Designer builds efficient off-grid Passive House in Colorado
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- Twenty years ago Andrew Michler bought a $60,000 solar shack in the Colorado mountains that “immediately fell apart” and inspired two decades of experiments in off-grid living. Today, he and his wife live in the reconfigured shack and he has turned a former shed on the property into an ultra low-consuming Passive House (Passivhaus).
“Passive House is an international building standard that focuses on how to reduce energy consumption in building by about 90% and they did it by physics really it wasn’t developed by builders it was developed by physicists,” explains Michler. “Everything how a building interacts with its environment, the thermal dynamics of how heat transfers through materials, the way that energy is produced in the building, how solar gains come into the building or are avoided in a building so this entire building is basically designed in a spreadsheet.”
The home is shaped in a wedge which helps with passive solar orientation and also helps avoid unnecessary surface area and heat loss. The wedge also contributes to an unconventional open plan interior which includes a hanging net bed.
Off Grid Hideaways offgridhideawa...
Andrew’s book “Hyperlocalization of Architecture” www.hyperlocalarch.com
Passive House: passivehouse-i...
Original story: faircompanies....
Where is this man now in 2024? I wish him the best!!! This home is a work of art.
@@DERRICKLEONIDAS365 …..my thoughts exactly 👍
Andrew you just gave me an idea that I believe is going to change my life for the better for ever. Thanks.
True
What was the idea?
pierrepirrepirr ^
pierrepirrepirr I can’t remember so I guess, never mind. It’s a cool project and there’s lots of great ideas. Nuff said 😊
I have fallen over and over for the places that you explore for your channel, but this is a place I could truly see myself. Wonderfully done!
Love this home and the people that live in it..
Plywood, 2x4s, cedar fencing, 16x16 (dark tiles) to 8x8 white to 4x4 to 2x2,
The minimalist functional design of the kitchen and bathroom 'plumbed' areas, the concrete counters. Cross ventilation windows, preconditioned air earth tubes, passive bathroom vent for humid air. Almost, every technique I have read/seen is utilized in this build. And it is still a work in progress. There is so much going on in this home but, I think the siting and belonging in its space is the best aspect.
So much to steal from this one.
thanx for bringing these treasures to light.
Oh yes! The ability to sit and watch a mountain landscape as day turns to night and seasons change is the most wonderful aspect of this awesome house! GOALS!!
It boggles the mind to think collecting rain water is illegal.
You would think in an area that could burn they would actually say you need a mandatory retaining of minimum 7000 gallons for a recirculating fire sprinkler system.
But we are talking about politicians and bureaucrats.
Very neat use of space and flow.
Loved his point of learning and growing.
That right there proves that legality is not tied to humanity, and that cops are therefore often threats to humanity (so long as they physically enforce inhumane laws)
I could not live in a town or state with a law like that cause that point they might as well start telling me when and where to take a piss,Its insane they are not god.
Well water is the most important resource Colorado has. A lot of people are not aware of this law but it makes a lot of sense if you look at the bigger picture.
Basically, if everybody would keep as much water as they want, Las Vegas and Los Angeles would run out of water real quick.
Water rights are a big thing in Colorado for obvious reasons.
@@fritz4345 I don't think collecting rain water from your roof is going to dramatically change the level of ground water. I think Colorado needs to change that law! I'm all for water conservation but there needs to be some common sense reflected in conservation. I have 5 acres of land in southern Colorado high desert and it cost way to much to dig a well when your property site is at 8200 feet of elevation
@@mmjnice97 Of course one house alone doesn't matter. But if everybody does it, it has a huge impact. The Colorado river has created the most water laws on the planet. People in Las Vegas and LA are depending on it. And I think they "own" a lot of these water rights too.
99% of all incredible homes and structures on this channel have one thing in common. Necessities over junk/clutter. Too many of us fill our homes with what we feel we need and stuff every shelf, closet, nook and cranny. There is a lot to be said about the Zen experience of everything being in balance and not cluttering one's life. It is a long process to rid yourself of items you really do not need and something I myself have only begun to work on.
