Off grid eco.friendly house builds

[Joey Shabadoo]

Lived off-grid for about 9 months in a rented cottage on Arran. Water came from a hill tank, septic tank for waste, power from a water wheel charging a bank of car batteries.

Pros - water tasted better than the piped supply. No electricity bill. Reduced Council Tax


Cons - power was 12 v with enough to run a small fridge, most of the houselights and a portable telly. However, the water wheel didn't work when the burn ran dry in the summer or when the burn ran high in the spring and autumn. To run the washing machine we had to fire up a generator.

Cooking was done on the Aga in the kitchen which heated the whole kitchen and dining area. In winter, this and the bedrooms above were the only habitable rooms. All the other downstairs rooms were bitterly cold and very, very damp. The house was in a clearing in the forest, accessed only by a 2 mile forestry commission road - which destroyed car suspensions. I ended up with a Subaru pick up to take the bins out and collect the coal at the road end. The Aga also gave us hot water but this was limited so it was luke-warm shared baths while we were there.

I loved it but had to move to avoid a divorce.

 

[Archie_tect]

Another vote for Earthships... why wouldn't you build one? ... they do work, but getting enough used tyres may be an issue these days, especially in the South of France but you'd need good shade to prevent over-heating and a really good stack effect chimney system to ventilate rooms in summer... check out rammed earth houses too.

Good luck and have fun! Nothing is ever wasted and everything can be adapted- it;'s a life choice which can only enrich your life which is always worth trying. Labour is free and reusing things that would only go for scrap is the cheapest way to build. I envy you the chance.

 

[Archie_tect]

@woodbutcher, see what the cheapest local materials are for your area- could even be slate or limestone which you could build as an outer leaf with a highly insulated timber frame inside... so may possibilities, you can source the cheapest and start from there without any preconceptions.

 

[woodbutcher]

Lived off-grid for about 9 months in a rented cottage on Arran. Water came from a hill tank, septic tank for waste, power from a water wheel charging a bank of car batteries.

Pros - water tasted better than the piped supply. No electricity bill. Reduced Council Tax


Cons - power was 12 v with enough to run a small fridge, most of the houselights and a portable telly. However, the water wheel didn't work when the burn ran dry in the summer or when the burn ran high in the spring and autumn. To run the washing machine we had to fire up a generator.

Cooking was done on the Aga in the kitchen which heated the whole kitchen and dining area. In winter, this and the bedrooms above were the only habitable rooms. All the other downstairs rooms were bitterly cold and very, very damp. The house was in a clearing in the forest, accessed only by a 2 mile forestry commission road - which destroyed car suspensions. I ended up with a Subaru pick up to take the bins out and collect the coal at the road end. The Aga also gave us hot water but this was limited so it was luke-warm shared baths while we were there.

I loved it but had to move to avoid a divorce.

Thanks for your entertaining story. I already have a Toyota pick up so l guess it's a start ! My partner is a Swede and she is no stranger to chilly conditions. Having said that her family have a summer house by a lake in Sweden and it is completely off grid . Electricity is generated with solar panels , it is all pretty basic but l love it there . Maybe thats one reason l would like to recreate something like it here in France !

 

[woodbutcher]

@woodbutcher, see what the cheapest local materials are for your area- could even be slate or limestone which you could build as an outer leaf with a highly insulated timber frame inside... so may possibilities, you can source the cheapest and start from there without any preconceptions.

Thanks for your suggestions/ideas , by far and away the cheapest material here is timber , mostly oak and chestnut . The other material of which there is masses on our land, is stone . This stuff was used for generations to build the walls around vineyards then phylloxera happened and the vineyards were abandoned . Very weird to be clambering about in the forest and having to negotiate these ancient structures

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Thanks for your entertaining story. I already have a Toyota pick up so l guess it's a start ! My partner is a Swede and she is no stranger to chilly conditions. Having said that her family have a summer house by a lake in Sweden and it is completely off grid . Electricity is generated with solar panels , it is all pretty basic but l love it there . Maybe thats one reason l would like to recreate something like it here in France !

To be fair, a modern purpose built off grid house would be nothing like our experience. This cottage was very rough and ready and built at the end of the 19th Century.

Water wheels and batteries aren't very good though.

