Development is Life, Life is Good!

Simon and Jasmine Saville have built a very unusual eco-house in Wales. This is not your transportable home but one built right into the land. Very different and not your run of the mill home.

Simon and his wife Jasmine had the offer to use this land if they built an eco-friendly house and were were offerd 2,000 pounds to help construct it. Simon with the help of Jasmine’s father built the home in four months. A total of 3,000 pounds and a lot of manpower and effort in finding eco-friendly products they built this beautiful home.

To read an interview with Jasmine and see the construction of the home, be sure and visit there website.

You are looking at pictures of a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.

Some key points of the design and construction:

• Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
• Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
• Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
• Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
• Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
• Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
• Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
• Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
• Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring…)
• Woodburner for heating – renewable and locally plentiful
• Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
• Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
• Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
• Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
• Water by gravity from nearby spring
• Compost toilet
• Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. Oh and by the way I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around inbetween. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.

This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage. To read more about why we did it and why this is an important option to meet the challenges of climate change and peak oil, click here.

Would you like to learn more about this sort of building and gain practical experience? Why not join us on another exciting building project. There will be opportunities for everyone of all abilities and areas of interest. Click here for more details.

From : http://www.simondale.net

Kent Griswold on 03 Jul 2009

Carre d’etoiles: a Tiny, Portable Prefab Cube from France

Yesterday materialicious discovered the neatest prefab cube and I had the hardest time waiting until today to share it with you.

The concept of the design is for a vacation getaway for resorts where you can experience a window to the sky, and an island of liberty. You can rent these at several places throughout France and use the included astronomical telescope to penetrate the mysteries of the universe.

Designed with luxury and modern appliances, this tiny cube which size I estimate to be approximately 10 x 10 x 10 foot has everything you need in a very compact space. It will sleep four people, has a corner kitchen, toilet, shower, cabin bed, and parquet floors.

It has all the modern conveniences including a flat panel TV, mp3 player ready, telephone and Internet ready.

I want one of these in my back yard, or on some remote piece of property for a get away cabin.

Visit the Carre D’etoiles website to learn more.

From : http://tinyhouseblog.com

개발사업 시행예서 가장 중요한 부분이 owing cost(자금조달비용)이다. 개발초기비용을 전부 자기자본으로 부담하면 좋겠지만, 그렇게 할 수 있는 기업이 없을 뿐더러, 그렇게 해서도 안된다. 왜냐면, 100%자기자본을 들여서 사업을 시행하면 금융비용이 줄어 사업수익은 증가되나 사업소득세(법인세)가 증가하여 ROE(자기자본순이익률)이 현저하게 떨아진다. 내가 투자한 돈에 비해 남는 비용이 얼마안된다는 이야기이다. 따라서, 자기자본을 최소한을 들이고 사업을 하는 것이 현명하다. 통상적으로 사업을 시행하기 위한 적정투자비는 초기사업비(토지구입비용)의 30%가 적정하겠지만, 우리나라에서는 10%이하의 자금으로 시행하는 경우가대부분이다. 이는 우리나라 주택정책의 특수성으로 인하여 제도적인 특혜가 있기 때문이다. 이에 무분별한 시행으로 인하여 주택시장의 과잉을 초래하기도 하였다.

 요컨데, owing cost의 절감은 사업성공의 필수 조건이다. owing cost를 결정하는 중요한 기준은 기업의 신용등급이다. 국내에서 기업의 신용등급을 평가하는 회사는 몇군데가 있다. 기업신용등급의 공시에 따라 금융기관의 대출 및 채권발행시에 금리가 결정된다. 대부분의 시행사는 프로젝트를 위한 하루살이 기업이라 기업 신용도가 전무하다. 따라서, 시공사의 연대보증입보가 필수적으로 필요하다. 결국, 주관시공사의 신용등급에 따라 owing cost가  결정된다.

조달상품별 owing cost를 비교하면, ABCP(5%대) <ABS(7%대) < 은행대축(8%대) < 저축은행(10%이상) 이다.
 결국, 신용등급이 양호한 건설사와 함께 사업을 시행한다면 owing cost를 낮출 수 있다. 다만, 공사비가 높아지겠지만, 최근에 많이 발행되는 1년만기 ABCP금리를 보면 그 건설회사의 신용도를 가늠해 볼 수 있다.

