Buying Land to Build an Eco home?

[El Jefe]

The issue that I have had and you may run into is when doing anything that does not fit into the cities comfort zone… ie studs on 16″ centers/concrete block/structural steel… they will want to see ALL of your engineering to give them a warm fuzzy feeling that what you are building will still be standing in 10 years. Typically that means that your structural engineer is going to have to spend a day down at the building dept, assumed guilty until he can prove otherwise, reviewing all his calcs and justifying any assumptions. That can be big $$$ depending on how eco friendly you plan on getting. All the title 24 stuff is also stacked against you if you are using any materials that do not have well established energy insulating properties.

[NotCranky]

If your neigbor has permits they will have to insulate. They also should be installing dual pane windows.In theory new construction is supposed to be air tight.Solar panels are of course completely optional It is still expensive to get solar going and time to recoup investment+ loss of what that 30k or so could do elsewhere is a barrier.New homes have to have a 92% efficient FAU(force air unit)Mine is so efficent that the flue is ordinary PVC pipe instead of double walled pressed steel.My probelm is with he fact that heating is required at all,in Southern California.It should be optional IMO.I live at 3000 feet and even my wife admits we could easily do with out it. You have to do the real green things as a hobbiest,trend setter, or for moral reasons.Even then,the authorities make it next to impossible.Only people who can afford to abandon urban living or live below the radar of the Gov. can do it. I have several little things that we can do,but that should be a different post. I love the houses you are talking about.Still pretty elite. Real ecology and economy can be enhanced by building small and utilizing space somewhat like the design of a sail boat, as has been more or less eluded to on this thread.Density of individual dwellings is probably good in this regard too.I would bet many of us here don’t wan’t to live that close to each other. We might not get around the fact that conditioning individual large volumes of space and using newly manufactured and harvested components is glutinous compared to the worlds economy and resources.The man hours dedicated to the artistic elements is not efficient for helping any impoverished people left wanting for basic survival needs. Thats why I have problems with the huge artistic “green” dwelling being considered pc and cool and all that.No matter what, building big with driveways and all,in enviormentally sensitive areas,anywhere that hasn’t previouly been paved,wreaks havoc on the ecology. Still I don’t moralize publically against it and I have not done much for the planet, these are just observatons.

[NotCranky]

If your neigbor has permits they will have to insulate. They also should be installing dual pane windows.In theory new construction is supposed to be air tight.Solar panels are of course completely optional It is still expensive to get solar going and time to recoup investment+ loss of what that 30k or so could do elsewhere is a barrier.New homes have to have a 92% efficient FAU(force air unit)Mine is so efficent that the flue is ordinary PVC pipe instead of double walled pressed steel.My probelm is with he fact that heating is required at all,in Southern California.It should be optional IMO.I live at 3000 feet and even my wife admits we could easily do with out it. You have to do the real green things as a hobbiest,trend setter, or for moral reasons.Even then,the authorities make it next to impossible.Only people who can afford to abandon urban living or live below the radar of the Gov. can do it. I have several little things that we can do,but that should be a different post. I love the houses you are talking about.Still pretty elite. Real ecology and economy can be enhanced by building small and utilizing space somewhat like the design of a sail boat, as has been more or less eluded to on this thread.Density of individual dwellings is probably good in this regard too.I would bet many of us here don’t wan’t to live that close to each other. We might not get around the fact that conditioning individual large volumes of space and using newly manufactured and harvested components is glutinous compared to the worlds economy and resources.The man hours dedicated to the artistic elements is not efficient for helping any impoverished people left wanting for basic survival needs. Thats why I have problems with the huge artistic “green” dwelling being considered pc and cool and all that.No matter what, building big with driveways and all,in enviormentally sensitive areas,anywhere that hasn’t previouly been paved,wreaks havoc on the ecology. Still I don’t moralize publically against it and I have not done much for the planet, these are just observatons.

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