Homesteading

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Is this tiny home the future of housing?

 

USA

In the town of Brunwsick, Georgia, builder Stuart Muir Wilson constructed a tiny home with all the trimmings. Complete with solar panels and a composting toilet – and made from recycled wood. Wilson thinks this could be the future and hopes to build a business off the back of it.

The house, which is 2.3m by 5.8m, is built on wheels and can be towed anywhere. The solar panels fitted for power and water tanks are able to insulate the home from the cold, and Wilson’s clever arrangement of windows means that the temperature inside never rises above 25C – even in the hottest summer months.

After the success of this house, which he sold to be placed on a bush block, Wilson aims to build another four in the next year. He said “there’s a lot of people who live in the bush off the (energy) grid, you don’t have to be doing it tough to live off the grid.” Wilson added:

“We’re teaching people how to use the natural elements to cool or heat the place and in their own ecological footprint.” 

The project was created in conjunction with Jesuit Social Services and built with support from Hammertime, an initiative creating pathways into construction for women. Jesuit is receiving expressions of interest from people wanting to buy the homes.

The tiny house movement is on the rise in the USA as the demand for living small is getting bigger. According to a recent survey done by the National Association of Home Builders, more than 50 percent of Americans would now consider living in a home less than 600 square feet, and that number is even higher for millennials – 63 percent of whom would consider living in a tiny house.

 

Want to know more about this way of life? Have a read of The Tiny House Family blog. You can also read about some of the best companies responsible for constructing tiny houses here

 

 

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Shelter

3D printed House in 24 hours

A house which was 3D printed in just 24 hours went up last month, in the town of Stupino, Western Russia.

With 3D printers producing more and more novel items –  in some cases even a rudimentary human organs – it was only a matter of time before a house would be printed successfully. Previously, parts of houses have been 3D printed and assembled but the Stupino house was printed entirely on-site.

A huge printer and a mortar mix

3D printing company Apis Cor used a 3D printer the size of a crane and had a mortar mix specially developed. They covered the whole operation with a heated tent.

The house, which is 38 Metres squared, is circular – whilst the roof is totally flat. Three right-angled protrusions allow for additional space and division of the inside area.

And what of its protection against the harsh Russian winters? The roof is made of polymer membranes and insulated with solid plates; its designed to withstand heavy snowfall and keep its inhabitants warm and cosy.

Apis Cor said that the total building cost came to $10,134, or approximately $275 per square meter – about $25 per square foot. A recent estimate put the average cost of building a 2,000 square feet home in the US at about $150 per square foot.

 

So are these the homes of the future?

They’re affordable and fast to build: is it only a matter of time before we’re all living in 3D printed concrete circles? Probably not—or, at least not until whole apartment buildings can be 3D printed.

The challenges the Stupino house would face being plopped in the middle if a city would be numerous. Whilst cities like Dubai are looking to build more 3D houses, most cities would accommodate 3D homes in the form of environmentally-friendly, data-integrated ‘smart buildings’.

Apis Cor claims that this residential building can last up to 175 years. And that in the future, both construction and insulation can be completed in tandem using dual extrusion.

 

You can read more about the world of 3D printing here 

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