1년만기 ABCP금리
포스코건설 5.5%
삼성물산 5.5%
롯데건설 5.7%
두산중공업 7.58%
현대건설 8%
GS건설 8.2%
대우건설 12%

ROE(Return on Equity) : 자기자본 수익률 = (당기순이익 / 평균 자기자본)  * 100%

ROI(Return on Investment) : 총투자자산 이익률 = (당기순이익 / 총투자자산) * 100%

즉, ROE(자기자본 수익률)란, 1년동안 벌어들인 당기순이익을 자기자본(순자본)으로 나눈 것이다. 이 비율의 의미는 주주(투자자)가 투자한 자금으로 어느 정도의 수익률을 내었는가? 를 나타냅니다. 그러므로, 이 비율이 미미한 수준이라면 남는 것이 별로 없다는 뜻입니다. 따라서, 투자자들이 투자한 돈으로 괄목할 만한 성과를 못낸다면 투자자는 이런 회사에 투자를 하지 않을 것입니다. 차라리 은행에 돈을 넣어놓고 약간이지만 이자수익이나 챙기는 것이 더 현명할 것입니다. IRR도 그러하지만, 최소 수익률은 은행저축이자 이상은 나와야 하겠지요.  선진국에서 이 수익률은 최소 10% ~ 15%정도는 되어야 투자를 고려할만 하다고 합니다.  주의할 것은 부채가 많은 기업이 자기자본 수익률이 높을 수 있다는 것입니다.

A사 총자산2190억원(부채970억원,자본1220억원)  당기순이익(NOI) 260억원

          A사의 ROE = 21%, ROI = 11%

B사 총자산1670억원(부채730억원,자본940억원)     당기순이익(NOI) 110억원

          B사의 ROE = 10%, ROI = 6%

Posted February 10th, 2009 by Michael Janzen and filed in Just For Fun

Yesterday I posted a tiny tree house hotel in Sweden, today I’m posting a tiny underwater house in Sweden. (I guess I’ve got to get myself to Sweden.) This little hotel room floats in Lake Mälaren near the town of Västerås, Sweden. Basically the little red house sits above the waterline and is the access point for the bedroom that’s below the water. It’s the brainchild of artist Mikael Genberg who was also the man behind the Woodpecker Hotel. And I thought I had a wild imagination, LOL. Thanks again to Marti for passing this one onto me too. Great stuff!

From to : http://www.tinyhousedesign.com

Stephanie Arado, violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra and her 2 year old son, Amery enjoy off-grid living in the original weeHouse.  The exterior is clad in cemetitious siding painted with an oxidizing paint.  The interior is completely wrapped in douglas fir, and features, floor to ceiling Andersen glazing as well as Ikea and custom built-ins by Alchemy.

Pricing : WeeHouses incorporate high quality, contemporary design with the construction quality typical of a custom-built structure, but are created in less time and at approximately 20% less cost. weeHoses range frem $125~$200/square foot depending on the factory location and structure size.(평당 5백만원에서 9백만원 내외)

weehouse 2009: Brochure.pdf

weeHouse ?

Architecture in a box! House. Cabin. Office. Developments. weeHouses are sturdy enough to withstand the extremes of desert or tundra and they may be placed anywhere that is accessible by truck. The weeHouse system is based on a modern aesthetic, efficient use of space, and intelligent adaptation of prefab building technology. From small retreats to large urban weeHouses—even for commercial uses—the weeHouse adapts to a wide variety of needs. weeHouses are available in one-module, two-module, or customized configurations. By selecting from our unique siding and interior options, each weeHouse is tailored to fit your lifestyle. weeHouses are built offsite in a factory and arrive onsite with (almost!) everything including the kitchen sink. You provide the foundation, the crane rental, and some interior ‘button-up’ such as seaming of the modules and utility hook-ups. weeHouse delivers, then it’s your house to enjoy.

From to : weehouse.com

•  LEAD ARCHITECT : Tom Kundig, FAIA
• LOCATION & YEAR  : Mazama, WA, 2007

Responding to the owner’s need for space to house visiting friends and family, the Rolling Huts are several steps above camping, while remaining low-tech and low-impact in their design. The huts sit lightly on the site, a flood plain meadow in an alpine river valley. The owner purchased the site, formerly a RV campground, with the aim of allowing the landscape return to its natural state. The wheels lift the structures above the meadow, providing an unobstructed view into nature and the prospect of the surrounding mountains.

