stepped up to help with it. The sheer number of other interested folks made us shy away because after all, no one else would understand or be willing to embark on a pallet shed. After a few weeks, the call was put out again as no one had actually done anything other than raise their hands. So we called dibs on the project and immediately started designing for pallet use.
The shed is to be about 8'x8' and not terribly tall. It was designed to use 20 standard 40"x48" size pallets. There would be 2 courses of pallets 48" wide and 40" tall. This results in a plate line of 80" tall, good for doors. The pallets on the front would be relieved of about 14" of material each, leaving space for a 28" window. This 14" would then stack on top of and tie into the front wall making it about 8' when plates are considered. The plan was then to tie 6 pallets together to create the shed roof. The roof includes a 24" overhang on the back side to hide garbage cans. The whole thing would rest on some reclaimed cedar fence boards on top of a packed gravel floor.
Pallet shed floor plan, rear wall, and front wall.
Pallet shed side view, roof plan
The door works well as it is about a 3' gap left after 48" of pallets is put in the 7.5' +/- space between the sides of the front and back pallets. The pallets on the roof are tied together with some 2x4x8 inside the pallets and some 2x6 on the outside for trim. Corrugated clear roof panels keep the rain out. We were going to plywood the sides but reclaimed fence board could be used as vertical batts between pallet boards, or lapped as desired.
What actually happened is something a little different. There were a handful of free pallet ads on Craigslist. By the time we showed up, there was nothing left of anything close to 40"x48" pallets. So we surveyed a few sites and found some great 8'x6'-4" ish sized ones. Perfect! This was better than tying four smaller pallets together. There was even one that was 7'-4"x6'-4" which means it would fit right between the front and rear pallets without cutting and maintain the 8'x8' footprint. We loaded them onto (mind you, not INTO) the truck and drove to the site where we started prepping the panels to tie together. Unfortunately we couldn't do much else since gravel had not arrived for the floor.
Since the whole project is being attempted for the princely sum of no money down, no payments ever, we are looking for free gravel on Craigslist. Hopefully we will be done within a month. As progress is made, we will keep you posted and throw up a few pictures.
Enter our food co-op. The co-op runs a garden that is in need of a shed. Initially we stepped up to help with it. The sheer number of other interested folks made us shy away because after all, no one else would understand or be willing to embark on a pallet shed. After a few weeks, the call was put out again as no one had actually done anything other than raise their hands. So we called dibs on the project and immediately started designing for pallet use.
The shed is to be about 8'x8' and not terribly tall. It was designed to use 20 standard 40"x48" size pallets. There would be 2 courses of pallets 48" wide and 40" tall. This results in a plate line of 80" tall, good for doors. The pallets on the front would be relieved of about 14" of material each, leaving space for a 28" window. This 14" would then stack on top of and tie into the front wall making it about 8' when plates are considered. The plan was then to tie 6 pallets together to create the shed roof. The roof includes a 24" overhang on the back side to hide garbage cans. The whole thing would rest on some reclaimed cedar fence boards on top of a packed gravel floor.
Pallet shed floor plan, rear wall, and front wall.
Pallet shed side view, roof plan
The door works well as it is about a 3' gap left after 48" of pallets is put in the 7.5' +/- space between the sides of the front and back pallets. The pallets on the roof are tied together with some 2x4x8 inside the pallets and some 2x6 on the outside for trim. Corrugated clear roof panels keep the rain out. We were going to plywood the sides but reclaimed fence board could be used as vertical batts between pallet boards, or lapped as desired.
What actually happened is something a little different. There were a handful of free pallet ads on Craigslist. By the time we showed up, there was nothing left of anything close to 40"x48" pallets. So we surveyed a few sites and found some great 8'x6'-4" ish sized ones. Perfect! This was better than tying four smaller pallets together. There was even one that was 7'-4"x6'-4" which means it would fit right between the front and rear pallets without cutting and maintain the 8'x8' footprint. We loaded them onto (mind you, not INTO) the truck and drove to the site where we started prepping the panels to tie together. Unfortunately we couldn't do much else since gravel had not arrived for the floor.
Since the whole project is being attempted for the princely sum of no money down, no payments ever, we are looking for free gravel on Craigslist. Hopefully we will be done within a month. As progress is made, we will keep you posted and throw up a few pictures.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Release the Houses!