Funny, I look at it the other way, 99% of the incredible homes on this channel have an unrealistic lack of storage. Good architecture should fit the people who live in the home, not force the people to give up everything. This home was the first with some nod to realistic use, with a large closet and a nearby shed. For all the other homes I wonder, what do they do with the tools and materials to maintain the place? Where do they store heavy Winter garments for the whole family? Have these people no hobbies that require storage for materials, tools, and finished goods?
meh, what I often see on this channel is amazin houses which cost as much as a normal house 4 times its size,
plus often the houses are owned by retirement age guys who bought it 30 years ago and now it is worth a whole lot more
Yeah I love the idea living off the grid, or any of the little pushes to cheaper more environmentally friendly living but I shudder at the cost of some of these houses. This kind of living is a long way off from being commercially viable. As for clutter I would say these are idealized versions of these houses after a big cleaning day. With 4 people living in such a small house and at least two little kids you don't expect me to believe everything is this bare and empty at all times. It also seems fairly boring about the only recreational activity we saw was a few books/magazines under the stairs. I mean sure you can do a lot out doors in such a wonderful rural setting but still. To me clutter isn't a bad thing as long as it's good clutter. If you bought things for a reason and it continues to work why throw it away or donate it? The longer you keep something without replacing it the less waste you create in the world. I love books, I have over 2000 novels ranging from fantasy to sci-fi. It takes up a pretty sizable set of book shelves and I enjoy them a lot reading them often. By that zen state of living I should toss them all out and buy new ones all the time.
Kari Malone nn
Justa Guy try the library
I love this place, but as I get closer to doing something like this myself, I'm starting to notice a lot of these are only temporarily lived in and are then turned into airbnb type places. Noticed this is for rent on a nightly and weekly basis.
I prefer the videos were people are living in them full time, and what the challenges and solutions they have are truly 'living' in them.
We use the space a lot, and family visits as well. It functions as an extension of a little cabin. But one goal for the project was to let people experience a passive house, not just talk about them.
I agree as a primary residence there are sustainability issues(using this term loosely) but have a separate AirBnB wing or house would solve the income issue.
+ Andrew Michler - 👍😍I love what you’ve done. I’m inspired. Thank you for sharing what you’re doing and how so it can become possible for others. 💞
Cool!!! I always wanted to stay in a place like this for a week or so. The only thing that would worry me is shoveling in the winter to get to the main road.
If renting these places on Airbnb gives people more income to try experiments like this, I think that's a good trade off.
Man, I live in Denver and it breaks my heart to see these videos and hear "Yeah, it used to be affordable here." There is NO land in the Front Range area, of quality, that is below $150,000 for as much as 1-3 acres. It's asinine. There's only one valley in the state where affordable land exists and it's -10 in the winter and 110 in the Summer.
and the traffic.... an hour north of denver... or 5 depending on I25
And if it's anything like the mountains here in California, it's probably impossible or astronomically expensive to insure due to fire risk.
I have a lived in a rural, Mt. area for many years and love the quite and am fine being alone, as I like it but you can not rule out the long commute to work and the expense. I had a job that provided a truck and free gas for 29 years which made it all possible. Many people have moved to my area but as you said they don;t last long, If you thinking about moving to a remote area and need to commute do not kid yourself its expensive and time consuming. Another thing is winter can be long, I love snow but on a big snow year it can become almost like a second job clearing snow from your driveway, walkways and roof. That all said I love it and never want to leave but many who thought they would love it leave within a few years or less.
100% fantastic! Everything considered, clean, real... I would share that I don't feel that those of us who leave a place like this ( as I recently did ) are going because we can't be alone with ourselves and with nature, it is because the call of our human family is great and compelling and it's time to be in the mix. After hand~building a cob house and living 100% off the grid with bucket composting toilets etc.for 18 years, one of those with no electricity or running water, I now very joyfully live in outer Brooklyn! There are many ways and many whys and each of us is the way in to our own true north. Happy navigating.
Important point to make. Would you ever move back again?
wow you built a cob house, NEAT !
There is a difference between what you said and what he said. He said "people live here a couple years at most." You lived their 18 years. There are leaps and bounds of differences between the type of people you are talking about and the type of people he was talking about.
I like the energy of this family. The kids are present and having fun but they aren't begging for attention. The father is so relaxed and informative.
