Starting over....

Patt · #1 03/04/10, 12:33 PM

Three weeks ago yesterday our homestead home of 8 years burnt to the ground taking everything we owned with it plus our car. We cleared out our 376 sq. ft shop and are building ourselves a little studio apartment.

http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o...and%20rebuild/

We plan to live here for a year before we rebuild so that we can build mortgage free and get exactly what we want. We also got rid of all our livestock except chickens and rabbits so that we can tear down all the fence and put up new stuff and organise the whole place better.

So if you could start all over from scratch what would you do differently? What sort of house would you build?

Forerunner · #2 03/04/10, 12:41 PM

I would build inground, with a broad southern window exposure that would serve as winter heat and an indoor greenhouse.
Wind, temperature extremes and other natural pnenomena are only going to increase, as are the costs of heating and cooling. Concrete, glass and steel don't burn.
Properly built--and they've certainly ironed a lot of bugs out of underground construction-- such a home should last at least a lifetime.

Oh, and there is the issue of an in-house root cellar in the back.....
and a well that is only accessible from an interior, concrete room.
I could go on.

Tricky Grama · #3 03/04/10, 12:43 PM

Oh, how horrible! I only want to say I'm so sorry, I cannot imagine the devastaion. Prayers, good thoughts for your recovery effort.

Patt · #4 03/04/10, 12:46 PM

Thanks Tricky Grama.

We are seriously considering either underground or a dome home. My husband wants a Hobbit hole.

geo in mi · #5 03/04/10, 12:46 PM

Energy efficiency, masonry furnace, with cooking and baking facility, underground water lines to the garden, water shutoffs and drains in house in order to close it down completely for wintering in the South.

chewie · #6 03/04/10, 12:52 PM

we just did build a house, and altho i LOVE it, if it were a do-over (and you dont' mention how many of you there are for this home?) i'd go smaller. in fact, i'd do one of those plans where you build one tiny cabin type home, and add another if needed, later, all debt free of course.

a hobbit house would be great tho., i've seen some, and they are so cute!

salmonslayer · #7 03/04/10, 12:55 PM

I admire your grit. If I had the option I would build a small older looking traditional farmhouse but with modern super insulation, and electrical that includes solar. Wrap around front porch, old fashioned kitchen..walkout basement, the root cellar as Forerunner said and I would absolutely plan the barnyard and other farm aspects from the beginning so that everything worked in harmony. I like old and in a perfect world I would use old interior doors and trim, farmhouse sink, wood stove in the kitchen etc.

It must have been traumatic but it also presents some opportunity which it sounds like your pursuing. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

UUmom2many · #8 03/04/10, 01:00 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your house but you seem like you have a positive attitude about starting over. I like that

If we could, I'd absolutely love a hobbit hole. I've seen some really nice ones. We're just too sandy down here in FL for it though. I can picture the rounded door while I type this. Natural unfinished beams. Small high up windows...I digress.

If it was just the hubby and I and we lived in a more dirty place

I'd go for that option, digging out rooms as you need to. Sticking 7 of us in the ground just isn't feasible. Again, just us or maybe a couple of bairn and i'd stick to a small, well thought out footprint. Above or below ground.

Forerunner · #9 03/04/10, 01:06 PM

While we're at it, put the house below the year-round spring for continuous gravity fed water. Build a concrete bunker against the spring side of the house for the compost pile that will heat the water (and that side of the house). Build the house above all of the livestock and garden areas so that gravity will pull your greywater and animal residuals down to the fields every time it rains.
That way you can also gravity feed water to the livestock, and the fields/gardens when necessary. And, as you clean animal stalls, it will be down hill to the gardens when the day comes that all you have is a pitch fork and wheel barrel.

DW · #10 03/04/10, 01:06 PM

Sorry to hear about this BUT if I were doing it again...ranch style (I am getting older and can see we will need a bedrm downstairs) and a really good pantry. Also you can never have too many nice closets!

Hank · #11 03/04/10, 03:41 PM

Sorry for your problems, but I like your attitude. As I am now "building" our 6 ac. "homestead" I will be reading everyone's posts to get Ideas as well. Good luck!

Hank
http://www.doublemfarmandchuckwagon.webs.com

fishhead · #12 03/04/10, 03:53 PM

I'm sorry to hear about losing your home.

I would focus on building a home that heats and cools itself both to free up time and money in the future.

Jan Doling · #13 03/04/10, 04:01 PM

I love my farmhouse: front and rear porches the length of the house, concrete block both stories, metal roof...but we don't do underground homes much in Florida...sounds intriguing....you wouldn't have roof or painting maintenance that way...I especially like the part about an indoor/outdoor greenhouse on the south side....sort of a transition from inside to the outside....and it would be lovely to reach over and get strawberries for breakfast or tomatoes for the salad.

Then again I am claustrophobic and don't think being cooped up underground would suit me...I taught at an underground school once...it was much noisier than traditional school buildings.

anniew · #14 03/04/10, 04:10 PM

If you are in the north and doing an above ground house, consider doing what they did in New England...build the house, then a garage and then the barn...all attached, so you can get to the animals by going through the garage in winter and not have to go outside if the weather is really bad.

Linkovich · #15 03/04/10, 04:37 PM

Ooooo, check it out guys!

http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm

Someone's post about a hobbit house got me looking, this is so neat! Ok, I want to do this now! Cheap way to build a house, since the cost of building materials is extortionate right now!

Minelson · #16 03/04/10, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anniew

If you are in the north and doing an above ground house, consider doing what they did in New England...build the house, then a garage and then the barn...all attached, so you can get to the animals by going through the garage in winter and not have to go outside if the weather is really bad.

What an awesome idea....I would love that!

Patt · #17 03/04/10, 04:56 PM

We have one son at home who graduates this year so it will just be the 2 of us. We will keep this cottage we are in now for the kids and their families when they visit once the new house is done. Thanks for all the ideas, definitely lots to consider!

Shepherd · #18 03/04/10, 05:02 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your tragedy but am so glad to see you have such a great attitude about it.

We live in a berm home with skylights and I'd highly recommend it. I can provide you with pictures if you wish, just PM me.

I'd also make plans to have all the outbuildings near the house so you could go from one to another without having to be outside much. Currently our barn is a long, long ways from the house and the chicken coop is on the other side of it. Due to its location, it's very difficult to take care of the chickens in the winter months. Plus the location of both the barn and the chicken coop makes it hard because everything drains down to them - leaving a lot of ice to contend with right in front of them.

I'd build as energy efficiently as I could afford to - using solar and wind energy, I'd build a cistern to have access to it from inside the house, as well as a root cellar and additional storage.

I know there are other things I'm forgetting, but if I think of them, I'll add them in another post.

**Ross** · #19 03/04/10, 05:04 PM

I'd want a house dug into the ground and bermed where it might stick out, south facing windows and double door exit coming up through the ground on the buried side. I'd also want a utility entrance to the mechanical area, so wood could come in for back up heating and cooking. I'd heat with an outdoor boiler again.

ChristyACB · #20 03/04/10, 07:51 PM

I'm very sorry to hear of your disaster but glad to hear that you are picking up and looking forward! good thing you have that cottage. Looks very cozy!

I think I would look at what my climate supported with the least inputs and what people in older times may have built there. Where is Quachitas?

I'm looking at concrete for my next, and last, house. Either a new thing called Dac-Art, drystacked concrete block with rebar and concrete filled in the holes or tilt wall poured concrete. Most to keep maintenance low and strength and aging in place. I suppose if I were you I'd be thinking of that....how to make the house accommodate you as you age.