Sustaining IN the Suburbs… Smart.

After my last post (aimed at making you think about what’s happening outside your yards, I admit…)

… my email account got pounded by people who kept telling me that living in anything resembling the city precluded any kind of “reality based” sustainable lifestyle.

A death in our family took us out of town unexpectedly for the week, so it’s time to get back to the task of dispelling myths and debunking urban folklore…

YES. You can build an affordable home out of repurposed materials. I’ve been showing you how to do exactly this for years.

YEARS.

YES. You can take that same mindset and then apply it to places “non-Corten”, like your roof and your yard.

Using good design let’s you capture the sun and take her hostage – ala heat and even electricity.

You want to really make a difference in your paychecks?

Kill your mortgage, “grab the sun” and then grow your own food.

And you don’t have to live in the boonies or the woods to do it.

People who claim that are just afraid of the hard work it takes to earn this “simpler and less complicated life”.

Look around you. If you’re like us, you’re surrounded by “typical suburban lots, filled with typical suburban tract houses”.

If you have one of these, you probably already have everything you need, to get started.

And Shhhhsh! Don’t tell Monsanto.

They’ve paid for politicians who are writing bills to “stop” the way you grow your own food. The “Food Safety Act” is just ONE example of the legislation that is currently making the Beltway circuit, legislation aimed primarily at taking more of your personal power from you.

Can families really wrest back power from “the authorities” and make good on their own  hard work to improve their lives?

Check out a feature called “Living the Simple Life” where ABC Nightline profiled the Dervaes family.

This family isn’t “living like the Amish”, “living in the boonies” or even “hunkered down in the Ozarks”.

They live in LA. Not Louisiana! I’m talking about Los Angeles.

Welcome to the world of the urban homesteader. The Dervaes are a family of four and they aren’t independently wealthy or trust fund babies. They actually live quite comfortably on about (3) bundles of Benjamins (30 grand US) a year. $30,000 a year.

Are they suburban farming a huge tract lot measuring in the gazillions of square feet? Nope. They’re only using a fifth of an acre to grow their food. And, that includes poultry, dairy and the veggies.

They even have a surplus. They make enough goodies to sell to local restaurants and neighbors.

But wait, there’s more!

We’ve all heard about Bio-Fuel, right? It’s a fuel based on recycled vegetable oil. When you burn it in a car or truck, it smells like a french fry factory is following you everywhere you go.

Well, that’s what the Dervaes do, too. They make their own fuel for their automobile from the used vegetable oil they get from the restaurants they sell produce to.  Then, it’s easily and inexpensively (about a buck a gallon) to fuel It costs $1/ gallon to make.

The only down-side is that it makes you hungry as all get out for fried food… like french fries. I’ll never be thin again…

They have a nice home. They have good food. They make a nice little income to offset any costs. And…

They aren’t afraid of hard work.

So next time you’re sitting in traffic for an hour trying to get to work, consider this;

It’s not some unfathomable grand scheme. It’s just reality. Many of our parents and grandparents grew up this way. Then, it was NORMAL.

The Dervaes are cool as heck, but they aren’t anything “special”. What they are is “dedicated”. You can do what they’ve done.

You’ll live better. You’ll get a buffer from rising fuel prices, inflated food prices, and those fools in Congress messing around with the economy. You won’t have to worry (as much) about losing your job.

You’ll eat better.

And, I’ll add that you won’t be ingesting chemicals and pesticides.

You’ll be happier, and even healthier.

Hard work and exercise will do that to you whether you like it or not.

Yeah, yeah, I know. We can’t all start “Farming on Fulton Street”…

BUT, you can take some notes and figure out how to work some of this into your own lives.

The reason you’re reading this blog is that you want an affordable, sustainable, strong home, right?

You’ve heard me “preach the sermon” over and over again;

• Self-responsibility.
• Self-sustainability.
• Self-reliance.

Why can’t that exact same mindset extend out beyond your porch?

Live HERE. Eat THIS. Drink the Kool-aid. :(

Here at RR we urge you to look at what’s happening around you.

