$39,000 House Has Some Solar Power – CleanTechnica

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A Colorado couple built their own small house for $39,000. You might think such a low-cost house would be unpleasant, cramped, or extremely spartan. This house is just the opposite — it has plenty of open interior space and its own aesthetic touches with a Southwestern theme.

The living room has plenty of natural light and a pizza oven structure for heat. When the dome gets up to about 600 degrees, it burns cleanly, the owner explains. The hottest air is retained inside and the structure has about 12,000 pounds of mass. The heat can last for days. (Burning wood releases carbon, so it’s not clean, but some people aren’t aware of that fact.)

The couple did 90% of the work and had some friends help during the 8–9 months they were building. The wife says, “the sun provides all our energy.”

The sun shines in on the living room floor, which heats it to about 95 degrees during the day. Then the heat is radiated out at night. Under the floor are two inches of insulation. The main structure, the husband explains, is made of stucco blocks with rebar inserted and concrete poured inside. The house’s dimensions are 32 feet square, with some rounded corners. The rounded corners reduce wind noise, he says. A Japanese technique was used for some of the exterior wood that burns it and then oil is applied to it, which helps it last a long time.

The house is on several dozen acres in a rural setting, which gives it privacy. Of course, there was a cost for the land and for a well. This cost was greater than the house. One tip they have is to buy materials in advance of construction so there may be some savings. Some people might buy materials as they are building and run into high prices they did not expect.

Here are some choice comments I like:

• “It may have cost 39k but it looks like a million! So beautiful! The open concept and natural materials are stunning! Thanks for sharing.”
• “Y’all aren’t cheap! You’re FRUGAL! beautiful home! I love love love it!”
• “I absolutely love all of the little elements that make this design not only stand out but stand up for years to come. The efficiency of space and storage, the lower maintenance options, and the energy efficiency options were chosen on such a fine level. It’s a real masterpiece of a house even though it’s not completed. Using different global styles to accomplish things as well is amazing. I love that handmade vanity counter.”

Personally, I would have liked to see some more solar power and a small wind turbine, and less or no burning of wood or gas.