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How To Build an Open Source House?
An anonymous reader writes "I'm starting a project that I hope that the engineers, makers and general DIYers in the Slashdot crowd can help out with. The full story's on the website, but the short version is as follows: my aim is to make a cheap, recycled, sustainable building, to document the process fully and to release anything that would help others to do the same. I intend to use an old train carriage as the shell, but the ideas should extend to shipping containers, aeroplane fuselages or anything similar. I know I'm not the first to do this, but I can't see anyone else who's provided a detailed step-by-step account of the build, complete with plans and the rest. Before I start, though, I'm trying to draw on as much collective experience as possible, and to head off mistakes before they happen. My question to Slashdot is simple: what do you think I need to know before I begin?"
First off, build a list of local electricians and plumbers, and the name of whomever is going to sign off on this house with regard to permits and other legal issues. IE: People who know your local regulations.
Get their opinion and evaluate their willingness to work with you, because the last thing you want is a finished project that gets condemned.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
It's my understanding that if you GPL it, Richard Stallman can come and stay there for free.
IANAL, IAAT.
If you don't have personal experience, find someone who does to help you. Especially where code is involved.
Get the blessing of whoever signs your permits before you choose a site.
As an engineered structure if you want to use it in your design you might have to have some kind of plan for the tube car. ISO shipping containers can probably sometimes sneak around this because they are designed to spec, but your tube car was designed for something wholly different and if it's not getting grandfathered in then you may well need its blueprints. But this goes back to the previous point; you may not.
Make sure to use a shared water wall so that you need as little plumbing as possible. You probably want an on-demand electric water heater. It's popular to mount such a thing to the wall inside the house as near the kitchen sink as possible, and to run all hot water lines outward from that point.
Insulate, insulate, insulate. And at the same time, ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. In your situation I would want to install HEPA and carbon filters on an intake fan, but I'm a country dweller, all I have to worry about is spray days. Seems like if you need a heater an underfloor unit will be easy.
I have many grandiose plans for shipping containers but first I need someplace road-accessible to site them.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
That's because every building, no matter how modular or factory-built, is very customized due to local building codes, site-specific issues, and the personal tastes of the owner or builder.
What you're doing sounds cool (London Tube train car into a home) but it's such a niche idea that of course you're not going to find step-by-step how-to guides. It's admirable that you want to share every step of the process online, but truly "open-source" doesn't really make a difference in this situation. Oh, and btw, there are legal issues with releasing your construction documents for others' use. Architects and contractors are licensed because they are taking on liability for the specifications and buildings they produce.
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
A high-cube container is 9' 6" tall, which gives about 9' internal vertical space to work with, which means that even with 6" in the floor and 6" in the ceiling for insulation, electrical, plumbing, etc, you have an 8' vertical space.
Normal containers are a foot shorter, which means it will feel more claustorphobic, and train carrages are even shorter.
The biggest challenge is the width, with only less than 8 feet of width, you pretty much HAVE to mate containers side by side and remove the interior walls to get nice space.
Test your net with Netalyzr
You need to know the building codes in the area.
You may have lots of great, cheap but illegal ideas.
Inspectors can be your friends, helping you do it right, or a real pain.
Yes, because his documenting everything and making it available to everyone won't help people that don't live where he lives. Right?
I believe that the point the AC was trying to get across is that helping others learn how to build poorly insulated homes out of materials that aren't really suitable for home construction, isn't really helping at all.
Putting moderation advice in your
What do you think I need to know before I begin?
Building your own house from scratch is not for the fainthearted. But if you succeed you will have done something most people dream of their entire life.
Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.
A bread pan and some water is all you need; fill, freeze, stack, repeat until you have a house. To recycle, add heat. Freezing water hasn't been patented by Amazon yet, so do it while it is still an open technology.
There's a Sourceforge project for this already. The developers have done a wonderful job on the home theater and kitchen, but nobody's worked on the plumbing and foundation yet.
We had a french TV show here in Quebec called "Les citadins du rebut global" (loosely translated to "Citizens of the Global Trash"), which is part home building show, part junkyard wars. They have four seasons up to now, each in which they build a house in a different setting and from different found materials. It's quite a good show actually, it won a few TV industry prizes. The website also has a few interesting blurbs of video sprinkled in the "reportages" section.
http://www.citadins.tv/
In one season they have to build a house with only 15000$, in another they renovate an abandoned industrial space, in the third season they build a house supplied only with alternative energy sources.
I dont know if english subs are available for it, but the process of building a house being very graphic by nature I assume you could grasp quite a few concepts just by watching it. They used to sell the show in boxset format, but it might be obtained from "other sources" too. Just sayin'...
-- Home is where you eat your heart out.
I am in the process of building my own eco-house. The first step is to get some land outside the "rubber-stamp" "where's your permit" world because when the inspector shows up he will take one look at your creation and since it will not fit neatly in one of his stacks redtag it until it does. What we did was buy unimproved land a few miles from an unincorporated city of a few hundred people. The only regulations we are under are county which deal with water and septic, which is good all the way around. As for anything else.. I could build a match stick house on a gasoline foundation with a blowtorch door bell and no one would say squat.