Being aware means being active as things change around you…

Identify, React, Respond.

1. Decades ago we built ISBU homes in the woods out of necessity.
2. Years ago we built ISBU homes because they remained  affordable and cost effective.
3. NOW, we build ISBU homes because in some cases, it’s the only way to insure that families have homes at all.

And “the powers that be” aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea.

The people building these homes aren’t walking around like lemmings, doing just like everyone else. They’re thinking for themselves and making decisions based on what’s best for their families, sometimes in spite of local authorities who have been bought and paid for in part or in entirety by corporations that don’t want to see their profits eroded by “clear thinkers and mavericks”…

We teach you how to build safe affordable housing out of steel boxes.

We teach you to re-use, recycle, and re-purpose materials to keep your costs down.

Then we teach you how to insure that you’ll have what you need, by providing it for yourself. Stuff like vegetables,. for instance.

Will they? No. Not only will they tell you what you “can’t” live in, they’ll even tell you what you “can’t” grow in your yard.

It’s about control. Those people that we elected to serve us, now want to control us.

Want proof?

Is this the future of “home grown” food?

Pay attention and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Some little zoning schmuck has gotten all full of themselves and decided to “Play Napoleon”.

This is an isolated incident, right?

Um… Google: MONSANTO.

IMHO: If you start ranking “evil companies bent on doing harm to people” Monsanto is the Darth Vader of Food “Producers”.

And they’ve already bought and paid for Obama and most of Congress.

Google: “The Food Safety Bill”

You’ll find out that there are people out there who want to make it illegal for you to grow a large garden. And they’ll use the Department of Homeland Security to enforce it.

Cooler heads must prevail before we not only have no place to live, we’ll also have nothing to eat…

Unless we “Step and fetch for the Man” like good little lemmings…

So long Jack.

If you listen, you can hear the sucking sound of a thousand people all inhaling at the same time.

Hold it…

Now… exhale.

You’re wondering what I’m talking about, huh?

One of my personal idols passed away yesterday afternoon. He dedicated his entire life to trying to make us get up off our butts and get healthy.

I remember watching him swim the English Channel towing a boat with his teeth.

While many of us were watching football games…

One of this nation’s heroes was involved in a struggle of his own that makes most gridiron bouts look like simple traffic gridlock.

Pneumonia claimed a guy so tough that he could give Arnold, John Wayne, Sly Stallone and that Aikido idiot “Steven what’s-his-name” a serious run for their money.

He’s the action hero that never was.

And now, he’s up there in heaven, whipping those angels into even better “heavenly shape”.

Jack LaLanne was 96 years young.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll miss him. HE was tougher than Corten Steel and one of the few people that you could rely on to do the right thing.

Rest in Peace, buddy. You sure earned it.

And before you get all uppity: I have nothing against martial arts – especially Aikido, seeing as how I personally trained in dojos and studied Aikido  for decades. I DO have something against “loudmouthed martial arts bozos” from the “bonecrusher” school, who only seek to exploit it for personal gain…

Call me “Doctor Franken-Container…”

I’m getting overwhelmed with mail from people that are frankly… overwhelmed.

They look at all the pretty pictures on the “glamor housing” sites and then they hear me talking about DIY, and they get as nervous as zebras around lions.

Look, ISBU architecture isn’t really about “Treehugger”.

The reality is that these boxes lend themselves to easily reclaimed space, as MODULES or WINGS.

In fact, I just patented (okay, so it’s “patent pending”) something we’re calling  “iWINGS”.

No, it’s not a fan site for an old TV Sitcom, or even Paul McCartney (although I do LOVE his music).

G_d Bless his left-handed lil heart!

I did it, in part to establish a modular building set that allows a family to put modules together to FORM a cost effective, affordable, high performance home. The other part? I did it to showcase what will hopefully become a series of “constructed components” that will allow a family to build their own home… BY THEMSELVES, FOR THEMSELVES.

