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FIND YOUR DREAM HOME OR APARTMENT
25Comments
Mar 18, 2012 3:29AM
Mar 17, 2012 6:13PM
Mar 17, 2012 1:37PM
Mar 17, 2012 11:00AM
Why doesn't the article state the name of the architect who went through all the trouble of the court system, building code system, and countless other obstacles to be able to explore alternative ways of building so people can look him up! His name is Michael Reynolds and I feel is a leader into our future! Never met the man, but watched all his videos and seen his work and if I wasn't 62, I'd be there helping and learning. Would have loved to have gotten in on the ground floor of that amazing community! Anyone able to build their own house, would learn SOMETHING from his work. Many are online. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the beautiful homes on Michael Reynolds' website!
Mar 17, 2012 10:50AM
Mar 17, 2012 10:48AM
Mar 17, 2012 10:47AM
Mar 10, 2012 5:27PM
Mar 10, 2012 5:09PM
Mar 9, 2012 11:41PM
Mar 8, 2012 12:23AM
The building codes in Wisconsin are actually quite reasonable in terms of materials. They specify what has to be waterproof, for example, or what is the minimum load-bearing requirement, but it doesn't matter if it's wood, metal, stone, cement, fiberglass, popsicle sticks, or Barbie legs. If it meets the standards for your implementation, go for it. There are specific height requirements for things, distances between things, wind and storm resistance, numbers of escape routes, minimum grade requirements, and things like that, but there are rarely codes which prohibit the proper installation of alternative materials. (Emphasis on proper.) Have your plans looked over by a qualified third party who can tell you what's possible and what's going to be ripped up.
Mar 7, 2012 12:34PM
There would be a lot more innovation and lowered costs to construction if it wasn't so highly regulated by our government. Quite frankly, a person should be able to build their home in any way they like with whatever materials they like. The government (ie, the rest of us citizens) have no vested interest or urgent cause to be involved in this. If the government wasn't so involved there would be private groups that would form and set recommended building practices and people could choose to use them or not. You might have a hard time selling your home down the road depending on how you make it, you might be at more risk for fire or flood, etc. but these are all things you as a free individual will need to figure out. Once the government catches wind of these new alternative building methods there will be a slew more regulations coming down. It is ultimately up to us to stop this and return freedom & choice back to the individual. God Bless America.
Mar 7, 2012 12:12PM
Mar 7, 2012 11:59AM
They started using shredded tires for playgrounds and mulch in landscaping then found out it is highly flammable. @ Run away-LA, we can only try, some people will never even try to do the right thing. For Christmas and every other occasion my family uses gift bags and reuse them over and over again. If we give a gift to someone outside of the family we tell them on the sly "you can re use the gift bag again" and it has caught on.
Mar 7, 2012 11:51AM
SandyToes5.. or anyone more interested in this type of building sustainable housing with recycled materials, check out www.earthship.com. The tires used in Earth Ships are not exposed.. they have dirt pounded into them during construction and covered in stucco or mud and painted and you'd never know they were there. They will not collapse or smell. They are using this type of construction to replace some of the housing in Haiti. Check it out, it's pretty amazing.
this site won't let me post the hyperlink but you can search earthships or go to the web site above and read all about them and see how beautiful they are.. also, most every state is allowing building permits for this type of housing.
Mar 7, 2012 11:31AM
Yeah always yelling about saving trees, recycling and going paperless by paying online. But when xmas is here theres no mention of this recycling (or saving trees) as they chop trees and frantically purchase wrapping paper only to toss the wrapping in the trash and the trees out on the curb. Huge waste - its all beginning to sound like a gimmick!
Mar 7, 2012 11:12AM
Mar 7, 2012 11:11AM
I have seen hay bale houses and rammed earth houses in Colorado and they were great but I have to agree with berecca about using tires. I think they would smell and off-gas and probably deteriorate over time causing cracking and even collapse of the walls. I love the free-form, playful shapes that can be achieved using building materials that are not square to begin with, though.
None of these alternative building techniques would pass a building inspection in Florida. They would laugh their heads off and tell you to tear it down. Plus you would never be able to get homeowner's insurance. Rammed earth and hay bales work fine in the desert but in Florida they would dissolve into a rotten, moldy mud puddle after a few years.
We priced some of the beautiful remanufactured materials made from waste products when doing a remodeling project and they were all prohibitively expensive. The companies may be keeping material out of landfills, but they are making a killing at it
None of these alternative building techniques would pass a building inspection in Florida. They would laugh their heads off and tell you to tear it down. Plus you would never be able to get homeowner's insurance. Rammed earth and hay bales work fine in the desert but in Florida they would dissolve into a rotten, moldy mud puddle after a few years.
We priced some of the beautiful remanufactured materials made from waste products when doing a remodeling project and they were all prohibitively expensive. The companies may be keeping material out of landfills, but they are making a killing at it
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