Oh my god. This is incredible. So much intelligence behind the choices. Brilliant home solutions.
+NobleDesignMedia
Do you really think that the tiny sink and stove are smart choices for a permanent home?
What does God have to do with it?
Paul, the 'tiny sink and stove' have nothing to do with the energy efficiency of the home. If you're going to be a smart-ass, find something with the design to belittle.
NobleDesignMedia, Umm...Do you get out much? The guy is a droning know-it-all, beyond what might just be pleasant narrative describing a self-built home.
Sounds like alot of Mike Reynolds ideas being presented without mentioning Mike Reynolds.
I've been building, adding on and remodeling for 45 years. I agree....very satisfying..
Absolutely love this house. He actually answered some questions I had and proved that some of my ideas are usable. Thank you for the video.
You can watch these videos over and over and still get something you missed the first time through. Thank you Kirsten.
This house has such GOOD VIBES!
Not many architects can say they have achieved what this humble man has achieved here. Well done sir! Really outstanding work here. A beautiful home in a beautiful setting. What more could a man ask for?
This man builds and learns like a serious composer/musician. Brilliant.
Absolutely fascinating! I loved hearing that to live successfully in the mountains or in any secluded location requires a deep understanding of oneself.
Stunning! Great design meets great execution. I love all the small details and the thought process behind each decision... The ever decreasing tiles, concrete work tops, the 2x4s laid on their spine to create flooring, the mismatched plywood, the under stairs storage. So many great ideas to take away from this one build.
What a cool well thought home. He's right about walls taking up space. For every 2 feet of wall in a modern house, you lose 1 square foot of living space. I'd like to incorporate many of these ideas in my future home.
Thank you for these wonderful, insightful documentaries. Your film making talents are amazing, but I also want to thank you for allowing me to connect with people all over the world living authentic lives. I am inspired by all of their stories.
Joan Hall, let me chime in and say, "Kirsten, me too".
the video had me interested then the tin foil hat philosophy kicked in, trying like some sort of Luddite to claim that an iterative physical build process is superior to modern cad and virtual modelling prior to building an actual item, thats the point i realised just how sad and delusional they are, bet they are working on a free energy system in their spare time !!!!
"They would say it's too far from the city or something like that. And they move back. And it's really not about the city, it's really having to be *with* yourself. So you really have to know yourself to be out here for any lenght of time."
Perfectly said!
He is so smart and his eyes are open! ✌👏
A wonderful home full of ideas...well done Andrew!
+1 .. Ditto! .. Well done.
Kirsten, your work is inspirational! As a student of sustainable urban planning (major) and sustainability (minor) I am blown away by the quality and variety of your subjects. And man, do you get around! I'd love to volunteer/help any way possible if you're working/traveling in the Phoenix area.
We had plywood floors sanded and polyurethane for many years ,only because we couldn't afford the hardwood flooring now I see its becoming stylish
theplywood.com/types Use AB tongue & groove. Hardly have to sand it at all. Think Kitchen Cabinets. Finish clear, stain it, paint it, stencil it, graffiti it. Inexpensive option.
NASA LIES THE EARTH IS FLAT. RESEARCH ODD FLAT EARTH
I have seen plywood floors that were painted to look like marble. You couldn't tell the difference
visually. This house would look more inviting if some of that raw wood were painted or stained.
If it was me, I'd add a climbing wall to the slightly angled wall up stairs. You could provide a foldable full length drop pad. The kiddos would likely love it! It might turn into a competitive family game. You could change the holds and cross them.over to the other wall. Man! The possibilities!
One of my favorite homes I've seen for sure.
Extremely profound words from that man.
Very well thought out before building, nicely done.
Thanks for sharing.
Well done.. I also have built a small room according to Passive House criteria in our hot arid region.
Dynamic absolutely incredible innovative design ... my favourite part is the cooling system ... its genius. it's all just unbelievably perfect ...
I love your place beautiful dwelling place!!!
Absolutely impressed with Ervinas Facilities Management. They do local homes but also specialize in ranch properties. Their expertise in land and ranch management is truly unmatched. They don't just stop at managing; they help you find your dream property and even assist in the building process. It's a one-stop-shop for anyone looking to turn their rural property dreams into reality. I highly recommend their services for all your land and ranch needs!
