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Your Dream Home - Architecture Thread

Started by Alex Free Market, January 09, 2009, 11:07 AM NHFT

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Lumpy

Quote from: dalebert on April 04, 2009, 12:54 PM NHFT
Quote from: Lumpy on April 04, 2009, 12:46 PM NHFT
That is EXACTLY what I want to build here soon.  EXACTLY!

That's beautiful. I'd LOVE something like that too. I understand there are a few issues to work out in terms of making sure the structure can handle the weight of the earth up against it like that, but it's just something you have to consider and work out. I think there could also be water table problems, but I bet you could deal with that by setting up good drainage along the earth side of the house.

Typically it's as easy as properly grading your earth AWAY from the structure.  You can even build with straw bale while farther away from the risky spots.  This home appears to have recycled bottles in the walls.  Those let in interesting light but some may turn their nose up at them.
I agree that the walls pose the most problem handling the pressure from the earth against them, that is why I think it is best to simply use what earth you have without pushing a whole hell of a lot of crap against the walls.  Grading will keep the moisture out but if it's already graded for the most part, the earth may already be the best form of  water and pressure diversion available, especially if there is rock, like a granite slab, in the back, with earth over and/or around it.
Many times I've been through the woods of NH and I have seen plenty of spots that would fit that kind of bill.
Does that make sense or more like ramblings of a crazy person?

yamnuska

After living in the UK for 5 years I like old style homes, see pdf below. Any colonial era stuff in NH?

http://resources.knightfrank.com/getres.ashx?id=ac81e583-03c0-4aef-9dd6-17bb76bf7585&type=1

Russell Kanning

Quote from: dalebert on April 04, 2009, 12:54 PM NHFT
Quote from: Lumpy on April 04, 2009, 12:46 PM NHFT
That is EXACTLY what I want to build here soon.  EXACTLY!

That's beautiful. I'd LOVE something like that too. I understand there are a few issues to work out in terms of making sure the structure can handle the weight of the earth up against it like that, but it's just something you have to consider and work out. I think there could also be water table problems, but I bet you could deal with that by setting up good drainage along the earth side of the house.
that structure handles backfilled dirt just like the rest of them
it looks like that house is built on the top of the normal ground and dirt was piled against it
that picture is of rob roy's house in ny
I like cordwood buildings, but not round ones
if you want to see one being built, stop by the farm ... we laid our first cordwood yesterday

Russell Kanning

if you like colonial era stuph .... new hampshire is a good place
some are that old ... many not quite so old ones are made in that style
look up some real estate listings and see them all

Lloyd Danforth

#34
Quote from: yamnuska on October 18, 2009, 03:53 AM NHFT
After living in the UK for 5 years I like old style homes, see pdf below. Any colonial era stuff in NH?

http://resources.knightfrank.com/getres.ashx?id=ac81e583-03c0-4aef-9dd6-17bb76bf7585&type=1
Most houses in NH are 'Colonial America' styled and many are actually from the Colonial period.  You won't find many half timbered stucco houses though. Most are covered with clapboards or, shingles and have multi pained windows.


Lumpy

Quote from: Russell Kanning on October 18, 2009, 05:53 AM NHFT
Quote from: dalebert on April 04, 2009, 12:54 PM NHFT
Quote from: Lumpy on April 04, 2009, 12:46 PM NHFT
That is EXACTLY what I want to build here soon.  EXACTLY!

That's beautiful. I'd LOVE something like that too. I understand there are a few issues to work out in terms of making sure the structure can handle the weight of the earth up against it like that, but it's just something you have to consider and work out. I think there could also be water table problems, but I bet you could deal with that by setting up good drainage along the earth side of the house.
that structure handles backfilled dirt just like the rest of them
it looks like that house is built on the top of the normal ground and dirt was piled against it
that picture is of rob roy's house in ny
I like cordwood buildings, but not round ones
if you want to see one being built, stop by the farm ... we laid our first cordwood yesterday
How did I miss this?  Thanks Russell!  We've been studying some more straw bale timber frame...  and I reeeeeeally like the flexibility of the interior due to the heavy external (walled) support of the structure.  Straw bale is also super insulative... needed in G-town!

