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DESIGN STYLES
There are many styles of homes to choose from and many aspects
of a home design which need to be considered before a final
decision is made. For example, what are the weather
conditions in your area? If you experience a lot of rain,
either seasonally or throughout the year, a Pueblo style home
like the one above would not be a good choice. If, however,
you live in an area which receives little or no rain during
the year, this may be an appropriate home design for you to
consider. The style of home, and the details of how it
is designed, play a large role in the efficiency of the home,
so don’t rush the process. Take a little extra
time to ensure that your choices are the best match for your
property.
SITE EVALUATION AND VISITS
An excellent way to decide what design is best for
your land is to fully understand the property before
you begin to design. If you are able to delay the design
and construction of the home, it is a great practice
to live on the land in a temporary structure and watch
how the land interacts throughout the year with the
cycles of nature. You may discover, for example,
that the area you thought was so beautiful is actually
a wind tunnel for most of the year or that the spot
you had no interest in proves to have the best solar
access and natural ventilation. Only experience
can show you these truths.
WATER CONSIDERATIONS
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Pay attention to how water flows on your property. Perhaps
you do not have an obvious creek or other visible body
of water, but when it rains, the water has to go somewhere. Watch
where the water goes so you can know where to build
and where not to build. Watch for puddles and
other areas of stagnant water. In addition, look
for clues that could indicate the presence of ground
water. Unless you are on city facilities, you
will most likely require a well. The closer you
place the building site to the well, the less expensive
it will be to bring the water to the house. That
said, you will also need to consider where your leach
field for the septic system or grey and black water
treatment system
will be situated. The well must be located a
safe distance from this area, yet, the field also needs
to be close enough to the house to minimize costs. Whenever
possible, it is best to keep the well uphill from the
drain field so no waste can flow down into the drinking
water supply. Therefore, part of watching the
way water interacts with your land should include an
understanding of the topography and, to some extent,
the geology of the property.
SOLAR TRACKING
The
movement of the sun is vital to an efficient home. For
example, it is possible to harness the power of the
sun for both electricity and heating needs. Do
you know where the sun travels across your land at
different times of the year? Do you know how
to watch the moon in order to understand the path of
the sun 6 months in the future? These details
can affect the size of the roof overhangs as an overhang
too large may block the sun you want to enter the building
in the winter while too short of an overhang may allow
the summer sun in when you don’t want it. Know
the angle of the sun in your latitude by studying the
angle of the moon. Prevailing winds, tree locations,
slope of the land: all these details must be fully
investigated before the home design is started. Truly
understand your land and the design of your home will
undoubtedly be more appropriate.
DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS
Once you know your land intimately and you have decided
where the house will go and which direction it will
face, the time has come to design the home. As
you have already learned, straw bale walls are ideal
for sound proofing and for insulation. Use this
information to design a home that balances the need
for insulation with that of light and ventilation. Design
a home balanced with sound protection and view sheds. Keep
in mind that proper window placement can reduce heating
and cooling costs while improper placement can raise
them both. Just because a view is nice does not
mean that a bank of windows is necessary to appreciate
it. After all, how much is that view worth? Ask
yourself that question because you may be paying for
that view every month when you get your power and gas
bill.
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The less impact you have on the land when building,
the more cost efficient the home will be. If
you have to spend more money on excavation and retaining
walls than on building your house, the site may not
have been used to its best potential. The more
you design with the land: its topography,
water, wind, solar access and flora, the more the home
will be a part of the landscape and thus be a part
of the world in which you live. If your home
is a part of the land rather than a structure stuck
on top of it, you will work less to keep it functioning
in efficient harmony with nature.
Tomorrow we'll look at the best way to select bales
for
your straw bale project.
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