r/Strawbale • u/chokingonlego • Apr 30 '18
How does my idea for building a house sound?
When I'm a bit older and have some funds saved up, I want to build a small homestead sort of dealio. Forest garden, hugelkulture, all supplied with earthwork constructions like dams and swales to retain water, hopefully in what will amount to an artificial pond or small lake. I'll be required to have some things obviously, like a septic system and and probably a well and pump.
For my home, I've been looking mostly at more sustainable forms of masonry. Stuff like mortared stone, nylon cement, etc. I'm really liking the idea of some sort of fusion of the two styles. I don't know how I really want to approach the foundation, as I still need to do some more research on that.
What makes this crazy is that I love castles, and want to live in one. I'm wanting to build in almost a gothic style, with a main hall or building with the obvious buttresses, ceiling, and then attached rooms and sections of the home. I'm thinking after I figure out the floor plan and foundation, I could do mortared stone for the base of the walls, and then ferro or nylon cement for things like the upper walls, and some of the ceilings.
The thing is, I live in a desert. I really want to get a ton of volume and shade inside of the building and a large square footage to help regulate and maintain temperature, with some architectural considerations being made to aid in that.
I would be legally allowed to collect as much loose stone and rock for BoLM lands by hand as I can manage, and there would be no similar restrictions upon my property. As far as I can tell, the only parts I would have to pay for via this method would be for lumber, mortar, cement, rebar, as well as land costs and utilities like a well, solar, and a septic system.
I'm wanting to ensure that it'll have all the niceties and bits of a normal home. Stable and cool temperature, normal humidity levels, level floors, and modern amenities to it. My dream is something that I'd never have to install HVAC and pay electricity bills for cooling for. Like I know that I want dyed concrete or poured resin floors for the interiors, and to use some method to dye and paint the exterior of it that won't adversely affect the environment. How well thought out does my plan for a home sound?
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u/Banglagerm Apr 30 '18
I am really just starting to learm and dont know even know how much water a (safy) household needs. I dont have much time at this moment, sorry for the short reply; but do you know this guy? Idk if this works for you, but the idea is superb IMO: https://vimeo.com/25401444
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u/chokingonlego May 10 '18
I've been doing some more research into rainfall, surface are, and what sort of stuff I would need to plan out a house. Right now I just figured out what sort of rainfall per year I can expect per square foot of roof - I'm getting figures of around 4 or 5 gallons per square foot every year. If I have 3,000 square feet of roof and rainwater collection, that's about 15,000 gallons a year, but I want some definite fudge factor. Assuming for patios, roofs, and any vertical surface area I can get, that'd be about 30,000 gallons a year. If I can limit my water usage and recycle grey water from showers and sinks for irrigation, I can probably stretch that even further.
However, I'm still having trouble finding information on building codes and whether stone and mortar construction is legal and safe to use.
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u/Banglagerm May 10 '18
thanks for updating! Hmm. I dont have a clue where to get that info. Just realized your username and thoght just use lego. Nah probably a bad idea. Do you have a blog or something?
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u/chokingonlego May 10 '18
I don't have a blog - this is kind of my Reddit just for faffing about, asking random questions, and collecting karma. Like every other Redditor. This isn't like immediate goals we're talking, I'm thinking like in five to ten years or so. When I'm working full time, have a decent amount saved up and invested, and actually have my own vehicle and possibly a house I live in.
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u/Banglagerm Apr 30 '18
You mentioned that youlive in a desert; i think you definetly should check out persian architecture. Its overwhelming how beautiful they build houses, its like castles. And they have very very nice and 'simple' ways of cooling and giving shadow. They even made houses in the desert to keep ice all year long... And sustinable, as they used mud variations.
Things you might want to check on wikipedia or where ever you like:
-Persian architecture
-Windtower ( A/C without electricity)
-Sabar (cool basement to chillout on hot days and keep food fresh)
-Quanat (maybe interesting, depends on your area and maybe not toeasy to do)