Sovereign Curtis

You guys came close, but didnt exactly touch on what I want.

I want an Earth Ship.

I want to dig into a mountain/hill, and down at least one floor, and use used tires filled with rammed earth for the foundation, outside walls, and load bearing walls. I want my house to take care of its own electrical, water, heat/cooling and sewage needs (and it would be awesome to grow edible food inside the house). I want big ass windows facing south, slanted around 60 degrees, allowing summer sun to hit just the planters, but winter sun would be allowed to smack the two/three foot thick tire/dirt walls.

Ideally there would be a mini nuclear reactor a couple dozen yards below the basement.

Russell Kanning

i find a few designs better than the earthships, but they do have the whole selfcontained thing going
if you had a nuke battery you could have as much glass and plants growing as you want

cathleeninnh

I would be interested to know how you deal with heating. In our walk out cellar, we have the south wall that is at ground level and the other three walls at least 3/4 "underground". Without heat in there now, the lower part of the concrete walls is against 50 F dirt, but the parts within a couple feet of ground level are against frozen ground. It stays around the freezing mark in there when it is 10 F outside. The house above is too tight to leak heat down and the boiler doesn't run enough to leak much heat. We are looking to add heat down there for the pipes. Comfort level heat, if it were living space would be wicked right out without the walls insulated. Would your tire/earth walls prevent this?

Lloyd Danforth

If your basement floor is insulated, you can add insulation to the south wall and the door I assume is on the wall and all of the rest of the wall that is above 4 feet below grade.
If you heat the area, you will always have to concentrate it near that south wall. 

Pat K



The views suck and it's noisy, but it's all mine and payed for.

Russell Kanning

if you had some earth on the south side and some insulation it could be a lot closer to 50 with no heat source

porcupine kate

My dream home is not to different from Cathleen's beautiful house or my aunt's Nancy's house.

My aunt also has a passive solar house that she and my uncle built in the 80's. 
It is one story on the north side of the house and two stories on the south side.  Walk out basement style.
It has a neat feature of having a green house on the lower level of the south side of the house.
The passive solar windows go from the ground to roof line on the south side of the house.  The basement is 3 feet lower than the ground level on the south side of the house and completely below ground on the north side.  The green house has a large "garden box" that runs most of the the length of the house, 3 feet wide and 3"deep.   This works as in insulating heat sink  and an indoor garden.  The basement not only has the green house but some of the living space too.  The main floor is an open floor concept with a wood burning stove.   My aunt has heated the house for 20 years at the cost of gasoline and a tune up every year for the chainsaw.  They have 7 acres of woods and have heated the house from only dead fall from their property. She still splits most of he own wood.

My husband has family building a straw bale house in Maine.  It is very cool. Rick spoke about it at the Alt Expo last Porc fest. They are building it without a mortgage.  it has a very Tudor feel to the look of it.  I love the deep window sills and rough milled exposed beams in it.  They are recycling materials and finding creative ways to use them.  One example is in the flooring upstairs. It is from an old gym floor from the school they work at. 

One thing to keep in mind if you build a straw bale house here in NH.  Moisture.  The houses are designed to breath but we are way to wet in New England for that to work really well without a vapor barrier for the interior of the house or a good dehumidifier.  I was visiting the house in Maine and it is quite musty smelling.  It may improve once they are living in it full time but the moisture would be a serious issue to anyone with mold allergies or asthma. 

cathleeninnh

http://www.certainteed.com/products/insulation/mold-prevention/317391

Made from an advanced material that changes its permeability with the ambient humidity condition, MemBrain acts like a traditional vapor retarder to protect wall cavities, but also allows closed building envelope systems to dramatically increase their drying potential with seasonal climatic changes.

We used it. So far so good.