This requires a base plan that is flexible, energy efficient and sustainable.

So, you’ll tune the house to your climate. Not all homes work in all places, after all. You don’t just drop a house on the ground. You orient it to the sun and the views.

(And if it’s ME, it’s in THAT order.)

What do you look for in a base plan?

Well, first, you look for an easily achieved design that will help control production costs. After all, you’re going to be doing this out of your own wallet. Bankers hear “shipping container” and start laughing hysterically.

At least, for now. Some day…

Where was I? Oh yeah…

Look, I’m not going to start preaching “Spec House”, or “full-blown Architecture Wonder” (complete with overblown budget).

It’s not what I do. I’m teaching most of you to do this YOURSELF. As in, you keep all your pennies for building and pretzels.

In the past, I’ve shown you ISBU houses built around (1) 20′ CORE ISBU that contains all the goodies you crave. I mean, it’s hard to do without a kitchen, bathroom and running shower, right? Plus, we threw in a laundry room and even a mechanical space for the hot water heater.

I’ve shown you how to take containers and connect them together with a common space, to form an “uncommon” home.

But I’m getting email from families that want to build a more “traditional” house. In fact, I’m getting a lot of email from NEW families that want to start out with two bedrooms/baths and add on as they grow.

AND… I’m getting email from Seniors and “empty nesters” that want something smaller and more manageable that will allow them to live in peace (as opposed to constantly maintaining the pieces).

What do they need?

Well, you need a home that is:

• flexible,
• designed to take many forms as need be, and…
• it needs to be affordable to build.

Beyond that, you need it to do this without compromise or at the sacrifice of performance.

Sounds like a tall order, huh? Not really. You just need to think it thru.

Yes… you knew this was coming… you’ll need it to be able to take advantage of passive and active solar systems so that you can add panels to the roof, to create power and domestic hot water.

What else? Okay – I’d recommend rainwater collection and Energy Star approved and rated lighting and appliances.

And let’s throw in some thermal mass – say concrete or tile floors to help with heat gain, as well.

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to look at how you’d accomplish this… by building ONE iWING at a time.

Stay tuned.

Image Credit (Lion Love): Chan4Chan

Image credit (Sir Paul): TopNews

No Lions or Zebras were harmed in the creation of this post.

Paul McCartney can never be harmed. He’s IMMORTAL!

Racked… Stacked… Packed…

From the landslide of email I got after running the “SHINDIG” photo…

I’m gonna follow it up by running a few more “Stop overthinking this!” photos.

While ISBU Home Construction can get really involved and extremely creative,  remember that they’re just “building blocks”:

Pretty straight forward, right? Germans rack ‘em as they need ‘em.

Okay, so it’s not gonna make any Luxury Home Magazine Covers, but…

And everyone has seen Container City in England…. right?

Look, here’s the deal. They’re BOXES. You can make them look like anything you want. But from the beginning, you’re gonna get weather resistant, solid steel housing that shakes it’s fist at anything Mother Nature (or anything/anyone else) can throw at it.

Your family will be safer. Your wallet will be fatter. And, you’ll have a lot less maintenance to do…

Stay tuned.

We want you… to become Corten Commandos.

Image Credits: LUX

That’s a weird lookin dawg ya got there…

We’re working on projects and trying to stay warm.

Makes me wish I was spending more time with a welder and less time with a keyboard, right about now. It’s like seriously cold.

If you read the blog (I know you do regularly, right?) you know that reclaiming space is important to me. I’m talking to people about dropping boxes down on a foundation and  spanning between them with roofs -  to make pool houses, garages, even homes.

I was recently talking to a pal and he sent me this photograph of a farm that could be right down the road from any of us…

They needed a place to hunker down a pair of burly behemoths.  Folks, it doesn’t get much easier than this:

Image Contributed by: D. Komet - photographer unknown

Take this same configuration, drop it on a slab and close in those ends with something as simple as roll down – insulated garage doors… and you have a shelter…

With a few more steps, you have a HOUSE.

For pennies… on the dollar.

