We recently began an ambitious trip, revisiting ISBU homes and projects we’ve participated in and inspecting current projects under construction. It’s been a pretty pleasant trip, despite witnessing the demise of our SUV, which decided that it wanted to die in Texas..

Now, apparently I’ve left another part of “my heart and soul” in Texas… LOL!

However…

If you’re following the ISBU Homebuilding series (which began HERE) , we’re talking about the lists of things you need to consider, as you start planning your ISBU Home.

I know that most of us cringe at the prospect of making lists (for fear that our “better half’s” will find them and then make us live up to them…) but it’s really important to begin your ISBU Homebuilding process with as much organization as possible.

These rules apply to many types of housing, so even if you’re not building using glorious Corten Steel, you should find things here to help you.

That said, my apologies to those of you who have written and emailed me recently… for not replying to email as quickly as  I usually endeavor to. We have really had our hands full on this trip (the weather has been merciless!) and there is much more to come!

We’re still on the road! In fact, we’re presently hunkered down is a hotel waiting for roads to reopen as the Winter Snowstorms and High Winds make mountain roads impassible.

We’re doing okay. In fact, all things considered… we’re doing better than expected.

I admit that the family has “cabin fever”. I think I’m catching it as well!

Green Building Recommendations

I recently shared books with you that I think belong on your Home Building reference shelf.

We’ve been exploring all the steps that you need to take, to complete the planning stages of your New Home Building Project!  Over the next several days, I’m going to continue to share lists of things to consider as you start planning your new ISBU home.

Many of these considerations can be further explored in my book;

Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings

as well as Daniel Chiras’s book; (which you can purchase thru Chelsea Green Publishers – tell ‘em Ronin sent you!)

The New Ecological Home;

You can use these lists when building a home, remodeling, or even considering a home for purchase.

Note that a few items will be repeated because they pertain to several aspects of green building.

Today we’re going to add even more considerations to your home building project;

Protecting a Site during Construction

1. Strive to minimize your land disturbance during construction.
2. Designate one access route to the site.
3. Designate a parking area or ask workers to park on the road.
4. Designate an area for delivery of building materials and other supplies.
5. Designate an area for stockpiling materials to be recycled.
6. Cordon off trees and areas you want to protect. Orange Storm tape works well for this.
7. Stockpile topsoil for later reapplication and then tarp it to protect it from erosion.
8. Do not stockpile soils around trees.
9. Recycle all waste from the building site. Place your dumpster carefully.
10. Do not dump hazardous materials on the building site.
11. Spend the money to hire a tree specialist to help develop a tree protection strategy.
12. Carefully site the home to reduce the need to remove trees.
13. Protect trees from physical damage by wrapping cardboard around their trunks. Protect roots from damage.
14. Communicate the essential elements of the tree protection strategy to the contractor, subcontractors, and workers.
15. Include fines in your contracts with the contractor to pay for damage to trees and landscaping.
16. Fertilize nearby trees before construction and water every two weeks during construction.
17. Recycle trees that must be cut down.
18. Control on-site erosion.
19. Design driveways to minimize erosion.

Stay Tuned!

If you’re following the Homebuilding series (which began HERE) , we’re talking about the lists of things you need to consider, as you start planning your ISBU Home.

These rules apply to many types of housing, so even if you’re not building using glorious Corten Steel, you should find things here to help you.

Many of these considerations can be further explored in my book;

Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings

(you can find out more about this book in the right sidebar)

as well as Daniel’s book;

The New Ecological Home

You can use these lists when building a home, remodeling, or even considering a home for purchase.

Note that a few items will be repeated because they pertain to several aspects of green building.

Today we’re going to talk about;

Siting Your Home

Placing your home on the right spot is essential.

