371–380 of 508 posts
Interesting read, who hasn't dreamt of doing something like this (perhaps at different scales). I've started saving for a parcel of land in the Kootenays to build a.. ahem... much less grandiose dwelling for weekend getaways. I would invest in a couple of these [0] [0] http://www.onestopfire.com/sprinklers.htm
Big Achilles Heel: plowing the road to clear the snow so you can get to the hospital when somebody's appendix is about to burst.
Kind of off topic, but anybody know how I would gain the skills of building a house from scratch without quitting my day job as a developer?
You're going to need to figure out what trades you want to do and what ones you'll need/want to hire out. Volunteer to work on other people's projects for free (or beer) to see what you enjoy working on. For example, Habitat for Humanity and other home building charities often need bodies and can be a good way to sample different aspects of a build. Then, start small and try your hand at something simple like a shed.…
"The bigger issue was that the energy demands for the house, which included hot water heating for the pool and hot tub, outstripped the electrical supply we could get on a rural residential build: 400A" Am I the only one who almost spit out his coffee when reading this paragraph? I mean, building a remote home in the middle of a forest is a cool idea, sure. But then end up feeding the whole thing with 400A worth of e…
It strikes me as high too, but it's possible that he needed more than a 200A 240V main panel to meet code for his very large solar panel system. In the US (I don't know about Canada where the house is) there is a 120% rule, which limits the amount of electricity that the solar panel is allowed to feed into the panel: https://unboundsolar.com/blog/electrical-panel-requirements-... . The idea is that you don't want mor…
so 100A panel + 100A of solar requires a 200A panel
A few other things that require high-amp service - on demand electric water heating, and electric car charging (and we're moving towards multiple vehicles).
It's also worth mentioning that by far the largest cost of an electrical circuit is the labor, so sizing for 100A, 200A and 400A is not 1x, 2x, 4x. upgrading later is a huge cost.
Is there a post about the technology of the house? I'm interested especially in energy conservation technology like insulation, windows, heating solution, foundation etc...
I wouldn't necessarily look to someone who thinks their house needs a 400A power supply for energy conservation wisdom.
I've done this in Portugal, but on a smaller scale and pretty much with only my own labor. I purchased 6 hectares (15 acres) for mid-5-figures. I've built an A-frame studio house for around €10k (excl tools), and installed a 5kw solar system for about another €10k. The house has air conditioning and underfloor heating (water-based, heated using wood from the land). I've also brought a 50-year-old tractor and started…
What was your total cost, do you imagine, if you include your own labour? I'm originally from the Coimbra region (Mira and Penacova), and this is my dream! I'd love to retire back to Portugal and do something similar, but unfortunately, I'd have to hire someone to build the house :-)
But this style of construction is pretty unusual for the region, so you may need someone more specialist. If you need someone let me know though, I can think of a couple of companies.
I can give you more details over email.
The things I think I really got right are: 1) build from new, don’t renovate. And 2) build the whole structure on a platform off the ground. The entire building is supported on 6 steel legs.
Also, solar power + AC is fantastic. A bit of thermal bridging doesn’t seem to matter so much in 40 degree weather when the AC is solar powered :-)
"The bigger issue was that the energy demands for the house, which included hot water heating for the pool and hot tub, outstripped the electrical supply we could get on a rural residential build: 400A" Am I the only one who almost spit out his coffee when reading this paragraph? I mean, building a remote home in the middle of a forest is a cool idea, sure. But then end up feeding the whole thing with 400A worth of e…
Maybe they want to supercharge 2 or 3 EVs at once.
You can limit the charging current but at some point you will have to make compromises on driving.
this is all for one car.
For multiple cars, the compromises get trickier.
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It's funny how removed we are from reality. Even if $15/month might be cheaper than a propane bill, it would be far far more expensive against the planet to heat it with gas/coal burned at a factory 100 miles away, converted to electricity, then converted back to heat inside the spa water heater.
That area is almost exclusively hydroelectric power.
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Did you use a set of plans specifically for the A-frame studio house, or was it an amalgamation of a bunch of different resources? I'd love more resources on it if you have a suggestion.
I would love to be able to suggest something, but I think I just made up the design from my own head. I had a rough plan, and I made the rest up as I went along. If you send me an email (see my profile -> website) I can share with you the construction photos.
Local governments often insist that every aspect of the build is documented before you start (which is unachievable) and any deviations from the plan require stopping work and re-documenting at vast expense in professional fees and charges from the state.
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Cool! Do you have some references/links for the floor heat system? How big is the house? I'm mostly curious about the cycle time. We install floor heat in our homes, typically with a gas-fired boiler.
So the floor heat system is somewhat unusual. Details are: - The house is 5x7m. The heated area is about 2.5x7m - There is no concrete base. The system [1] I used was designed to receive concrete, but I decided against it. - The floor heats up in about 30 minutes, but the water temperature is substantially higher than normal (because lack of thermal conductivity due to lack of concrete) - The flooring is large plywoo…
Yes. A lot of people (I think the original author of this piece) wish to have everything from the start.
Much better IMO to start small and simple and expand.
Easier to sneak around the out of whack inspection systems. In my area, that matters, as the inspection system has gone bananas