You are going to have to comply with things like building and fire codes, unless you want to exist in legal limbo. On the plus side, because rail cars presumably had to follow DOT regulations of various sorts(and are only one story tall) code compliance isn't going to be the biggest hurdle in the world; but you'll still have to do it.
http://bulk.resource.org/codes.gov/ is, by a fair margin, your best bet for free access to building, fire, and similar codes(run by one Carl Malamud, something of a hero in the "open public access to government documents" business). It might be less useful to someone of the Limey persuasion, which you seem to be; but many US municipal and state codes simply incorporate wholesale various industry-standard codes, many of which are of international reach. Depending on your location, you may still need one or more licenced people to sign off, for it to all be legal, and you might be able to get a copy of any local codes from some local authority.
More generally, If you want this project to be "open source" in a useful sense, you'll likely want to focus on two things: One is obvious: documentation. You want documentation anyway, just to save your sanity; but that is what you will be sharing with others. Second, slightly less obvious but more important, is modularity. An "Open Source" project that beings "Obtain 1 model XYZ-FOO-123 underground train car. Follow the following steps precisely to convert it into a house." That's a build log, which is fine; but it is of rather limited re-usability. Train cars(and probably other things you will end up incorporating during the course of the project) are the sort of item that is cheap to free(depending on the scrap/collectors market at the time) if you get lucky, uneconomically pricey otherwise. Some people will have them, some won't. Those who do have them will pretty much be stuck with the model they have.
What you will want to do, if you wish to make this a useful "OSS" project, is build it out of a bunch of documented modular components that fit in your environment; but could, possibly with some adaptation; be used in all sorts of other contexts. "Design for platform with sliding wall-mounted pivots that can be unfolded as either a sleeping surface or a table" is useful for anybody who has a flat wall and not much space. Various things of that nature will add up to the solution to your specific problem; but will also be generally applicable.
Coming back to code, and general applicability, and legality, you might also wish to explore minimizing your dependence on things like gas lines and mains electricity in your design. These are the most dangerous if a n00b fucks them up, the most likely to be code/legal-requirement encumbered, and the most likely to differ between nations. 12/24 volt electrical systems, for instance, will allow you to tap the experience of the camper/RV enthusiasts, and may well subject you to far fewer regulatory headaches. Trivial integration with solar is fun also.
Well, based on my experience with open source projects,... I imagine you'll generate a lot of interest, the blueprints will look great but in the end, you'll end up with a shody foundation and maybe some framework done but your workforce will abandon you before you put up the drywall...
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
They weren't in bikini's, but there were babes jet skiing on the Snoqualmie river this past weekend.
While its all charming and cool to come up with an "open source house" - there are many pitfalls/roadblocks to just coming up with your own home design. Most of us call that "The Real World".
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Secondly, Habitat work sites are horribly managed: they're dangerous. You have way too many people running around who don't have a clue and it's too easy to hurt someone or get hurt. I as doing my job hammering and someone decided to stand behind me and help and I almost took out his face with the framing hammer. And because there's so many people, you end up BS'ing with other folks - there's just not enough to do. The best build I was ever one was this church that needed an extra hand. It was just a dozen folks including the homeowner, we worked really hard and you felt like you were doing something. Unfortunately, with this economy, they don't need the extra help and I refuse to work on other teams with more than a dozen people; which means, I don't volunteer anymore.
No biggie. They have so many people wanting to volunteer that it's hard to get a spot as it is.
RIP America
July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001
Please. RMS has no problems staying for free under an MIT license, either.
1.
Thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
People have done some nifty things with trailer and container houses...
http://www.greendiary.com/entry/20-amazing-homes-made-from-shipping-containers/ :P )
http://26.media.tumblr.com/9cyPFQbgCnxj7a2aELgniTn8o1_500.jpg
http://renaissanceronin.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/shipping-container-treehouse.jpg (OK, OK, it's just a CGI
I've been leaning more toward things like FlatPack houses, since the shipping effort is much lower per sq ft.
I have built 4 small houses/cabins, a couple barns and other structures. Your main expenses will be for utility hookups.
I have a ranch, so my experience is somewhat different since I don't have to pay much heed to local permits and regulations. I just make sure I build above code so everything works well.
Building costs are not much for a simple structure. Your major costs are going to be a septic system or sewer hookup, water and electric hookup. I can build (and have built) a small cabin with bedroom, bathroom, closet, living room, kitchen and porch for under $5000 in materials. But a small septic system, a well and electric hookup will cost over $10,000 in my area, and that's if I build the septic system myself. Just sewer hookup in a city can cost anywhere from $5000 to $20,000 or more. Electric hookup can be between $500 and $3000. Not sure about water hookup, but a well ain't cheap.