1. Orient your home to capitalize on achieving maximum solar gain.
2. Resist the urge to BULLDOZE the lot! Do NOT destroy the beauty of a site or build on its most picturesque part! Use those elements in your design to make your home wonderful!
3. Carefully consider the views out each window that you are creating. Then…
4. Nestle the house sensitively in the landscape, protecting views and delicate ecological areas. Create PEACE! A peaceful home is a happy home!
5. Consider clustered development. Small buildings connected by Loggias can be fantastic!
6. Build a house that is unobtrusive in the landscape. You don’t have to be pretentious or stick out like a sore thumb! Blend in! Become One with the Land!
7. Design a home that is compatible with the characteristics of the site. Unity!

Stay Tuned!

I shared a book with you recently that I think belongs on your Home Building reference shelf.

Over the next several days, I’m going to teach you to design your home by setting up guidelines. I’ll share lists of things to consider with you, to help you start planning and refining your goals.

Many of these considerations can be further explored in my book;

Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings

(find out more in the right sidebar)

… as well as Daniel Chiras’s book;

The New Ecological Home

You can use these lists when building a home, remodeling, or even considering a home for purchase.

Note that a few items will be repeated because they pertain to several aspects of green building.

Today we’re going to start making lists by defining where you’ll actually live;

Selecting a Place to Live

1. Build in already developed areas within cities and towns.
2. Choose a site with good solar exposure.
3. If considering the use of wind energy, choose a site with good, reliable winds.
4. Choose a site suitable for earth sheltering.
5. Avoid building in frost pockets.
6. Be on the lookout for favorable microclimates.
7. Select a well-drained site.
8. Select a site with stable (nonexpansive) subsoils.
9. Avoid building in hazardous areas, such as floodplains, arroyos, and locations potentially in the path of mud slides and avalanches.
10. Avoid building on or near marshy areas.
11. Do not drain wetlands to build a house.
12. Select a site with rich, productive soils for growing food and fiber.
13. Select a site that could provide some or all of your building materials.
14. Select a site with a reliable, clean water supply.
15. Select a site that is easily accessible and does not require extensive grading for placement of the house or driveway construction.
16. Avoid noisy areas.
17. Check out environmental and community amenities such as recycling facilities, bike paths, parks, and recreation. Consider living in a cohousing community, ecovillage, or ‘new town’.

Stay tuned for more!

So, while we’re fighting traffic and chronic indigestion (now I know why they call them “Greasy Spoons”…) we’ll hit the mailbag!

Here we go!

Dear Ronin,

We thought that we would start the New Year by making firm plans to build our ISBU “Corten Castle” by the lake.

We’re Seniors with no kids or grandkids to worry about sheltering.

That said, we’d like to build an affordable (2) bedroom (1 for guests) 1 bath home that will allow us to downsize substantially.

While I see the merit in using ISBUs to create inexpensive and strong homes, my hubby is more worried about numbers.

And as I am growing older – I want a small, low upkeep home.

John simply wants a porch, a place for his recliner and a refrigerator stocked with frosty cold beverages…

What should we be considering? Can you give us any tips about the many facets of homebuilding that we need to start learning about?

Any suggestions?

Senior Sally – and John

—–

Dear “Smart Seniors”,

Many families are now building smaller, more versatile homes by using “multipurpose planning”…

This is further refined by designing and building rooms for intended purposes (like SLEEPING) that are efficient, goal driven and economic in scale.

Most of us don’t really “need” 400 square feet to put a bed in. All you’re doing is sleeping in that bedroom, not performing on ringed apparatus at the Olympics.

Many of my families are migrating back toward the “sleeping room” scenario, with a focus on concentrating maximum square footages in common areas, designed to by multi-use.

I live this way myself and I HIGHLY recommend it.

As a result, they’re getting all the home they need and keeping the cash where it belongs… in their pockets.

Here’s the deal;

(Okay, put on your “imagination cap” because I’ve got my hands full of steering wheel. I’m actually dictating this to my wife as we drive cross country! I’ll draw this out later at the hotel and upload it in the next few days.)