 

[mudsticks]

Thanks for your suggestions/ideas , by far and away the cheapest material here is timber , mostly oak and chestnut . The other material of which there is masses on our land, is stone . This stuff was used for generations to build the walls around vineyards then phylloxera happened and the vineyards were abandoned . Very weird to be clambering about in the forest and having to negotiate these ancient structures

Are you totally determined to be off grid or is it non negotiable because of location??

The plan here is to have maximum size solar array for PV, but also solar pre water heating.

Also a solid mass stove / chimney stack with back boiler for water heating as well.

I'm a hot bath fan.

But in conjunction with mains electric on site as well - in fact for running a farm and year round horticultural operation mains is pretty much essential.

Plus you can buy 100% renewable electric if being 'green' is a principal

I remember seeing years ago a built in situ ceramic convoluted flue that kept the building warm all day, with radiant heat from one flash burning of faggots.

But I suspect that would be far more than you'd need in the south of France.

All the people I've known recently who have self built super insulated houses here in the south west UK recently, seem to think that just their regular appliances, and own body heat, keep their houses toasty in all but the coldest weather.

They seem to be saying that lighting the burner is more for looks, and cosiness, rather than a necessity.

It's astonishing how badly most UK houses were built, in terms of insulation, for decades.

Used to live in a cute, but damp and cold if the burner wasn't lit, cob cottage for seventeen years. Character building stuff for the kids

Anyway, ramble ramble, I contacted the architectural draughtsman today, re drawing up some plans so you've helped me, even if I haven't helped you..

So reclaimed stone built plinth, with chestnut framed cabin on top for yourself maybe.. And a shingle roof too perhaps ?? that would be cute..

 

[mudsticks]

Another vote for Earthships... why wouldn't you build one? ... they do work, but getting enough used tyres may be an issue these days, especially in the South of France but you'd need good shade to prevent over-heating and a really good stack effect chimney system to ventilate rooms in summer... check out rammed earth houses too.

Good luck and have fun! Nothing is ever wasted and everything can be adapted- it;'s a life choice which can only enrich your life which is always worth trying. Labour is free and reusing things that would only go for scrap is the cheapest way to build. I envy you the chance.

There's an earthsheltered house in Brittany, that in part at least, uses earth filled tyres, but I think it's only a holiday let, not sure if it passes building regs for permenant dwelling.

Not heard of them being 'allowed' in UK either.

The easiest way to get old tyres (I use lots for holding down weedkilling tarps) is to offer to pick them up from your friendly local garage - or have them dropped off - it saves them disposal costs.

It's probs against regs for handling trade waste or somesuch.. So don't be telling on me OK??

 

[woodbutcher]

There's an earthsheltered house in Brittany, that in part at least, uses earth filled tyres, but I think it's only a holiday let, not sure if it passes building regs for permenant dwelling.

Not heard of them being 'allowed' in UK either.

The easiest way to get old tyres (I use lots for holding down weedkilling tarps) is to offer to pick them up from your friendly local garage - or have them dropped off - it saves them disposal costs.

It's probs against regs for handling trade waste or somesuch.. So don't be telling on me OK??

No problem with finding old tyres, my local garage is awash with them and piles of old knackered vehicles which have been dumped and forgotten about !

 

[woodbutcher]

Are you totally determined to be off grid or is it non negotiable because of location??

The plan here is to have maximum size solar array for PV, but also solar pre water heating.

Also a solid mass stove / chimney stack with back boiler for water heating as well.

I'm a hot bath fan.

But in conjunction with mains electric on site as well - in fact for running a farm and year round horticultural operation mains is pretty much essential.

Plus you can buy 100% renewable electric if being 'green' is a principal

I remember seeing years ago a built in situ ceramic convoluted flue that kept the building warm all day, with radiant heat from one flash burning of faggots.

But I suspect that would be far more than you'd need in the south of France.

All the people I've known recently who have self built super insulated houses here in the south west UK recently, seem to think that just their regular appliances, and own body heat, keep their houses toasty in all but the coldest weather.

They seem to be saying that lighting the burner is more for looks, and cosiness, rather than a necessity.

It's astonishing how badly most UK houses were built, in terms of insulation, for decades.

Used to live in a cute, but damp and cold if the burner wasn't lit, cob cottage for seventeen years. Character building stuff for the kids

Anyway, ramble ramble, I contacted the architectural draughtsman today, re drawing up some plans so you've helped me, even if I haven't helped you..

