Quote:
Originally Posted by Fudog1138
If you could pick a piece of property, have the type of land that you wanted and type of house that you wanted. What would you buy or build?
Me:
-2 acres, semi wooded, no more than 5 miles from stores.
-Build a 1800 sq foot straw bale or cob house with basement
-Pitch the roof to take advantage of solar heating on the south facing wall
-Roof would be grass, maybe even build the house into the side of a hill or makr a portion earth covered (yah Lord of the Rings style)
-2 car garage built of cob or strawbale with 220 available
-Combo solar powered\wind generated power so I could go off grid
-1/2 acre garden for veggies
-Fish pond with solar fountain
Most of the yard and landscaping would be natural. I'd just have a small portion dedicated to a lawn.
I'm just curious what you would build
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I started thinking about my post, and decided to read what others had written first. Well, Fudog1138, your post nailed my dream house to a T! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I too am from Michigan?
Ideally though, I wouldn't live in Michigan. I love the snow, so somewhere like Oregon or Washington would be ideal for me. The winters are mild enough that you don't have to worry (at least compared to Michigan) about freezing to death. Both states have a border with the Pacific ocean. Both states have beautiful scenery and mountains. Oh, that and midwest people are some of the worst humans ever.
I personally would like some neighbors that would be located semi-nearby. It is always good to be surrounded by nice people that you can rely on. I have always grown up surrounded by good neighbors, and have learned to appreciate the warmth that it brings to your life. Compare that to my current life in Japan, where even if you live next to someone your entire life, chances are you will do everything you can to avoid ever having to talk with them. Cold cold place Japan is. Sad thing is I don't think that this is the way it used to be hundreds of years ago...
Fudog1138's original post didn't go in depth on heating, so I want to add some of my own thoughts. Geothermal heating is very attractive to me. The pumps being powered by solar/wind power would be excellent. An eco cute (currently Japan only) system for hot water would be icing on the cake. The ultimate though would be to find property with a hot spring, so I could enjoy unlimited bathing without ever having to worry about heating the water that I use. This in and of itself would be the deciding factor for me, if I were choosing an ideal place to live.