New Jersey Home Inspector - Alternative Buildings

Alternative Buildings

Alternative Home Designs

Geodesic domes are perhaps the most well-known of the alternative home designs. Developed in the 1940s by Buckminster Fuller, these domes became a favorite of the counter-culture during the 1960s. The almost spherical shape keeps materials at a minimum, reducing costs while maximizing space, and also serves to make them extremely sturdy. On the inside, the owner is free to leave the space open or to erect walls or room dividers, and perhaps a loft, wherever they wish. Domes are also known to be very heat-efficient.

Earth-sheltered homes take a cue from nature in minimizing heating and cooling needs. Despite large daily fluctuations in outside air temperature, temperatures a few feet underground remain quite stable. If your home has four walls and a roof all exposed to the outside, you will lose or absorb heat, depending on the season and need to compensate--generally at considerable expense. If instead, all but one exterior surface of your home is dug into a hillside and topped with several feet of soil, with grass and other vegetation growing there, your utility costs are minimized. Maintenance costs are also minimized because there are no shingles to be replaced and little, if any, repainting to be done.

Another way to keep construction costs down while maximizing insulation is to build with low-cost or even free "waste" materials. For example, some homes have been built using junk tires as their walls. Bolted securely together and in place, and then sheathed with any of several surface materials, the tires form a thick wall with a high R value. Straw bales are another option. The compacted bales trap plenty of air that serves as insulation, and in addition to moderating temperatures, the thick walls muffle sound as well.

What tire walls and straw bale walls mimic is one of the oldest styles of housing in this region, the adobe. And adobe structures themselves are based on the natural principles seen in the earth-sheltered homes. All use locally available, low-cost materials and thick walls that moderate temperature swings, providing coolness in the summer and warmth in winter. In some cases the mud of authentic adobe is replaced with a more durable material but the principle of mass absorbing heat is the same.

Another popular self-reliant housing style is the the log cabin. Log cabins have come a long way from what the pioneers once lived in. Today logs are planed on opposite sides so they sit snugly on top of one another, minimizing the chinking needed to fill the spaces between them. The thick logs provide good insulation, particularly when coupled with interior finishing, and the exterior never needs a fresh coat of paint or new siding.

Construction materials are only the starting point, however, when it comes to building low-cost, energy-efficient homes. Passive and active solar systems for generating electricity and maintaining comfortable temperatures, as well as the home's orientation toward the sun and other such simple planning decisions, can result in a home that is cheaper to build and maintain and more pleasant to live in. As an added benefit, your planet will thank you. And Mother does know best.

Share:

If you have a Google + account and you found this content informative and useful, please hit the Google + icon at the top of this page. It will help others find this information, and allow me to help others. Also, please feel free to follow On The Level Home Inspections with your social media of choice. Thanks!

See what previous clients have to say about us!

"John - We are more than happy to give a testimonial on the AWESOME job you did for us and how pleased we were with you, your professionalism and friendliness! Good luck to you!"

Diane D

Proudly serving:

Ocean County NJ

Adamstown, Allenwood, Bamber Lake, Barnegat, Barnegat Light, Barnegat Pines, Bay Head,Bayville, Beach Haven, Beach Haven Crest, Beach Haven Garden, Beach Haven Park, Beach Haven West, Beach Haven Terrace, Beachwood, Berkeley Township, Brant Beach, Breton Woods, Brick, Brick Town, Cape Breton, Cassville, Cedar Bonnet Island, Cedar Run, Cedarcroft, Cedarwood Park, Chadwick, Clarksburg, Creamridge, Dover Township, Forked River, Freewood Acres, Harmony, Harvey Cedars, Haven Beach, Herbertsville, Holmeson, Howell, Island Beach, Island Heights, Jackson,Jackson Mills, Lake Riviera, Lakehurst, Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Center, Lakewood, Lanoka Harbor, Laurelton, Lavalette, Legler, Little Egg Harbor, Long Beach Island, Manahawkin, Manchester, Mayetta, Metedeconk, Midstreams, Millstone Township, Mystic Island, New Egypt, New Grenta, Normandy Beach, North Beach, North Beach Haven, Ocean Gate, Ortley Beach, Osbornville, Osborn Island, Pakertown, Peahala Park, Pelican Island, Pine Beach, Pine Lake Park, Pinewald, Plumsted, Point Pleasant Boro, Point Pleasant Beach, Riviera Beach, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, Ship Bottom , Shore Acres, Silver Bay, Silverton, South Toms River, Southard, Spray Beach, Stafford, Staffordville, Surf City, Toms River, Tuckerton, Wading River, Waretown, Warren Grove, Washington Township, West Creek, West Point Island, Whitesville, Whiting, Woodland Township

