In the old days a man who saved money was a miser; nowadays he's a wonder. - Author Unknown 

Cheap Housing?

A Poor man’s Guide to Suggested Resources

    I always joke that the first house my parent’s purchased (in the 1950s) cost under $10,000 and they had a 2% mortgage for 30 years.  Nowadays, you can’t buy a car for that good of a deal.  It’s no secret that housing in this country has gone through the roof – even despite the decline in housing values.

   Part of the problem lies in government fees.  Where I live, the combined government costs run $17,000 to build a new home!  Both of my grandparent’s built their own home for less than $6500 in the 1940s.  Your dollar, thanks to stupid government policies, buys much less today than ever before.

   Housing bargains have always been available, especially if you’re handy and can repair fixer-uppers.  At one point, we owned three homes, all purchased in this fashion at a combined cost of less than $50,000!  Right now, if you have the cash and/or credit, one can pick up foreclosures in many parts of the country on the cheap.  I’ve seen houses in Michigan going for less than $1000 and many government programs such as HUD and the VA frequently offer bargains.

    Still, there are alternatives which make sense environmentally and in terms of cost.  We’ll explore some of these here.  Your suggestions are always welcome.  Send them to bedavid@yahoo.com

Housing from Spare Tires

   There are tons of spare tires available in dumps in every city in the country and these can be recycled into homes.

Michael Reynolds, creator of the Earthship concept, is a world leader in environmental building. He is the author of five books and has 30 years experience designing and building fully self-sufficient homes. The innovative Earthship design combines passive solar heating with thermal mass construction to create buildings that heat and cool themselves without consuming fossil fuels. Earthships create all their own electrical power with sun and wind, collect and treat their own water with integrated water systems. The main building block of the Earthship makes use of one of the worlds most plentiful, and most troublesome “natural resources”, scrap automobile tires. Thousands of Earthships have been built all over the world in the US, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Japan, South Africa, Honduras and Belgium. Michael's Earthship/Biotecture website provides a wealth of information about his innovative building concepts.  See more of their information at:

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/earthshipQandA.htm

Straw Bale Homes

I’m new to straw bale. How do I get started.

It’s very easy to get started. We have all the resources you need to get familiar with straw bale building and can guide you every step of the way. I recommend you go through the steps below and start off by watching our introductory video and signing up for our FREE "7 Essential Steps to Straw Bale Success" E-course.

http://www.strawbale.com/strawbale-faqs

http://strawbalehomes.org/

Pre-Fab or Manufactured Homes

   You can save a lot of cash and can choose from a large variety of styles, including log homes, using prefabricated homes.  There are many suppliers.  This supplier offers a large variety and useful information.  Visit them at:  http://www.raisearoof.com/prefabricated_home.php

http://www.manufacturedhousing.org/default.asp

One of architecture’s modern debates is over the design credibility of the modern prefabricated home or building. Around in the United States since the time of the Great Depression, prefabricated homes are those that were, completely or partially, mass-produced in a factory and then delivered to a build site. While some prefabs can be seen moving down the highway on trailer beds marked “WIDE LOAD,” others arrive on site in pieces or panels that can be assembled easily on site.

No matter how large or small your project, feel free to contact us if you need a unique or modified design. We're here to help!

While “prefab” once conjured images of mobile homes, trailer parks, or Hoovervilles, the modern prefabricated home is nothing of the sort. Well known and cutting edge architects and designers from around the world now work in prefab design and constructions. They notice the market for them in terms of prices and build time, and the manufactured nature of them appeals to the precision that these world class architects are used to. To the architect, the prefab project is a much more hands-on and complete affair where s/he is involved not only in the design but in the production.

The contemporary debate over prefabs is in their design appeal. While many architecture specialists recognize the interesting and cutting edge design in today’s prefab, there is concern over whether the prefab has appeal as “real-world homes.” The thought is that home owners want their homes to have an individual handcrafted feel, and that, perhaps, the prefabricated home lacks this homey feel.

But with any research into the scope of design in prefabricated homes over the last ten years specifically reveals that they are available in all types of designs, sizes, shapes, and styles. Some prefabs can and do look as handcrafted as traditional on-site stick-built homes.

While the Hoovervilles and Levittowns of yesterday have cast a shadow on prefabricated homes in the past, with the help of modern architects and modern technology, prefabs have come into their own. With a build time of almost half of a traditionally frame home, and a design that now rivals any other home style, the prefabricated home is becoming a choice home for modernists and traditionalists alike.

   In many respects, it’s a shame we cannot operate more like the Amish communities whereby the entire group gets together to build a barn or a home.  In many Amish areas, local politicians are attempting to interfere with this lifestyle by imposing taxes, permit fees and the like.

Everyone needs water to survive...here's a great site for digging your own well & other self reliant material.

Terrific information on digging your own well also!
The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute: SSRsi is a comprehensive database of self help, self reliance, survival, emergency preparedness, outdoor adventure and Do It Yourself information. No annoying ads, banners or frames and absolutely free!

http://www.ssrsi.org/sr2/Water/digh2o.htm