In a flurry of activity and a flood of ink, we finished drafting up not one, not two, not five, but three new houseplans. All are live on our site as I type. "And what are these new, beautiful works of art" you may ask? Without further ado (okay, let's have some drum roll...)
The Richmond B. A longstanding gap has been filled. The Richmond A and C were separated by a void that is now filled. The C had been used to denote the Colonial version while the B had been reserved for the pronounced bay window version. The Richmond B is a reworking of the Richmond, but down to 18' wide and a full 24" deep bay in the dining room. Heck, the dining room IS the bay window. Due to the skinnying factor, minor modifications were made in the kitchen, flex room, and upstairs bedrooms. The upstairs auxiliary bath is no longer directly accessible from the hall but is now a private shared bath for the two bedrooms. The master suite dropped in size as well. Square footage went from 1606 down to 1470. All part of our master plan for minimalization. In fact, 2010 may be the year of all sub-1500sf plans.
The second plan to be released is the Hamblet. No, not a Shakespearean spelling error. The Hamblet is named for a short 5 block street in Northeast Portland, Oregon that is filled with at least a dozen examples of classic homes. We think the Hamblet would fit right in. The only problem we foresee is that the Hamblet is a mere 1374 square feet. Hamblet Street would be prone to double that. With 3 beds, bath and a half, formal dining and living, we think it would still appeal to the aesthetic.
Finally, in an odd turn of events, the Carver B entered the scene. First off, please be aware that if you have a building code in your jurisdiction, the Carver B version may not be for you. We attempted to take all the glory of the Carver and Carver A and make it into a 2 bedroom house - a 300sf 2 bedroom house. To accomplish this we had to ignore the 70sf bedroom rule. The "master" (sarcastic air quotes) bedroom is a whopping 63sf. Yes, you can shoehorn a queen bed in there. Maybe a highboy with 1' deep drawers underneath. The second "bedroom" is a 36sf (including closet) bunk room. There is enough space to walk in, turn around, get undressed, and climb into bed. On top of all that (quite literally) is a 70sf loft that can sleep another two folks adequately. We imagine the Carver B to be a bunkhouse where outdoor activities are more likely.
For all these plans and more, visit our website, drop us an email, or stalk us as we're out and about.
The Richmond B. A longstanding gap has been filled. The Richmond A and C were separated by a void that is now filled. The C had been used to denote the Colonial version while the B had been reserved for the pronounced bay window version. The Richmond B is a reworking of the Richmond, but down to 18' wide and a full 24" deep bay in the dining room. Heck, the dining room IS the bay window. Due to the skinnying factor, minor modifications were made in the kitchen, flex room, and upstairs bedrooms. The upstairs auxiliary bath is no longer directly accessible from the hall but is now a private shared bath for the two bedrooms. The master suite dropped in size as well. Square footage went from 1606 down to 1470. All part of our master plan for minimalization. In fact, 2010 may be the year of all sub-1500sf plans.
The second plan to be released is the Hamblet. No, not a Shakespearean spelling error. The Hamblet is named for a short 5 block street in Northeast Portland, Oregon that is filled with at least a dozen examples of classic homes. We think the Hamblet would fit right in. The only problem we foresee is that the Hamblet is a mere 1374 square feet. Hamblet Street would be prone to double that. With 3 beds, bath and a half, formal dining and living, we think it would still appeal to the aesthetic.
Finally, in an odd turn of events, the Carver B entered the scene. First off, please be aware that if you have a building code in your jurisdiction, the Carver B version may not be for you. We attempted to take all the glory of the Carver and Carver A and make it into a 2 bedroom house - a 300sf 2 bedroom house. To accomplish this we had to ignore the 70sf bedroom rule. The "master" (sarcastic air quotes) bedroom is a whopping 63sf. Yes, you can shoehorn a queen bed in there. Maybe a highboy with 1' deep drawers underneath. The second "bedroom" is a 36sf (including closet) bunk room. There is enough space to walk in, turn around, get undressed, and climb into bed. On top of all that (quite literally) is a 70sf loft that can sleep another two folks adequately. We imagine the Carver B to be a bunkhouse where outdoor activities are more likely.
