This smart little home is called a
"Free Spirit Eco-Sphere".
Totally great, but at 100-250K,
I think I might have to pass.
I love the idea of pre-fabs, trust me.
Easy, no stress, quick, not a huge distraction.
But at the prices currently offered,
its FAR more wise to just show a carpenter
the pictures of one, and spend about 30-40%
of the price compared to what a prefab company
might want to charge you.
Of course this depends on where you live.
This is the Wee House (www.weehouse.com)The prices are more reasonable than than others,
but still...you could have someone build this for you
or do it yourself for FAR less.
I wanted to do this permaculture project in Woodstock, NY
but after realizing how expensive it would be to
build everything there, and how far away it is from my family,
I went with Minnesota instead.
Same with building the yurt. If you have been reading
this blog for a while, you might remember that I've
been really excited about getting a yurt for the living space.
I've totally changed my mind on this one.
A yurt is basically a wood frame, with a vinyl tarp over it.
In itself, this is great and it would totally work.
But for $12-$14,000??? Ouch!
After working on the greenhouse, I realized that building
something similar to a yurt and using wood or some other
material as siding instead of the vinyl would be so much
better and far more affordable. Carpenters are aching
for work right now, and they would be more than
happy to build something like this for you.
PLUS...you dont have to pay for the shipping,
and an 18-wheeler semi-truck didnt have to
ship your yurt to you. Lots of things to consider.
We need a company to come up with an
affordable pre-fab with a greywater system installed,
solar panels already attached, and a rainwater catchment
systems already put together. AND...it has to be affordable.
Paying 150K for a 500 sq. ft. living space is crazy,
with the DIY (Do It YOURSELF) ethos, you gain
experience, pride, knowledge...and save $$$$.
Same idea above...great ideas, but anyone with someaverage carpentry skills could make one for you,
and you'd be surprised as to what you could do on your
own if you studied up a bit and had some people help you.
We are FAR more powerful and capable than we could ever dream.
If you are heading towards simplicity, it makes it
even easier for you...we aren't building mansions here,
and we like to spend more time outside anyways,
so why make such a fuss?
I love the grass on the rooftop too...so cozy.
-Anthony