Atlantic County NJ

Absecon, Absecon City, Absecon Heights, Absecon Highlands, Ancora, Atlantic City, Bargaintown, Batsto, Belcoville, Blue Anchor, Braddock, Brigantine, Brigantine City, Buena, Cardiff, Cologne, Devonshire, Egg Harbor, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Elm, Elwood, English Creek, Estell Manor,Farmington, Folsom, Galloway, Galloway Township, Germania, Green Bank, Hammonton, Landisville, Leeds Point, Linwood, Longport, Lower Bank, Margate, Margate City, McKee City, Milmay, Minotola, Mizpah, Nesco, Newtonville, Northfield, Oceanville, Pinehurst, Pleasantville, Pomona, Port Republic, Richland, Rosedale, Scullville, Smithville, Somers Point, South Egg Harbor, Steelmanville, Ventnor, Ventnor City, Ventnor Heights, Weekstown, West Atlantic City, Weymouth

Burlington County NJ

Beverly, Birmingham, Bordentown, Bridgeboro, Browns Mills, Burlington, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Chatsworth, Chesterfield, Cinnaminson, Cookstown, Crosswicks, Delanco, Delran, Eastampton, Eastampton Township, Fieldsboro, Florence, Fort Dix, Hainesport, Hainesport Township, Indian Mills, Jobstown, Juliustown, Kresson, Lenola, Lumberton, Lumberton Township, Mansfield, Maple Shape, Marlton, Marlton Lakes, Masonville, McGuire Air Force Base, Medford, Medford Township, Medford Lakes, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Mount Holly Township, Mount Laurel, Mount Laurel Township, New Gretna, New Lisbon, North Delran, North Hanover, North Marlton, Palmyra, Pemberton, Pine Grove, Rancocas, Rancocas Woods, Riverside, Riverton, Shamong, Southampton, Southampton Township, Tabernacle, Tabrnacle Township, Vincentown, Westampton, Westampton Township, Willingboro, Wrightstown

Monmouth County NJ

Aberdeen, Adelphia, Allenhurst, Allentown, Allenwood, Asbury Gardens, Asbury Park, Atlantic Highlands, Avon, Avon by the Sea, Belford, Belmar, Bradevelt, Bradley Beach, Bradley Park, Brielle, Cedar Beach, Claksburg, Cliffwood, Cliffwood Beach, Cold Indian Springs, Colonial Terrace, Colts Neck, Cream Ridge, Creamridge, Deal, Deal Park, Earle Naval Weapons Station, East Freehold, East Keansburg, Eatontown, Elberon, Elberon Park, Englishtown, Fair Haven, Farmingdale, Fort Hancock, Fort Monmouth, Freehold, Georgia, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Howell, Ideal Beach, Keansburg, Keyport,Lake Como, Leonardo, Lincroft, Little Silver, Manalapan, Manasquan, Marlboro, Matawn, Middletown, Millhurst, Monmouth Beach, Morganville, Navesink, Neptune, Neptune City, North Long Branch, North Middletown, Oakhurst, Ocean, Ocean Grove, Oceanport, Port Monmouth, Port-au-Peck, Red Bank, Rumson, Sea Bright, Shark River Hills, Shrewsbury, South Belmar, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tennent, Tinton Falls, Union Beach, Wall, Wanamassa, West End, West Long Branch, Whitesville

Last Updated 11.11.2012