The huts are grouped as a herd: while each is sited towards a view of the mountains (and away from the other structures), their proximity unites them. They evoke Thoreau’s simple cabin in the woods; the structures take second place to nature. Rental information for the Huts is available at  www.rollinghuts.com [From to :  http://www.tinyhousedesign.com]

New Take On Rolling Tiny Houses

Posted January 28th, 2009 by Michael Janzen and filed in Projects

My buddy Ryan spotted this project in a recent WSJ (Wall Street Journal Magazine), a surprising place to find an article on tiny houses. These were designed by architect Tom Kundig and serve as guest houses on a remote property in Washington State. The 44-acre property had a zoning issue and a grandfather clause saying that only RV hookups were allowed. Instead of trying to get a variance approved the owner and architect decided to put the houses on big steel wheels and plug the houses into RV hookups. This is an excellent example of how local lemons (zoning requirements) can be turned into lemonade (out-of-the-box solutions).

The cost of each building was about $75,000. The interior square footage is 200 square feet with an additional 240 square feet on the exterior deck. The structure is a mixture of steel, glass, and wood. The end result is a very spacious loft-like modern building.

While I think these are a beautiful work of architecture I’m not sure it’s the most practical design in terms of low cost or low impact. I am certain that there are tons of excellent ideas here though, for example the wheels to circumvent a zoning restriction and the open steel structure in a tiny house. The roof is also designed to hold snow adding to the insulation. I just hope the clearstory window is super insulated or all that heat will just float away.

See this project on the architect’s website. Be sure to poke around their website. I noticed quite a few innovative looking smaller homes.

Photo Credit Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

From to : http://www.oskaarchitects.com

Posted July 18th, 2008 by Michael Janzen and filed in Projects

Curious about experiencing green living in a tiny home without building one yourself? Here’s a little place that’s a little off the beaten track up on Bowen Island in British Columbia. It’s called the Eco-Shed and it’s a tiny house available for rent on a nightly basis.

It’s a showcase for living lite and building green that’s built with a passive-solar design, lots of reclaimed and FSC-certified wood, super efficient fixtures and windows, and nontoxic materials and finishes. The interior is also peaceful and quiet thanks to the spray-foam insulation system and excellent ventilation.

For all the details, rates, location, and reservations see the Eco-Shed website. Photo credit to Eco-Shed.

From to : http://www.tinyhousedesign.com

Posted February 9th, 2009 by Michael Janzen and filed in Historic, Just For Fun

The Woodpecker Hotel is a tiny tree house hotel room in a park in Sweden. It’s 13 meters up a tree, yep over 40 feet in the air. You get to it by climbing up a wobbly rope ladder. The tree is a 130 year old oak in the central park of Västerås which is near Stockholm, Sweden. Luckily there is a small toilet up there so you won’t need to repel down in the middle of the night to use the potty. There’s also some simple IKEA furnishings and small library in case you get tired of the view and would rather pick up a good book. Below are some great photos I found on flickr taken by Annie. Thanks again tipping me off to this cool tiny tree house Marti!

From to : http://www.tinyhousedesign.com

Das Grundstück befindet sich am Ortsrand einer dörflichen Siedlung im Norden Nürnbergs. Die Zufahrt erfolgt über eine nördlich gelegene Privatstraße. Der Entwurf zeichnet sich durch eine klare Nord-Süd Orientierung der unterschiedlichen Nutzungen aus. Die Funktionen Wohnen/Arbeiten, Kochen, Essen befinden sich im EG, Schlafräume und Bäder im OG. Die Wohn- und Schlafräume liegen nach Süden zum Garten hin, die Erschließung befindet sich im Norden. Entsprechend der Grundrissdisposition sind die Fassaden des zweigeschossigen Massivbaus unterschiedlich konzipiert. Im Süden sind raumhohe Schiebefenster abwechselnd mit geschlossenen Wandteilen über einen verschieblichen Holzlamellen- Sicht/Sonnenschutz bündig in die Mauerwerksfassade integriert. Die Nordfassade ist relativ geschlossen gehalten. Fenster im OG, die sich über Klappflügel aus Holzlamellen verschließen lassen bilden ein ebenfalls bündig in die Fassade integriertes Lamellenband. Lediglich der Eingang ist über ein räumlich gestaltetes Element plastisch hervorgehoben. Ein sehr transparent gehaltenes Treppenhaus erzeugt einen großzügigen Eindruck beim Betreten des Hauses. Die für den Ausbau verwendeten Materialien reduzieren sich auf Holz für Fenster und Türen (unbehandelte Lärche)und Bodenbeläge (Buche), weißen Putz für Innenwände und anthrazit gestrichenem Stahl für die Treppe.

Bauherr: Privat
Baujahr: 2001
Wohnfläche: 156 qm

From to : http://www.aml-partner.de