For all these plans and more, visit our website, drop us an email, or stalk us as we're out and about.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Happy Earth Day
We here at Istockhouseplans believe that every day is Earth Day. That's why we design energy efficiency into all of our plans. And to make up for our length of silence, we'll be releasing several new plans with our next update. Our average square footage has been slowly reducing since our inception. Smaller square footage means less material use which means less of an impact on the earth. All of the plans we'll be releasing are under 1500sf and one of them is only 300sf.
What are YOU doing for Earth Day?
What are YOU doing for Earth Day?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Advanced Placement
Energy Trust of Oregon in their never ending quest for energy efficiency in that great state recently introduced their new incentive path for homes. Called Advanced Performance, this path breaks the bar in many ways. Most of us are used to designing and building 2x6 walls. This is going to be a bit of a challenge now. And we're not going to get to do post and beam floors anymore. Here are the specs:
This isn't your Father's energy efficiency path. This is some serious action going on. We at Istockhouseplans are rather excited about this path and would love to help your home achieve it. If you'd like to build any of our plans to this standard, we would be happy to modify it for free. That's right. As a program ally of Energy Trust of Oregon, we'd be so excited to see a home like this get built that we'll do what we can to make it happen. Contact us if you'd like to learn more.
- Framed floors: R-38 joisted (P&B results in leaky floors and/or saggy insulation)
- Slab floors: R-15 full slab with perimeter break
- Walls: U-0.025. This means R-40 assembly, not just R-40 insulation. Either thicker walls or better insulation is required
- Windows: 15% of floor area, U-0.22 weighted average
- Doors: R-5
- Ceiling: U-0.016. Like the walls, this means R-60 assembly, not insulation
- Heating: 8.5 HSPF/13 SEER or better ductless inverter driven heat pump
- Ventilation: HRV/ERV with 70% sensible recovery efficiency
- Tightness: 2.5 ACH50 or better
- Lighting: 90% CFL
- Incentive: $4,000 plus state and federal tax credits
This isn't your Father's energy efficiency path. This is some serious action going on. We at Istockhouseplans are rather excited about this path and would love to help your home achieve it. If you'd like to build any of our plans to this standard, we would be happy to modify it for free. That's right. As a program ally of Energy Trust of Oregon, we'd be so excited to see a home like this get built that we'll do what we can to make it happen. Contact us if you'd like to learn more.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Windows 2.0
Ever noticed a new house that tries to look old? Some look terribly fake. Some do a great job. But none of them quite grab the look. Driving around town, it's not hard to spot the infill lots that have brand new period houses on them. We can even tell the difference between a well preserved old house, a well remodeled old home, and a brand new "old" home. Why? What's the difference? The eyes always give it away. In this case, the windows. Windows are a big part of a home and they can have a big effect on the way the home looks.
What is the big difference between old and new home windows? Crappy white vinyl frames? Not necessarily as old windows are often painted white. Grids? Not all old windows had grids and newer windows have some passable grids. We tend to think it's depth. Ever look at an old window? It's part of the framing. Now look at a new window. It's tacked to the outside of the framing like a 'Post No Bills' sign. Am I right? Tell me I'm wrong.
The big difference is in the way window production has changed over the years. When the aluminum flange window arrived on the scene, it made window installation quicker and more forgiving. A non-square opening no longer had to be shimmed to accept an inset window. Now the window could be squared on top of the sheathing and interior trim would cover the other side of the error.
Even though the look has been lost to mass production processes, it's not too hard to bring the look back. The first option is with new inset windows. Sometimes touted as replacement windows, these wood or wood clad panes set inside the framing the way their ancestors used to. There is a price to be paid for these windows though as they are not economically on par with their face flange cousins.
The second option is to use the cheaper face flange windows but spend another 5 minutes on each opening. First, frame your opening to 3" larger than required. Then use a smaller 2x framing member to sub frame your main opening. If you are framing 2x6 walls, line it with 2x4. If you are framing double 2x4 walls, use a piece that is wide enough to cover your interior stud, your gap, and then a little. A 10" double 2x4 wall would require a 2x8 sub frame. Your flange window then mounts to this sub frame and voila! Your windows have the appearance of being integral to the framing instead of slapped on top. A little 5/4 trim around the edges and it's a work of art.
Another benefit to this approach is that your water management just got a lot easier. As long as you have a sloped sill on the outside and a planned drainage path, you're good for the long haul. The water above the window opening gets kicked out by a piece of Z flashing at the head trim.