Reclaim, Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose.

Now… Chant it 150 times, until it sinks in…

Stay tuned.

Note: If this is your barn… or if you’re the one who took this great photo:

Contact me ASAP and I’ll definitely credit you for it! We love what you’re doing!

Insulating ISBUs for Fun and Profit… YOUR OWN!

As the New Year (2011) starts to rear it’s ugly head, I have a few ISBU projects that are demanding a LOT of attention.

So, I’m gonna reach into the mail bag and answers some email.

Here goes:

Trey said (for about twenty pages… Oy.. we have another “Ted”); 

RONIN, I love your website. I have just finished reading all of your archives and your book. Great stuff. I even followed your comments on ADVRIDER [Editors note: link deleted].

Oh my, I think I am a stalker. : )

Yes… you are. You’re a stalker.

Right about now… I suspect I’m being “buttered up”…

1. Is there a way to be notified when someone post a comment to your blog? I have found that your answers to the comments are very insightful and straight to the point.

Not at present. The format we’re using doesn’t incorporate user notification of new comments.

The blog format is going to change sometime in the first Quarter of the new year (2011).

2. It seems like you have a few different websites dealing with ISBU. Can you provide a list of them?

The two primary ISBU sites are:

Renaissance Ronin and
ContainerHomeConsultants.com.

The other blog I contribute to regularly is “The Bubba Effect” -  which is a “family survival” blog.

3. Previously you said that you can use furring strips and welded L brackets on the outside and then spray SPF and then attach your siding. However, if you use nails or screws to attach the siding isn’t that creating a thermal bridge where the screw goes through the siding, spf and furring strip? Is it okay because the bridge created by the screws are so small?

Note first that each location and climate demands a offtimes different solution.

First, to clarify:

I said “Angle Iron” – NOT “L Brackets” Those are two entirely different animals.

It’s true that the dimensional lumber you use in conjunction with SPF (complete with mechanical fasteners – nails/screws) will create some thermal bridging. It is “minimal” but it will indeed create a “thermal bridge”. It WILL be measurable.

In temperate climates like Los Angeles, it’s not really an OMG issue. In places like Montana and Wyoming (or even worse…) it can be a “major league” big deal.

A work around is to actually apply your SPF or Rigid Foam (PolyIso) to the container and then embed or attach 2x4s (24″OC) into (or on top of) that insulation base to create both an air-space and a thermal break. Then use fasteners (I like screws as they don’t come loose in heavy weather) to attach your siding into those 2x4s.

This will also help your siding “breathe”, keeping it dryer.

4. Based on comments regarding how inexpensive Rigid Polyiso Foam Board is couldn’t I use it on the outside and then apply Tyvek House wrap to prevent air and moisture infiltration?

[editor's note; link deleted - not current]

Trey goes on to say: Of course, I would do more research than simply buying from the first website I come across, but wouldn’t using foam board and tyvek house wrap be an effective and inexpensive alternative assuming that you properly seal the tyvek wrap with the appropriate tape?

Sure. That works.

And if you can find an insulation liquidator (you can find them regionally) with sufficient inventory you can get a really good deal on rigid insulation boards and save yourself the “headaches” that come with SPF application altogether.

You CAN commonly find “Rigid Foam (PolyIso) Seconds” that are VERY affordable. In fact, it’s the direction I send many families that supplement SPF with rigid to build up R-Values affordably.

The seconds are usually just panels with creases in the foil or chips in the sides or corners. Most are extremely usable. Note also that this is NEW product, not stuff scavenged out of a dumpster on a build site.

Rigid PolyIso is essentially closed-cell foam. So, you’ll still get the vapor and moisture a barrier benefits as well as the r7.5 value you seek. However, you’ll have to seal all the joints in between each board. I also shoot some SPF into the gaps, just to make sure everything is tight.

Using Rigid Foam boards is more time consuming… but if you got the rigid foam cheap, it’s definitely worth it.  It’s easy to handle, easy to apply and it’s almost “idiot-proof”.