So first concentrate on the utilities. That will let you know if you can afford it.
When many, many people spend an enormous percentage of their energies in paying down mortgages and similar, there is little time left over to work on the self.
This is a huge problem, and if the housing/energy problem can be effectively solved, then you are on your way to freedom. And there ARE solutions.
Buy cheap property and build on it. There are going to be massive regulations on house building; the government has a vested interest in preventing people from growing strong, so you'll have a million and one obstacles thrown in your way. I don't know what to suggest there except perhaps keep your head down and stay off the radar, or wade in and do the paper work. It depends on your personal strengths and personality type.
As for train cars. . . Why not an old school bus? Train cars are hard to move, but you can DRIVE an old bus to a location and it provides a similar kind of of weather-proof shell to work with.
Another idea is that a simple shelter of two by fours with a tarp on raised shipping pallets, along with a propane heater can get you through the winter if need be, and provide general shelter while you build your other projects.
I know one guy who did this, and ran 150 meters of power cable from his neighbor across the property and just paid him whatever the extra cost was on the meter. Eventually you can put up solar panels to service your basic needs.
There are lots and lots of ways to do this and hundreds of web sites which have info to help you out.
The main tricks, though, are getting property where you can drill a water well. If you can get some land near farmers, then you can learn how to feed yourself also. Not a bad idea considering the way the world is turning. Though, England is kinda screwed for weather. No matter what climate change does, England is pretty much fsked, so perhaps moving somewhere warmer is a good idea. . ?
Anyway, good luck and have fun! (And
-FL
In colder climates, you have to take greater care to prevent your water supply from freezing.
In the colder parts of the US, for example, the water supply will enter somewhere in the middle of a heated basement. Basements are typical in such areas because you need a deep foundation to protect against frost heaving, and it doesn't cost much more to remove the dirt from the middle of the house footprint. Since the supply pipe is >8' underground, and then enters a heated space, it's protected from freezing.
In warmer parts of the US, houses are typically built on a small (approx 2-4') crawl space or on a slab-on-grade. This is because their foundations are usually much shallower, since there's no frost heaving problem. In such houses, the water supply enters in a similar manner as your house.
and GNU your wife
It would be most beneficial if there were a viable F/OSS CAD package you could use to document your efforts, but there is not. The best you can probably do is to use a proprietary package, and export the drawings to an open format. It is difficult or impossible to produce even rudimentary 2D mechanical drawings with any efficiency using F/OSS software. The biggest F/OSS hole there is, IMO.
Not open source, but at least free (as in beer) is DoubleCAD XT which is comparable and compatible to AutoCAD LT. I'm surprised it's not used more in industry where the powers to be rarely give out Autodesk licences. http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXTv2/tabid/1100/Default.aspx
Railcars have been used before. Insulation, airhandling, all the rest will be relatively trivial. Not having the local council ruin your plans will be the tough part.
Moisture will be an issue. You'll need to seal it up and when you do, moisture inside the vehicle will be a problem. You can use a spray foam insulation. For inspiration on how to make confined spaces into a livable space, go tour a yatch.
My brother built a vacation place on Tenakee Springs, Alaska. First thing he did was deliver a shipping container as a quick-and-dirty, bear-proof shelter. The door of it is visible here. Obviously, it is now incorporated into a larger structure.
Best regards.
Unless you superinsulate it, you may have condensation problems on the interior, leading to mold. Airplanes avoid this by constantly blowing fresh air through the fuselage. Stationary objects, particularly partially underground ones, can only avoid it by constantly running dehumidifiers. My parents house with a partially underground bottom floor with cinder block walls gets puddles on the floor if they don't run the dehumidifier.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Water has this amazing property, in that it can become a vapor - say, maybe, in the sunny outdoors - and work its way into the darnedest places - say, maybe, a dark cool space between insulation and drywall - where it condenses or simply is absorbed out of the air, and provides paper (food) and moisture (water). So... cool, dark, moist, and a food source = mold & mildew growth.
This is why your house has moisture barriers to prevent moisture from building up where it shouldn't.
Find some back issues of Mother Earth News - they've been running articles on folks doing all sorts of low-cost houses for decades. They have books / plans available, info on insulation / solar heat and power / etc.
Lots of good stuff.
You might want to check what OS-HOUSE.org is doing . They 've just announced the winner of their open-source house competition. Plans are free to get , building materials should be easy to source locally .. good luck
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I'm sure you've come across lots of resources on the internetz, but here's another one. My friend is building a 'green' house, as 'greenly' as possible, given certain limitations and other objectives. It's being built on the west coast up here in Canada. She has been blogging about it from day 1, noting all the tough technology decisions, regulations, etc. along the way. http://www.buildinggreenbc.com/
Sounds like 'open source' is becoming like the word 'organic', where people hoping to sound cool just jam it in to phrases randomly whether it makes sense or not.
If you build your own house, you should be able to build it however you like. Caveat emptor!