What we’re talking about building is an ISBU home of approximately 1,100 square feet, that contains (2) bedrooms, 1.5 baths (including a bath connecting two bedrooms), a laundry room, an Island Kitchen and a “Great Room” common area (containing Dining and Living Rooms), in a footprint of approximately 48′ x 24′ .

We’re going to do this by constructing (2) ISBU structures set 20 feet apart and then reclaiming the area between them.

It’s quite simple, really;

Take (4) 20′ ISBUs (High Cubes) and place them in two “wings” – the first is (3) side by side High Cube Units placed lengthwise.

I cannot stress the use of HIGH CUBE units enough. These taller ISBUs will afford you extra headroom (based on their increased height) and make your structure literally soar!

This first (3) unit ISBU module becomes the pair of bedrooms and an attached “Hollywood” bath, plus “extended closet areas for each bedroom.

The center ISBU is the only one that really gets a lot of fabrication. That Hollywood (pass-thru) bath measures approximately 8′ x 12′ and contains a toilet, a pedestal bath with surround storage and a pair of sinks.

The rest of that container is divided to allow 8′ (approx) closets in both sides, immediately adjacent to the surrounding containers.  This inset closet area really makes those bedrooms feel much larger than they really are. King Sized beds can easily be inset in these bedrooms, by simply insetting them into the rear of the container, spanning the width.

20′ from this bed/bath module, run (1) ISBU “straight back”.  (Narrow end toward front of lot.)

Place this unit flush with the REAR of the bedroom wing modules.

This placement will provide you with the beginnings of your inset front porch (because of the offset).

This single 20′ ISBU unit becomes the kitchen, pantry space, a dedicated washer and dryer space, as well as a half bath (if desired).

Now span the top of the whole thing with Gabled SIPs. This yields a “created” Great Room with open (Island) Kitchen plan, with 16 foot ceilings. You WILL probably run an inset “King” to carry the SIP “Peak”, but beyond that… it’s all good.

A SIP roof of this size will carry itself (depending on thickness and pitch). This means you don’t buy or construct trusses. Translation = more savings, more energy efficiency, less labor cost.

Remember also that gabled SIP roofs allow for decent pitches to be created without trusses or additional support (as the runs are short enough to allow the SIP to support itself) and that buys you loft storage or even reclaimed living spaces if desired.

It’s really quite simple to build a study or even another bedroom into this reclaimed area to further extend the living space.

Note that only (2) actual ISBU units get plumbing, but the rest of the units are created space with cabinetry, storage and closets built into them.

It’s a decent (2) bedroom plan that would yield about $110 to $150 a foot in today’s market, providing energy efficient appliances were used, combined with SPF, SIPs and a solid HVAC (or even a heat pump) unit.

In a unit this small, I’d personally use “mini-split” AC units.

This makes an ideal Senior or small family home. 

In many locations, this would be referred to as a “starter home” but it is anything but. It’s a refined, energy-efficient, affordable housing solution that will surpass the structural capabilities of most of the homes that will surround it.

Topped with SSMR (Standing Seam Metal Roofing) and photovoltaic panels, it’s a home that will easily support itself, so that you don’t have to!  High efficiency, Low maintenance, easy living.

In fact, we’ve built variations of this home a few times with appraisals running very close to this appraisal number for MUCH less than appraisal costs.

In most cases, the home was built by families (using sweat equity) for under $60 a square foot, inclusive of SIP roof. Instant equity. Day One.

Monday, we’ll start running a “Pre-Design and Design Phase” Primer, a series of posts fulled with lists of the things you should consider as you begin putting pencil to paper, designing that Corten Castle!

More later, from the road!

Stay tuned!

It’s about using all the GREEN goodness we’ve been taught about – to incorporate good, energy efficient and earth-friendly practices into our ISBU Homes, to gain us sustainability and conservation.

I know I talk about it in MY book;

Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings

(Look at the right sidebar for more information!)

… in hopes that you’ll take that step forward in learning everything that you possibly can about building with ISBUs before you take the plunge and grab that welder.