So reclaimed stone built plinth, with chestnut framed cabin on top for yourself maybe.. And a shingle roof too perhaps ?? that would be cute..

I'm not determined to be completely off grid but the location will determine what is or isn't available and water will be a challenge.
l will own up and confess that being totally off grid holds no real fears for me because more years ago than l care to work out l spent a happy (mostly) time island hopping the many uninhabited islands of the Philippine archipelago from the Visayas to Mindanao peninsulas , l managed it by befriending fishermen and who after a beer or two would take me on the pump boats and drop me off when l liked the look of an island. Come to think of it maybe its a story worth telling at some point !

 

[mudsticks]

I'm not determined to be completely off grid but the location will determine what is or isn't available and water will be a challenge.
l will own up and confess that being totally off grid holds no real fears for me because more years ago than l care to work out l spent a happy (mostly) time island hopping the many uninhabited islands of the Philippine archipelago from the Visayas to Mindanao peninsulas , l managed it by befriending fishermen and who after a beer or two would take me on the pump boats and drop me off when l liked the look of an island. Come to think of it maybe its a story worth telling at some point !

Sounds great - i love to travel too - an inveterate (degenerate even) cycle tourist, backpacker - long distance hiker and hitch hiker too -

- ideal proclivities for a settled farmer eh ??

- Still - balance in all things ...

The off grid thing is fine so long as your needs are only domestic - a slower pace of life means handwashing and cooking on wood ( or gas) are no big drama.

And in Southern France you are in that much warmer climes anyway.

Plus of course battery and PV technology is coming on in leaps and bounds - storage has always been the problem up til now - but that seems to be getting better year on year.

I've got plenty of friends who are living the van life even up here in the chilly north ( southern UK) and doing just fine on leisure batteries - often charged from a small solar panel - they do sneak round for the odd use of a washing machine or hot bath now and then - but beer and good company is, as you know - always a welcome currency of exchange

I reckon you will be fine - i can see you cleaving those chestnut shingles as i type ..

 

[woodbutcher]

Sounds great - i love to travel too - an inveterate (degenerate even) cycle tourist, backpacker - long distance hiker and hitch hiker too -

- ideal proclivities for a settled farmer eh ??

- Still - balance in all things ...

The off grid thing is fine so long as your needs are only domestic - a slower pace of life means handwashing and cooking on wood ( or gas) are no big drama.

And in Southern France you are in that much warmer climes anyway.

Plus of course battery and PV technology is coming on in leaps and bounds - storage has always been the problem up til now - but that seems to be getting better year on year.

I've got plenty of friends who are living the van life even up here in the chilly north ( southern UK) and doing just fine on leisure batteries - often charged from a small solar panel - they do sneak round for the odd use of a washing machine or hot bath now and then - but beer and good company is, as you know - always a welcome currency of exchange

I reckon you will be fine - i can see you cleaving those chestnut shingles as i type ..

We already use solar panels and batteries in the all purpose field shelter l built where we have our horses and they work well pretty much all year round for pumping water from a stream , running fans in really hot weather and lighting etc.
Oh yes l do agree beer (or wine as it is here) and good company are always welcome. The prime example here is the vendange (grape harvest) no money changes hands we work all day and at night there is a huge feast with vast amounts of wine and believe me there is never a shortage of people willing to help !

 

[mudsticks]

We already use solar panels and batteries in the all purpose field shelter l built where we have our horses and they work well pretty much all year round for pumping water from a stream , running fans in really hot weather and lighting etc.
Oh yes l do agree beer (or wine as it is here) and good company are always welcome. The prime example here is the vendange (grape harvest) no money changes hands we work all day and at night there is a huge feast with vast amounts of wine and believe me there is never a shortage of people willing to help !

For sure.. It's surprising who will turn up to help if you make it worth their while. Autumn squash harvest is the big one here..


Yes I'd imagine cooling would be more of an issue than heating where you are.

There were weeks in May, when a siesta had to be imposed, even in southern England.

Thankfully water supplies just here are fine, but I can see it becoming more of an issue over the years.

Planning on building a 'swimmable' reservoir too - just the thing at lunchtime during a hot days fieldwork.

 

[jowwy]

Have we got an update as to what happened with this build??

 

[Cycleops]

Not quite off grid but this type of living might be preferable for some that like more comfort.
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