What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?
Highly insulated
Passive solar design (80%)
Straw bale insulation and earthen plaster walls
Insulated, concrete floors
Reclaimed concrete used for center wall, front fascia, and bermed walls around wraparound patio
South facing roof is canted at the perfect angle for flat mount solar PV panels, and the metal roof would be great for setting up a rainwater collection system with gutters currently installed on all but the East sideProperty Description
This passive solar, straw bale home is located just 2 miles from downtown Boise, with views of Table Rock and the foothills.
The design is '80% solar'; so 80% of the heating and cooling needs are met with the basic design of the house. It was built to Boise City Straw Bale Building Code specs by experienced, professional straw bale builders in the summer of 2010, and is fully permitted.
The home can be heated through the winter with very little electricity or wood, but has always stayed above 58 degrees, even with no heating other than the sun. It is around 71 degrees inside when the sun shines on the coldest winter days. On a winter night, the temperature will only drop about 8 degrees due to the amount of thermal mass.
Insulation rates are: R22 on South facing wall, R35 on the other straw bale walls, R51 for the ceiling, and R10 blue-board under the entire slab foundation.
This wonderful house has thick metal roofing that was also used as siding, earthen plaster walls, and a full wraparound / covered patio (1100sqft) protected by a earth berm masonry wall.
Houseplants love all the light, and you will too. S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) is not a problem here, with winter days wonderfully bright. The floors are unfinished concrete so you won't get sick from carpet / padding off-gassing.
Features:
-800 sqft interior space
-1100 sqft wraparound patio
-thick granite counter-tops
-reclaimed concrete center wall for maximum thermal mass
-bermed wall of reclaimed concrete around West and North sides to create a private patio with lots of storage
-house water comes from a well and tastes great, 5gpm
-gravity flood irrigation
-entire .98 acre property is fenced with a super heavy duty 6' chain link fence tough enough to hold horses
-new 10 x 12 Tuff Shed Premier Pro Tall Barn
-wood stove
-over-sized tub inside, with shower
-cast iron antique tub fully plumbed on patio!
-stainless steel stove and refrigerator included
-vaulted ceiling with open air flow design and natural light in every room
-homeowners insurance is less expensive for straw bale houses
-easy to clean, easy to maintain, no mowing, minimal weeding, property irrigation floods in 2.5 hours.
The property is landscaped with 30+ fruit trees of many varieties, including apple, pear, nectarine, peach, apricot and plum. There are 30+ fruiting bushes and vines, giant grasses, various other trees, and a small wild forested area out back. About half of the plants are volunteers needing no watering or care. The property has been mulched with hundreds of tons of chipped tree mulch brought in by a environmentally responsible tree service over a 3 year period to restore/build the soil. No herbicides or pesticides are used, so the plants are not addicted to chemicals, and are strong enough to fight off local pests and disease on their own. There are 3 fenced garden spaces for veggies and a large fenced chicken pen, with a nice coop and 6 laying hens. The free range chickens to do your pest control and a lot of the weeding for you.
Maintaining the landscaping is very easy, and involves about 8 hours a week for gravity flood irrigation and weeding, and the time spent in the veggie gardens. If the electrical power grid went down, the water to the trees and gardens would still flow, and the house would still keep you warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.
The land backs on train tracks, but there are only 2 short (averaging about 15 cars), slow trains a day that go South around 10am and then North around noon servicing the industrial park to the East of the Boise Airport. There is a power line following the tracks, but it is not the high power type that concerns folks.
If you need financing, the actual construction technique is "post & beam / stick frame". The straw bales are not structural, just used as insulation. If you say you are wanting to finance a straw bale house it will just confuse the process.
This hobby / urban farm haven is located 1 mile from the airport, freeway and major shopping locations such as Fred Meyer and Home Depot, and 2 miles from downtown. You can sell the car if you want, and live the good life right near the heart of Idaho's capitol city and all it has to offer!
Builder information:
Design / build by Earthcraft
Earthcraft Construction, Inc is a unique design-build company with a rich history of quality home building in Idaho's Treasure Valley. Employing more than 30 year's experience in the field of residential contracting, we offer an approach to green building that integrates practical, time-tested, methodology with new and innovative technology. The result is a home tailored to your unique lifestyle, needs and budget as well as the environment in which it is built.
Earthcraft utilizes natural, local and reclaimed products whenever possible to help reduce cost, waste, and impact on the environment. As a design-build contractor, we're able to reduce costly inefficiencies through our 'one-stop-shop' service. Because our designer is also an experienced builder, we are better able to control costs and work within our clients' budgets. This concept to completion service is Earthcraft's personal commitment and what makes our homes stand apart from the rest.
Passive solar design / straw bale technology / earthen plaster by Eco2librium
ECO2 Consulting provides technical support to individuals, small businesses, builders and architects, institutions, and municipalities to lower energy costs by increasing energy efficiency and conservation in commercial buildings and homes. Executive Director, Dr. Mark Lung, has over 10 years of experience, providing professional energy consulting to individual home owners, small businesses, colleges, and city councils. ECO2 specializes in energy efficient building design for new buildings and renovations based upon:
1. Passive solar designs
2. Sustainable building materials
ECO2 works with designers, architects, developers, and home owners to provide clients with high performance energy efficient homes that save hundreds of dollars in energy costs annually and significantly reduce carbon emissions.Neighborhood Description
"The Bench" feels like Boise did 30 years ago, with walkable streets and friendly neighbors.Market Area
Time magazine listed Boise as #1 of eight other cities in a 2014 issue under the header "Solutions for America" as "Getting it right."
Here is a list of mentions by publications about how great it is to live in Boise...
http://www.boiseidaho.gov/notes-info/boise-list-of-lists/School District
Here you will find outstanding schools in a district on the leading edge of education. We serve 26,000 students and employ 3,900 people, of whom 1,700 are certified staff. Our purpose statement of Educating Today for a Better Tomorrow symbolizes our commitment to provide the finest education possible for every student.
http://www.boiseschools.org/Community
This is a place where lots of folks ride bikes and grow summer gardens. There are 2 farmers markets every week downtown, and the beautiful Boise River flows through town less than two miles away from this property. The whole area is serviced by gravity fed flood irrigation canals, so is more resilient to power failures.Location of Home or Land
Urban
Elevation of Home
Mountain
Air Quality
Agriculture in Area | no |
Industry in Area | no |
Air Pollution in Area | no |
Pesticide Free | yes |
Fragrance Free | yes |
Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
Heating System | Electric Radiant Solar - Passive Wood Stove |
Cooling System | Passive Cooling |
Ventilation System | Other |
Whole House Filtration | None |
Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
Water System | Well Other |
Wastewater System | Municipal |
Construction Information
Construction Type | Straw bale |
Exterior Finish | Masonry Metal Plaster - Earth Wood |
Interior Finish | Gypsum Board - Sheet Rock Earthen Plaster |
Interior Paint | No VOC |
Floor Material | Concrete |
Roof Material | Metal |
Window Material | Vinyl or Vinyl Clad |
Insulation Material | Cotton Batt |
Garage / Car Port
Garage / Carport | yes |
Garage Type | carport_attached |
Number of Cars | 1 |
Garage Area | 300 sqft |