Your videos never cease to inspire and amaze me... Unbelievable! The world is a great place to be
I love the corner without wifi :) thank you for this video, absolutely wonderful.
Cabinet staircases - "Step Tansu". That's the word he coudln't readily recall but it's really awesome the way he did it.
Andrew the house is amazing I’m also from Colorado
This is great. If I lived there I would plant trees in the distance and try to transform the landscape over time. Would be a great project.
This looks like heaven to me, with just a few touches I could see living in a place like this year-round. Things like milk paint, concrete stain, recycled glass accent tiles, cork tiles, more built-ins (Murphy bed, desk/shelves combo, windowseat chests, roll-out pantry & closet shelves, floor-length wine rack. And of course some well placed bolts for indoor/outdoor hammock use ;) Could totally see rigging my 1950 Magic Chef for propane, and using it for cooking on the terrace outside. Definitely would want a south facing greenhouse room, complete with grey water system.
YES! Let's do it!!
Love how they adopted many aspects of Earthship houses! :)
Me too! His design is also way better looking than most earthships I've seen. I love how much insulation he managed to pack into the walls, and incorporate it into the design... like the huge window ledges. So cool.
Passivhaus has many global historical influences but earthships are definitely not one of them. Take a look passipedia.org/basics/the_passive_house_-_historical_review
Excellent info at your link, thank you, Andrew
I love those beautiful Colorado mountains. What a neat home and it must feel SO good to be off the grid.
I admit, the shack at the thumbnail wasn't that appealing to me, but I'm glad I clicked because it inspired me so much...
This is a beautiful home! What a great use of simple materials! I totally relate to the "it will never be finished"...I think the best buildings never are. 😊
The preconditioning of the air is using the “earth” as a heat exchanger.
Very nice home ... the Net Bed is my favorite.
This video shows that anyone can build. He is not a designer, he is not an architect, he is not a builder, he is not a carpenter, but he is ambitious and willing to live with his own mistakes. You have to admire people who are willing to just do it.
He's actually been a building designer for the past decade or so. But he's been building for a lot longer than that and I think his point was that that building background helps with good design. You need to know what's inside the walls to design well.
Just because you build in your back yard does not mean you are a builder. I sen 3 major mistakes just in the video. He is ambitious and a good salesman and for a home builder did ok.
Just because you may have taken a college course or apprenticed as a carpenter does not mean you are a 'better' builder than he is. I am totally self-taught, read alot, and can build/ weld/ design/ draw better than most college-edicated (lol) people i've met. I've noticed that people who have paid a sizeable amount of tuition and have that paper on the wall are very close-minded and cannot think outside the box. They commonly say, "That's not the way it's done". I reply, "Well, it's the way I did it, it works Very well and may last forever".
I posit, he IS a designer, he IS an architect, he IS a builder, and he IS a carpenter. The proof of it is...how is Your house cooled? By a big AC unit sucking down 220VAC from that coal plant on the horizon? How's the view out Your window?
And i had to laugh when i read, "I sen 3 major mistakes just in the video." I assume you meant to type SEEN. I saw 3...perhaps? I seen dis guy correctin' sumbuddy, and lemme tellya, it sure were funny.
I think maybe you missed the part where he was building professionally before he built his home.
Hi Donna. I don't know how it is in CO, but in ME rural areas you don't need any of the things you listed. Also, Passivhaus is not passive solar. That's a common misconception.
Love it, the net is great, jump up, tickle them, a little interaction . Perfect.
This seems like a great place, very cool. Awesome video as always.
Nice. Well done.
Donna, the mass and glass system is somewhat limited in how it responds to seasonal changes. We live in a similar climate as say Santa Fe and my other house is more traditional passive solar. When the mass gets cool its (really) hard to charge up again, and the house tends to overheat in the fall and get really chilly near the windows at night in winter. For comfort there is no comparison to the Passive House. Mass works better for larger buildings with a higher internal heat gains, but at best I am thinking it as a secondary stratigy to a good envelope.