C'mon, my grandma could do this!
Istockhouseplans is committed to quality design and we hope you'll extend this to your building. Contact us with any questions during your build process and we'll be happy to give you free consultation.
What is the big difference between old and new home windows? Crappy white vinyl frames? Not necessarily as old windows are often painted white. Grids? Not all old windows had grids and newer windows have some passable grids. We tend to think it's depth. Ever look at an old window? It's part of the framing. Now look at a new window. It's tacked to the outside of the framing like a 'Post No Bills' sign. Am I right? Tell me I'm wrong.
The big difference is in the way window production has changed over the years. When the aluminum flange window arrived on the scene, it made window installation quicker and more forgiving. A non-square opening no longer had to be shimmed to accept an inset window. Now the window could be squared on top of the sheathing and interior trim would cover the other side of the error.
Even though the look has been lost to mass production processes, it's not too hard to bring the look back. The first option is with new inset windows. Sometimes touted as replacement windows, these wood or wood clad panes set inside the framing the way their ancestors used to. There is a price to be paid for these windows though as they are not economically on par with their face flange cousins.
The second option is to use the cheaper face flange windows but spend another 5 minutes on each opening. First, frame your opening to 3" larger than required. Then use a smaller 2x framing member to sub frame your main opening. If you are framing 2x6 walls, line it with 2x4. If you are framing double 2x4 walls, use a piece that is wide enough to cover your interior stud, your gap, and then a little. A 10" double 2x4 wall would require a 2x8 sub frame. Your flange window then mounts to this sub frame and voila! Your windows have the appearance of being integral to the framing instead of slapped on top. A little 5/4 trim around the edges and it's a work of art.
Another benefit to this approach is that your water management just got a lot easier. As long as you have a sloped sill on the outside and a planned drainage path, you're good for the long haul. The water above the window opening gets kicked out by a piece of Z flashing at the head trim.
C'mon, my grandma could do this!
Istockhouseplans is committed to quality design and we hope you'll extend this to your building. Contact us with any questions during your build process and we'll be happy to give you free consultation.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Free Green at Last, Free Green at Last!
Apologies for being absent for the last month. We were busy working on our entry for the FreeGreen Who's Next? design contest. The contest has 2 profiles, one for yuppies and one for retirees. We chose the yuppies and designed a house that could grow with them. Our design utilizes a 2 bed 1 bath home in 1000sf. There is an approximately 400sf finished attic that is ready for partitions (more bedrooms?). The most exciting feature of the home is the rear deck. It's built on a foundation that can support a future 336sf addition. Simply pull up the deck and build the house!
Competition is hot and heavy with 247 entries. Early voting shows us nowhere near winning but it is early. We're amazed by the number of houses that don't look like houses. If you think Istockhouseplans has got what it takes, show us your support by voting.
Thanks and we'll see you soon!
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Competition is hot and heavy with 247 entries. Early voting shows us nowhere near winning but it is early. We're amazed by the number of houses that don't look like houses. If you think Istockhouseplans has got what it takes, show us your support by voting.
Thanks and we'll see you soon!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
From Russia with... lumber?
From the country who brought you the 9-segment LCD display, the motorcycle boat, and a 13-story wooden house, we present to you another fine idea from the former Soviet jewel.
If you can name the model of the car in the video, we'll give you 300 rubles off your next purchase.
If you can name the model of the car in the video, we'll give you 300 rubles off your next purchase.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Haitian Dirtbags
For the past week plus we've watched the nation of Haiti fall apart after an earthquake. Reading stories and seeing the images makes us very disappointed that we can't just up and go to help. But what would we do? We have no medical experience. We could help distribute supplies, I suppose. But since our passion is architecture, our thoughts leaned that way. Many people have lost their homes to the 7.0 rumbler. Even the presidential palace is destroyed (as in structurally unsound, not rubble on the ground).
Why did the homes fail? Mostly because of the poor building practices. A good number of homes are concrete with less than adequate mix and not necessarily any rebar. Concrete has the distinction of being inflexible. If you stress it, concrete does not bend, it cracks and breaks. Bad for homes.