If you insulate in this manner, MOST (YMMV) building inspectors will still insist on housewrap being applied over the foam.

Here’s a good example;

I constantly hear from building families (where zoning actually applies in the first place) that the yardstick they’re being bludgeoned with is based on the 2003 International Building Code.

The 2003 IBC  calls for; “a “water-resistive barrier behind the exterior veneer” consisting of flashings and a “weather-resistant sheathing paper” lapped at least 2 inches horizontally and 6 inches vertically.”

It specifies asphalt-saturated felt that weighs at least 14 pounds per square and complies with ASTM D226. Note and understand that most unrated No. 15 felt paper sold at lumberyards (which are actually confusing as they weigh closer to 7 pounds per square) do not meet this requirement.

It should also be noted that some contractors will try to use this same 15 pound felt if they think they can get away with it. It’s a no-no!

Nearly all the plastic housewraps (Tyvex, Typar, etc…) have been submitted to the model code authorities and accepted as substitutes for ASTM rated No. 15 building paper.

You’re gonna have lots of options.

If you are building in an area that follows the Model Energy Code (MEC);

Builders will be required to either install a “vapor-permeable housewrap” on the exterior or seal all the penetrations in the building by using some combination of polyethylene, caulks, and gaskets on the interior. Yes. You will.

5. I live in San Antonio and we have some pretty bad soil here. Just about everyone uses slab foundation here.

He goes on to say; Of course, once I build I will consult with an engineer. There are alot of local websites that say contractors use slab foundations here because it is cheaper. However, you recommend pilings. Does having to create a floor framing in the typical stick home cause pier & beam and piling foundations to be more expensive than slab foundations? And if this is the case, do you recommend pilings because with an ISBU home the floor framing is already present in the ISBU steel? (Boy, I hope that made sense)

I commonly recommend pilings (where possible) because they are easily constructed by hand (using Sonotubes and rebar), are easily placed in “homeowner supplied holes” and require much less in the form of actual  “site prep.”

But… in some cases, it’s just not practical.

If set on slabs (our current ISBU-based Multimedia project outside Houston is a good example) care must be taken to engineer the slabs effectively. Your engineer will carefully define what you require.

If I’m shooting an ISBU slab, note that I also like to insulate the footings.

6. I have seen you say that you can build an ISBU home for as low as $28 sqft, but your average is around $40 to $50 sqft (If I am wrong on the numbers, please forgive) .

Trey continues: However, I have also hear you say that this does not include the land (obviously) and foundation. Does this number leave other costs out as well? I am just trying to get an idea of the different costs involved.

Many of my families are building structures based on ISBUs for right around $50 a square foot if they are both REALISTIC and CAREFUL.

Inflation bites everywhere and that cost is rising.  Note that this is for “structure” and doesn’t include land costs, the foundation, appliances, HVAC, or “tweeks”.

I’ve seen builds run as low as $25 a foot, but we’re talking about constructing “structural shells”. More will be spent to make them actually livable.

Realistically, I advise families seeking to build “spartan ISBU homes” to think about construction numbers that range between $50 and $75 a square foot, just to be safe.

7. What does your typical family pay for foundations? I understand there are a lot of variables involved. I just wanted a ballpark figure.

You’re kidding, right? That’s far too general a question to answer accurately.

Trey closes: Thanks, for all you do. You know if you would finish your book I wouldn’t have to ask you so many questions.

Books don’t write themselves, especially technical books (where people will try to crucify me on every page) that talk about “groundbreaking” subjects. (Pun Intended).

P.S. You should really put some more ads on your website I wouldn’t mind clicking on a few ads to help you out.

I’m trying to keep the site ad-free. Honest.

P.S.S. I will save my other 20 questions for future posts. It will give you something to look forward to. ;)

You do that and I’ll blacklist you. TED gives me enough headaches.

Stay tuned.

Note that no insulation was harmed during the creation of this post, but Trey probably shouldn’t try to stamp out any “paper bag fires” burning on his porch for a while.