Air only stratifies when there is a thermal difference, that tends not to happen in Passive House. Overhangs work well for summer but not in fall, when overheating is a real issue. Opening a window when it hot outside to cool the inside obviously does not work. The sun can also be so strong that glare becomes an issue. I also would not want to live a life in which I had to constantly manage curtains to keep me from being cold, not to mention blocking a view, or schlepping wood to keep warm (which I do in the other house). Why not just invest in a high performance window? Passive solar is great and we get almost all our heating from it but I don't have to actively manage my house for it to work. The process you describe is simply not the reality for most homes and occupants in heating dominated climates I come across. And a final note- Harold Orr one of the pioneers of high performance homes, discovered in the 70s that an airlock does not work for house scaled buildings. It's crazy to me how long the industry takes to adopt what we know are best practices.
This is Passive House, not Passive Solar. Big difference. There are Passive Solar elements, though.
agree
wow, this is one of the most beautiful houses I've seen on this channel.
Looks like paradise! I love mountain type places, sadly I live in flat land Illinois......:(
This may be my favorite in your series. I love his somewhat naive geometry and even features I don't prefer, like wood ceilings, have such an elemental grace here that I like even those. And since it is unfinished, I feel at home. Something is always torn open or half installed in my place.
Would love to see more videos on Passive House design.
Just Google. It's everywhere. I like Elrond Burrell ( elrondburrell.com ) Maybe not the video's, but, "in plain English."
Awesome! The tube system, the stairs with boxes. The net bed is the greatest. The 2x4 floor and ceiling. Inside and out. It's all wonderful.
This is very well done and nicely decorated. Most of these off the grid people's homes look like something from Mad Max.
Beautiful country! I grew up in Denver Colorado. Im in midWest now. Sure like to head back to CO. Smells so good in mountains. Very nice pad. Thanks for vid
A lovely bit of engineering and an admirable amount of constructive effort. I'm glad I stayed past the unpleasant word "exscape" in the first 30 seconds of video.
Here's wishing you every continuing success!
haha that hurt me too.
👍😍I love what he’s doing there. I love the simplicity and passive house idea. I’m going to take some lessons learned from his projects. 💞
I really love this design! I seriously would love to build something similar in Pennsylvania. Maybe a little larger with a two bedroom setup and a make the "shed" a studio.
Really love this guy's views on private space, knowing yourself and having a relationship not only with yourself, the space but the forest as well. Truly inspirational video!
I love it. All of it !
Lol, I think I fell a little bit in love the way he said it would never be finished!
This guy's voice and speech pattern is almost exactly the same as Tom Cavanagh who is the main actor from the TV Show "Ed" from 2000 and Harrison Wells in the Flash TV show.
He is not 1% as smart as Tom Cavanaugh or he would not have purchased a house that was in shambles.
I love all the unintentional elements on top of all the heavy duty bits !
very cool space. Your beautiful children are growing up right infant of us on our screens. +++
Andrew Michler very creative, Cool house, love the net napping bed.
Question? $60k original price. That shack basically fell down that means full build from that point from the ground up. What is the current price tag associated with this house?
I am currently in the process of trying to remove myself and my family from the grip of over technologically induced lethargy and want to somewhat equip my new (to us) home to be somewhat self sustaining but I feel like I agree with one of the other commenters who stated its $80k up front to save 20 over time, or $20k up front and spend 80 over the course of my life.
Off grid is appealing but seems to come with a hefty price tag to be efficient. I would imagine this guy has a few thousand dollars invested just in material deliveries to his location.
It's a joke really. He's a rocks throw to other communes like wonder view Colorado. A bunch of shacks clumped together destroying the beauty of the foothills. Ugly house. There are so many conditions and regulations in those foothills. Such as water regulations. Off grid not really true has down the road from boulder co. It's not worth it to me to live like this. Building costs property taxes, getting permission from the county, they put regulations on gardening and animals the list goes on...