But there are other really good books to incorporate into that resource center you’re putting together.

Today, from the road (we’re out doing ISBU Home Inspections and Oversight) , I’m gonna share another resource with you.

In HIS book, Daniel Chiras talks about many of the same things I preach about when helping families create the guidelines for the new ISBU Home that they are building;

The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options

by Daniel D. Chiras.

Here’s an excerpt:

What Is The New Ecological Home About?

This book is written for a broad audience, from home buyers to owner-builders to architects, contractors, and any other individuals who are interested in building a sustainable future. It contains a wealth of up-to-date, practical, and reliable information on green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that can be applied in part to make a home (or any building) more environmentally sound, or in whole to create truly sustainable shelter.

My main objective has been to provide an overview of the green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are currently available and some that are coming out in the near future. My intention is not to make readers green building experts but to provide sufficient detail to enable you to be conversant in all aspects of green building and design. When finished with the book, you will have a solid grasp of the components of truly sustainable shelter.

Whether you are a professional involved in designing and building homes or a citizen who is planning on buying or building a new home or simply remodeling an existing house, this book should help you meet your dreams of safe, comfortable, affordable shelter that is environmentally friendly, healthful, attractive, comfortable, independent, and economical to operate.The advice and guidance offered here, gleaned from my own experience and the experience of countless others, could save you thousands of dollars by helping you avoid many common problems when building green.

Stay tuned…

Because we’re going to start discussing the things you need to take into consideration as you plan and design your new home!

Randy Gage (a guy I read regularly) says;

“Happy New Year.  Be grateful for EVERYTHING that happened in 2011:  the things you wished for, and the things you had to go through and grow through. 

Because all of that helped shape you for your next step in development, your next step to becoming who you are meant to become.

2011 is in the rear view mirror.  Learn from it and stride forward into 2012 with faith, anticipation and confidence. 

You have the power to determine exactly what kind of year you will have. 

Because you choose the thoughts you give precedence to, which changes your daily actions, which changes your results.”

Instead of looking backward, examining what has already become the past, he’s looking to the future. I have to tell you, I find his views and outlook inspiring.

Here’s a bit about who Randy Gage is (beyond the fact that he’s successful, driven and a pillar of what is great about America);

“Call me a philosopher, a Jedi Knight or the millionaire messiah, just don’t call me late for dinner. I like hot cars, warm beaches and cold Dr. Pepper. Quiet confidence and loud ideas are sexy. When I’m not prowling the podium or locked in my lonely writer’s garret, you’ll find me playing 3rd base for a softball team somewhere.

I believe in my work, because I believe in you.”

I encourage you to go HERE to read more.

Okay, first… shameless plug:

I heartily recommend that you pick up a copy of:

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings“.

If you want the skinny on ISBUs and HOW to use them to build a home, it’s a great start! And, we’re holding the price of the book at $10.95 until January 16th.

After that date, it goes back up to $15.95 and it’s going to stay there, for the foreseeable future…

So, get it NOW and save a few bucks.

Sales of the book still supports the Corten Cavalry, and…  it always will.  Help yourself and help others at the same time!

For those of you waiting anxiously for the release of “The Nuts and Bolts of ISBU Housing” – we’re told that final legal approval and sign-off is just around the corner. While we grow more and more impatient by the day, we’re almost there… finally…

(If we’d known there were so many hoops to jump thru, we’d have done it differently, in retrospect…)

Now… on with the show;

I got a pointer to a post today that really sums up what many of us dream about. We want to change our lives for the better…

But…

Can you change the world in 100 days?

Yes. And, you can do it with a day to spare! 

A Mom and her daughter decided to trek around the world, documenting people following their dreams.

They traveled to 6 continents, filming almost a dozen different people following their passions and dreams, to make the world  a better place.

YOU Can Follow YOUR dreams… It just takes will power and a big heart!

Want more inspiration?