So we gave some thought to how we could help the residents of Port-au-Prince. We thought about buying them some rebar, but shipping costs would be a bit high. We thought about designing some prefab homes ala Michael Janzen, but he's got a great product already and lumber is not exactly plentiful on the island.
So then we ran across some blog entries on earthbag homes. What is that, pray tell? Take a bag, fill it with dirt, stack, repeat. Easy. You can check out a Haitian Dirtbag home here that withstood the quake just fine. The owner of this home, Father Theo, cares for orphans in Haiti and runs a blog here. Their other concrete buildings sustained some minor damage. Think this might be a fluke? Check out some earthbag testing here.
"So what?" you might say. "This all looks fine. Are you going to go to Haiti and build earthbag homes?" Not quite. But we believe Father Theo is on to something. Earthbag homes use local materials, can be built in a day, are sturdy, insulative, and cheap. We would like to lobby with Habitat for Humanity to consider rebuilding Port-au-Prince with earthbag homes to avoid any future apocalyptic aftermaths. Once we get that okay, we will begin donating a portion of our plan sales towards buying bags, barbed wire, and any other necessities to rehabilitate Haiti.
You can voice your opinion too by clicking here. Please write and tell them that you think earthbag homes would be the most sustainable housing stock for Haitian revival. May Haiti thrive.
Why did the homes fail? Mostly because of the poor building practices. A good number of homes are concrete with less than adequate mix and not necessarily any rebar. Concrete has the distinction of being inflexible. If you stress it, concrete does not bend, it cracks and breaks. Bad for homes.
So we gave some thought to how we could help the residents of Port-au-Prince. We thought about buying them some rebar, but shipping costs would be a bit high. We thought about designing some prefab homes ala Michael Janzen, but he's got a great product already and lumber is not exactly plentiful on the island.
So then we ran across some blog entries on earthbag homes. What is that, pray tell? Take a bag, fill it with dirt, stack, repeat. Easy. You can check out a Haitian Dirtbag home here that withstood the quake just fine. The owner of this home, Father Theo, cares for orphans in Haiti and runs a blog here. Their other concrete buildings sustained some minor damage. Think this might be a fluke? Check out some earthbag testing here.
"So what?" you might say. "This all looks fine. Are you going to go to Haiti and build earthbag homes?" Not quite. But we believe Father Theo is on to something. Earthbag homes use local materials, can be built in a day, are sturdy, insulative, and cheap. We would like to lobby with Habitat for Humanity to consider rebuilding Port-au-Prince with earthbag homes to avoid any future apocalyptic aftermaths. Once we get that okay, we will begin donating a portion of our plan sales towards buying bags, barbed wire, and any other necessities to rehabilitate Haiti.
You can voice your opinion too by clicking here. Please write and tell them that you think earthbag homes would be the most sustainable housing stock for Haitian revival. May Haiti thrive.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Putting our Watts where our Mouth is
For a couple of years now Istockhouseplans has been talking all about energy efficiency and how you should be including it in the homes you build. We've talked about stud spacing, floor joist spacing, truss spacing, thicker walls, advanced framing, and modular design. We've given you plenty of advice (solicited and un-) about what we think the world should be like.
But unlike the doctor who discourages you from smoking and then asks for a light, we can back up our claims. As part of our partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, we are having our plans energy modeled. We'll start with a base code score and then suggest a few improvements that would be the most suitable regarding energy efficiency and your wallet. If you decide you want to get a lot more creative in your build (R-30 walls?), we can run a preliminary score for you to see how much better your home would be.
We'll spend the next few months updating our portfolio with these numbers and then give you the results. While we don't expect usage numbers in the teens (70's-80's is average), we do expect that you'll be able to give your buyers a more complete picture of their new home. Just another service that Istockhouseplans offers.
But unlike the doctor who discourages you from smoking and then asks for a light, we can back up our claims. As part of our partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, we are having our plans energy modeled. We'll start with a base code score and then suggest a few improvements that would be the most suitable regarding energy efficiency and your wallet. If you decide you want to get a lot more creative in your build (R-30 walls?), we can run a preliminary score for you to see how much better your home would be.
We'll spend the next few months updating our portfolio with these numbers and then give you the results. While we don't expect usage numbers in the teens (70's-80's is average), we do expect that you'll be able to give your buyers a more complete picture of their new home. Just another service that Istockhouseplans offers.
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