@@markmahoney14 yeah I kind of got the feeling it wasn't that far off grid. You can sometimes get a good feel for a property's lack of remoteness when all the footage is shot from one or two angles. As much time and effort went into this video I would of expected to see more of the lay of the land and it's resources. Most of us myself included only get so far off grid not like deep deep Alaska remote but like 30-60 minutes from town remote lol. My new place is only 5.6 miles to the nearest small town that has the necessities but that's a 22 minute drive down the mountain for a Lowes or bigger place to shop it's an hour. That's about as remote as my family can handle. I do admire some of this guys systems but they are expensive viewers think wow it's so minimal or so passive but don't know the price tags that accompany the builds. Thanks for your insight on this places location as I'm not familiar with anything out in the Colorado area. 👍
@@markmahoney14 i dont know if im being unrealistic, but if i buy a piece of land out in the boonies im putting up whatever type of cabin i want and since i dont rely on city utilities or services wtf would anyone come out to bother me
Absolutely gorgeous! And WHAT a view! Thanks for explaining the who's and why's of the project. Education is a wonderful thing! Thank you!
“So that’s the formal thing, but it’s also freaking cool” hahaha
Oh I can smell the forest just looking at it
Very cool, would love to do the same with Hempcrete
Plywood, warps when wet, has glues that gas off and porcupines love it.
Another great video! Just wanted to say how much I love the channel, so many innovative ideas!
(I am very much looking forward to your video on a certain brewery in Minnesota! ;-) )
Kirsten, you do find the most interesting people!
Thank you.
💞~👵
Your cinematography skills are improving :)
love the channel, but still needs fair bit of work, fimling the other cameraman/woman is a little offputting - :P
I love the style, please don't change (too much) Kirsten.
barni livingston - form ever follows function. Making what is expected to be invisible...visible = a balance between flourish and modernity. Multiple cameras and camera angels are required to produce what you see in these videos. Why shouldn't we catch glimpses of the real work behind the magic of Kirsten's productions? In the city where I live, our public library has tiny glass walls in the space between floors in which visitors (moving upward via escalators) can see the wiring, sprinkler pipes, floor joists, etc. I am certain that our library's architects, and Kirsten's videos, show their inner workings deliberately. The momentary "pauses" of the visual "magic show" are artistic acumen and certainly not off-putting IMO.
im not going to be as eloquent as you have been, and i understand that this is your point of view - but i personally find the contrast between the slow moving/panning/ascending shots acquired with their drone contrast far to greatly with the sometimes hasty camera angle corrections between wanting to shoot the interviewee and the building somewhat break the magic that their show could present - and its not to say that some episodes have been cleaner in this respect and on top of that, i understand that they are a 2 person crew - so my opinion is not a discredit to their work, only a flying comment with regards how some aspect could be improved - and i really do not think that they intend to show the inner workings in capturing the other camera operator, i believe this just to be conjecture / cicrumstance of a crew that is still perhaps looking for the ideal method, or perhaps they really dont care about this much at all, which would also be part of their perogative - so comparing it to the inner workings of 1 building that you so cleverly attribute this image to, just doesnt cut it for me - but this is only of course my humble opinion.
and i have been watching their shows from the beginning, so really, im not that put off am i ;)
Love the stairs,net room, energy-efficient ,excellant design
F****** living the dream man. I wish I had a house like that mountain bike Paradise right there
I'm a builder and I'm pretty sure I could have built a more aggressive energy-producing house. but your insulation is top-notch, attention to detail is total, and your design is something that I could never do. unfortunately I don't have a creative bone in my body. great job!
“Escape.” “Excape” is not a word. 🙂
He corrected himself. But good job for pointing it out, go pat yourself on the back for knowing basic English words.
I love this house and builder...what a great teacher he is
Wood is good! With all the thought put into details, why the 2-burner stove & small sink? A couple of kids and two adults would overwhelm that. @4:37 ... Kudos on the project - gorgeous
I don't know what he meant by Walden oversimplifying the integration of a home into nature, but his philosophy on the inward reflection resulting from being close to nature reminds me a lot about Thoreau.
I was hoping Kisten edited that part, it makes no sense.
Did not mention the septic or water supply.
Shits in the woods and drinks urine.
He did mention the water supply... and how it had been illegal at one point but no longer was. Go back.. he even shows her the her the tank.
Lots of great ideas. Thanks for sharing
Neat.
Really cool house. I like the Earthship elements without going to such an extreme.
cartograp o
18:00: Water capturing systems was illegal? WTF? Who really defends the so called "law"?