A buddy of mine, Dr. Owen Geiger,  has released a DVD about Earthbag Home Building that is a must have for anyone even thinking about using earthbags in ANY kind of Hybrid or Alternative Home plan.

If a picture is worth a thousand words… this DVD is worth it’s weight in GOLD!

I encourage you to go see Owen at EarthbagBuilding.wordpress.com to find out more about this exciting DVD!

My thanks to Owen Geiger, for reminding me about this inspiring media!

.

In the year to come, you’re going to see GREAT things in the World Of Corten Steel!

We wish for all of you, nothing but the best in the year to come!

Here on RR, we’ve talked about how banks ran amuck with mortgage paperwork, causing grief to thousands of families.

They even foreclosed on homes that were completely paid off!

Taxpayers bailed out banks, only to find that the banks are now raking in huge profits – while refusing to write mortgages for qualified families that need them.

In my book – Fanny and Freddie are “Incestuous Incompetents”. Those knuckleheads are costing taxpayers billions in losses each year with no end in sight.

Look, you didn’t have to be clairvoyant to see the bubble coming in 2008. What really bothers me is that these “highly compensated, highly educated men and women” certainly knew the what they were doing. They recognized the consequences of their action and they didn’t give a rat’s behind as long as their highly compensated status continued unabated. It’s all about the “bonuses”, baby!

Robo-signing scandals turned foreclosures on their ear.

THIS is NOT "Robo-Signing..."

Robo-signing is exactly what you think it is – some poor slob just signing paper after paper (usually for someone else) , without looking at (or verifying) the contents.

But wait, there’s more…

Banks seldom have the original paperwork that defines WHO actually owns your home.

“My lawyer asked my bank to produce an affidavit that entitled them to foreclose,” said a client of Brown’s, who lives in Harlem and also asked to remain anonymous. “They couldn’t do it.”

The case was dismissed (many of these are) without prejudice – although the lender can (and will) try again — if and when it finds the right paperwork.

These delays and “legal tricks of the trade” are harming the housing market – a market that is already operating on fumes. Everyone loses. In many cases, people who stay in homes undergoing foreclosure for years often don’t maintain the properties, because they no longer own (or have any intention of owning) the property, lowering property values in the surrounding neighborhoods.

There’s no doubt that we need banking reform. The system HAS derailed…

It’s not just the banks, folks. Three things happened simultaneously:

• a housing bubble,
•  a collapse in lending standards, and
• a global liquidity panic when markets lost trust in the solvency of financial institutions.

We still don’t have consistent and coherent stabilization of the financial sector or anything resembling a fix of its bad incentives.

And please don’t kid yourself into believing the media hype that that all the lawsuits we’re seeing now are the  beginning of a “reform effort”.

It’s just a sideshow, crafted by “Congressional Carnival Barkers” looking for votes…

But it doesn’t stop there.

The face of America is changing, from hard-working middle class families…

… into people taking advantage of loopholes in order to get a free ride.

There are lot’s of reasons that people aren’t paying their mortgages;

• They lost their jobs,
• They’re underwater in their mortgage as property values plummet,
• They bought more home than they could afford,

or…

They know that they can play the system and live in a nice home, for free.

Case in point:

Did you know that nationally, the average time it takes to process a foreclosure — from the first missed payment to the final foreclosure auction — has climbed to 674 days from 253 days just four years ago?

This is backed up by statistics compiled by LPS Applied Analytics.

The AVERAGE Foreclosure can take 1.8 YEARS after payments stop getting made on a home.

It takes much longer than that in Florida, where the process averages 1,027 days, nearly 3 years. In D.C., foreclosure averages 1,053 days and delinquent borrowers in New York often stay in their homes for an average of 906 days.

Many of these homeowners are staying in their homes based on a loophole, a legal trick or a technicality.

“There is rarely any dispute over whether or not they have stopped paying their mortgage…”

… said David Dunn, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells in New York, who represents banks and other financial institutions in foreclosure cases.