Hey buddy… Is that a box in your backyard?

Like everybody else, I made a few New Year’s Resolutions and I’ll probably reveal a few of them here on the blog.

For instance, here’s one;

New Years Resolution #22

Show readers of RR ways to use ISBUs in “daily life” to provide comfort and shelter for “peanuts” while they still live in “suburbia”.

I saw this a while back, while reading about the work that SEED was doing in Haiti.

(At the time, we were prepping ISBU based Medical Centers for Haiti ourselves)

Anyway, SEED threw this up on their pages;

Okay. Take that same premise and do this in your backyard and you have a gazebo, pool house, play house, crash pad, teenager exile, you name it, for almost no hard cash.

LOOK at the foundation for this monster. YOU could do this DIY.

Man, look how they used earthbags as foundation. I bet Owen Geiger would have a fit!

Would I make a few changes?

Sure. And if this gets any real interest, I’ll show you how to step this up a notch for ‘near nothing’.

Here’s some more stuff about SEED (Hey, they’re good souls doing good work):

From their own website;

SEED is an emergent housing investment that appreciates locally over time!

Utilizing an existing surplus of shipping containers and working with industry partners including Container -it, Intermodal Steel Building Units Association, Sargent Metals, and Tri-County Technical, Clemson University designers from the Department of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture are researching and developing an affordable housing solution for the Caribbean Region.  Caribbean nations inherently import more goods than they export generating a steady surplus of shipping containers.  Shipping containers are designed to carry massive amounts of cargo and withstand extreme weather conditions making them a logical housing component.  Completely constructed of steel and reinforced with eight corner post moment connections and corrugated steel walls a 40′ shipping container can carry 67,200 pounds and resist overturn when exposed to winds up to 140 mph.  Without modification a 40′ shipping container has 304 square feet of floor space and eliminates problems associated with insects, fire, and hurricanes.  With modification a 40′ shipping container can be a safe, comfortable, and environmentally friendly home for numerous local inhabitants who would otherwise have less.

Designing a process and not an outcome the team has decidedly chosen the seed and its symbiotic-propagation as an analog.  Thinking time based and considering logistics the beginning design has emerged as a system of event based solutions capable of providing immediate housing after hurricanes or natural disasters.  local intervention and materials eventually developing into permanent and investment with a local identity.  Utilizing local skills, labor, and materials the final design is dynamic taking on a symbiotic relationship with the local cultures.  Eventually the ubiquitous container is embedded and made permanent providing an investment that can appreciate with time.

-Plant some SEEDs!

Um… that reminds me. Have you thought about your vegetable gardens lately? You’re running out of time and seed is just flying off the shelves of suppliers.

What if you cut the corrugated steel paneling off one end of the box, and then glazed it with plastic sheeting? Instant Greenhouse. You could play on one side and grow produce on the other!

Not to mention the fact that you could reuse that removed corrugated steel as deck cover!

And before you ask, YES, I think the ISBU cantilevers and stacking patterns displayed on their site are um.. well… risky. But I’m not the one doing it.

Stay tuned.

Progress on the Epic Software Studio ISBU Build!

Happy New Year!

Before TED chimed in…

I was all set to end 2010 by showing you a really cool little Youtube timelapse of the Epic Software Creative Co-Op Multimedia Studio (I’m consulting into it) that is being built just outside Houston Texas by Vic Cherubini… as I type this.

This time lapse will demonstrate to you just how FAST a building takes shape when using ISBUs.

Stay tuned as we explore the construction of this LANDMARK building (as well as several other ISBU builds – both residential and commercial -  from the sunny coasts of California all the way to “the Great White North”)…

I’m telling you… We have our fingerprints all over ISBU projects all over the place!

Cool, huh? Can you imagine the look on peoples faces as they realize that the empty lot they drove past on the way to work…  now has a building standing on it…  as they drive home… the SAME DAY?

I love building with ISBUs. It  blows people’s minds!

Credit goes to Vic over at Epic Software for the cool video!