Umm... because it's... the Law?
If one does not like it one works to CHANGE it. Just sayin.
Faith Rada That is a great notion but we all do not have the time and necessary time and energy to change a law just because we do not agree with it.
A lot of great ideas in this home. I really hope passive ideas get incorporated into more mainstream construction.
Are you willing to do a family, living update video. Do you guys still live in your van?
Kent Yee they live in this house. Did you watch the video?
This is the future here and now ! All this ideas will be mainstream , only we will have to wait 50 or 60 years for the people with power to allow this passive tec to be unleashed to the masses . Thanks for showing this wonderful video .
! how absurd! - in one region storing rain water is prohibited in another compulsory....
I have seen a lot of modern design with rustic materials, and this gets my approval.
When air cools in the earth tubes, I would be afraid that water would condense in the tubes and mold would be a problem. When he talked about "conditioning" the air, conditioning implies that the air is not just heated or cooled, but that water is removed. How do the tubes condition the air? Are they on an incline so that the water just slides down them and into a cache? Does anyone know? Thanks!
theshion005 The pipes will be both smooth and angled so that any water drains out of the system.
The tubes don't condition the air, the ground does. Ground temperature, 6 feet under (~2m), almost everywhere on the earth is 55 degrees (~13 C).
As the air goes through the tubes in the ground it cools the air. That cooled air is sucked into the house and pushes the hot air out vents.
Edit: There may be more going on there to filter, clean, or dehumidify the air before it's introduced to the house, but the concept is the same.
theshion005 it is true that humidity can condense in the tubes, thus removing humidity before it is passively introduced into the home. The pipes can be angled and narrowed so humidity and other things from nature can find there way out
In a closed system, like geothermal, condensation can be a problem. As I understand his setup, it's not a closed system, so moisture evaporates (plus, as you mentioned, the pipes are angled).
I looked into it and the ground conditioning system do indeed need to have a slope and proper gravel drains build in to not condensed water.
From what I understood mold can be a problem if not properly designed. You could also make it so that the tubes are accessible.
It's definitely the smartest way to save on power for cooling though.
What a beautiful place. I would recognize that view anywhere.
Love the ideas and execution... but it's "thermodynamics".
So many possibilities when you don't have to worry about things like working and getting to your job.
I would love to live off the grid, but I wonder what this guy does for a living?
He's not too far from a couple of decent-sized cities, and satellite internet and direct radio wireless are both pretty ubiquitous in the mountains up here, if he telecommutes or freelances. Loads of careers/industries allow for location-independence these days.
Rents out the house as an AirB&B to Worker Bees.
~ what a gorgeous backdrop and setting... fantastic... evocative, brain tingle... make one ~ think ~ about things...
The kitchen is so clean and the rest of the house. Why is that? Is it new building or cleaned before cams came?
The building appears to be his hobby man cave. I get the impression the other small building is the main living area. If you were the sear a steak in that kitchen it would take days to get rid of the smell. I made a kitchen island with concrete. Looks great, but isn't that functional with glass and ceramic items, like plates and coffee cups. The upper cabinets were built high - man height, not woman height. No artwork on the walls or a single feminine touch. His wife can't stand the place.
Sold a passive solar house built in 1979 designed by an engineer. He built on a hillside with a cement basement under a two car garage. A three story house with a greenhouse on south side. The heat rose three stories in the greenhouse to a mechanical vent that pumped the heat into the insulated basement that had River rock. A separate forced air furnace circulated thru the rock storage. The heat turned on about once a week. In summer it cooled the rock late at nite to act as a pre chiller as this designer. This was long before super insulation and air door design. We get 140" rain and 30" fog so moisture control is important and. Floor sealing . in 1970's we built 40 houses the contractor bought his lumber package including t-1-
11 cedar siding. He stockpiled the siding on a finished street. Covered with plasticWhen installed the paint denominated. We sent the material to plywood assoc . we found it created a greenhouse under the plastic rain humidity and sun and moisture denominated kiln dried plywood. They changed storage specs btw we get 60 mph wind storms with that 4" of rain in 24 hours. Road as and foundations must be built in dry season .