“In my experience, they never say, ‘I’m not delinquent’ or ‘I want to pay my bill but I’m confused over who to send it to,’ or ‘Oh my God, you mean I didn’t pay my mortgage?’ They’re not in technical default. They’re in default because they’re not paying,” he said.

In “everyday America”, it’s become acceptable not to pay your bills, simply “because you don’t want to”…

In fact I hear people cheering each other on and sharing tips about how to skate.

“I have an out… I found a loophole! Stick it to the man…”

I recently read this, from some jerk named “Gerald” bragging about HOW he was screwing the banks and all of US:

This has been a real boom for myself and my family. I stopped paying on my primary residence, as well as two apartment buildings that I own. My tenants have continued paying the rent, with a couple of exceptions that I was able to chase out.

.

(Note that while he’s a willing deadbeat, he’s quick to get rid of renters doing likewise…)

.

With the money I saved, I was able to purchase 2 other rental properties that were distressed sales. Because of the nature of the sales, I was able to pay in full for the properties with cash.

.

At this point, I really don’t care if they foreclose on my original properties. This whole situation has really been a blessing to my family. The rent checks I receive now go directly into a college fund for my children, as well as a nice winter vacation for my wife and I in Florida.

.

Life is good!

They seem to forget that ultimately, Congress doesn’t take responsibility for anything. They just shift the load to the taxpayer’s backs… backs that are already strained.

Um… Isn’t that part of HOW America found itself in the sorry predicament it’s in?

I’m getting email from families that want to build ISBU homes that have stopped paying their mortgages… simply because they no longer feel like “it’s required”…

“Why should I pay? My property values are falling. My neighbors aren’t paying their mortgages either!”

I send them away.

If their ethics allow them to turn their backs on their own honor, I don’t want to reward them for it by helping them build an ISBU home. Sure, they get mad. So what? If we’re measured by our friends, I want to know that mine are at least reliable.

And don’t get me started on “sniffing the rotten apple of Moral Leadership”.

People emulate what they see…

… and what we’re seeing coming out of the Beltway is “people scrambling to put a good spin on broken eggs served up with a side of  broken promises”. 

As this New Year dawns, I ask each of you to think about where you live, HOW you live, and how it’s reflected on (or AT) by your neighbors.

Even IF you are doing everything right – being responsible and reliable, even accountable – your neighbors can cause you grief and there’s not a thing that you can do about it.

Yet another reason to think strongly about building that Corten Castle in the foothills, mortgage free and ready to stand the test of time.

As Americans  prepare for the 2012 elections, we don’t know WHAT is on the horizon.

Many of our RR families are building homes to allow them more independence, more safety and more peace of mind, as the economy, unemployment, inflation and hardship embrace America in icy clutches.

Anyone who says that they can predict the future… is probably nuts. That ranks right up there with people who claim they’re building “hurricane-proof homes”…

But what we do know is that our responsibility is to keep our families safe from harm…

As we begin the New Year, let’s be careful out there…

]]> http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/are-your-neighbors-bums/feed/ 1 30.396032 -88.885308 30.396032 -88.885308 renaissanceronin Wall-E1 mortgage-robo-signing The Renaissance Ronin http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/giving-thanks/ http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/giving-thanks/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:00:18 +0000 Renaissance Ronin http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/?p=6918 ]]> Someone shared this with me – as they reflected on all they have to be thankful for this Holiday Season.

It did strike home, so I thought I’d share it with you;

I Am Thankful

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes–
Because that means he is at home not on the streets.

For the taxes that I pay–
Because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party–
Because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug–
Because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work–
Because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing–
Because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government–
Because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot–
Because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill–
Because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key–
Because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing–
Because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day–
Because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes of in the early morning hours–
Because it means I am alive.

And finally, for too much email–
Because it means I have friends who are thinking of me!

–Author unknown

We wish you Happy Holidays and many blessings!