Gents, I'm living in central Mexico and looking to build a new 'green' home. I'm new to the site and looking for as much info as I can get during the planning stage. I'm no engineer but have 'some' common sense. I'm looking to get feedback on a current idea. Current idea: 105 sq m modified T-style earthbag house with rainwater collection system. This is where the fun starts. Because of limited space I'm toying with the idea of putting the rainwater collection tank UNDER the house. The bag foundation will be tied together with I-beam and concrete cap. My concern is the distance the house foundation will need to be away from the 'pool' walls to prevent a cave-in. From my research earthbag [or as I like to call them 'adobe in a bag']houses tend to be very heavy. Also, I'm considering an efficient filtering system for the black water system. The waste water and solids will be used for a greenhouse. My plan isn't to be self-sufficient BUT close. The closest 'green' building supplier is 325km and everything is from the US. That gets VERY expensive QUICKLY. Again any ideas are appreciated. Leo
GBP-Keith
2 Aug 2009, 1:13 PM
Hi Leo. The greenest homes are built with localised materials. OK yes make it as energy efficient as possible but most manufactured systems actually mock/copy the natural method. Obviously space is the limiting factor and this is where a system can help. Look up Clivus Multrum to see if they have an agent in Mexico.
Take look at 'earthship building' (do an internet search) as this methodology may well fit into your ideas.
