tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863Tue, 07 Apr 2026 20:22:15 +0000Cut through the jargon and nonsense of home building and house construction by starting from zero dollars and trying to figure best-value bang-for-your-buck when choosing construction methods or construction materials. My research might answer some of your questions and at other times perhaps you have the knowledge or experience to post the answers to my questions and thereby help others too. The goal is an affordable and sustainable home for all.http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)Blogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-1977468923953356956Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:25:00 +00002009-09-17T21:27:24.515-04:00Previous: Maximize Living Space without Hallways: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 2A Family of 5 in 750sqftHow did they do it? The first Levittown house (the icon of post-WWII prosperity) had no garage, no basement, no finished 2nd floor and fit the entire family on one floor of 750sqft with one bathroom.The American Dream for Baby Boomer families and postwar affluence (first Levittown house, 1947http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2009/07/efficient-hvac-plumbing-levittown.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-8596715738744949099Sat, 02 May 2009 11:18:00 +00002009-07-09T10:39:15.969-04:00You only need about 150 square feet per person (150sqftpp).150sqftpp is a core or baseline that was not unusual for over a century in America until the strange McMansion culture of the late 20th Century and 21st Century housing bubble.Source: NPRAverage Square Feet of US New Single Family Home (NPR, Census Dept., medians slightly lower)2007 = 2,5212000 = 2,2661990 = 2,0801980 = 1,7401970 = http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2009/05/house-square-feet-per-person.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-4213675952224245963Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:32:00 +00002008-07-13T23:12:01.753-04:00Some people muse idly about the coming winter's fuel costs as if it were a storm over which they have no control. However, you do control your heat costs. Moreover, if everyone did these smart actions, lower demand would put downward pressure on fuel prices.Insulate: What would you think if someone left his/her front door wide open all winter and then complained about his/her heating costs? Lax http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2008/07/high-home-heating-costs-how-to-cope.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-6086392599636137615Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:26:00 +00002008-06-24T17:42:19.706-04:00German architect Echhard Gerber is planning zero-emmission buildings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and designed the Burj al-Taqa (Energy Tower) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)."Wind And Solar Powered Dubai SkyscraperSkyscraper to be built in Dubai will generate 100% of its energy needs with wind and solar power""The Burj al-Taqa (Energy Tower) to be build in Dubai will produce 100% ofhttp://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2008/06/dubai-burj-al-taqa-energy-tower-wind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-4704039499044982078Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:17:00 +00002007-11-30T21:39:44.400-05:00Previous: Maximize Home Space Cheapest Cubic Space: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 1Hallways: The Living Space ThiefHallways rank among the worst design features:Create narrow, claustrophobic feel.Create traffic blockages with open closet doors, etc.Can (transversely) impair flows of light, heat, ventilation, view, etc.Can rob you of at least a closet and possibly a small room when compared to an http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/11/maximize-living-space-without-hallways.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-8131067587094351038Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:13:00 +00002007-10-26T08:00:11.388-04:00NPR this morning belatedly did a story about how concrete buildings are more fire-resistant and might have prevented fire losses of homes in the California wildfires from the seasonal Santa Ana winds.Readers of this site (IHB) know that I have advocated concrete for some time. See:"Concrete, Wood, Steel, in New Construction"Concrete has high compressive strength (downward pressure on walls) but http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/10/california-fire-proof-concrete-roofs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-653687359158695387Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:05:00 +00002007-10-26T07:52:50.149-04:00Simple Science and Ancient Wisdom from the Vikings to Dick CheneyLynne Cheney (wife of Vice President Dick Cheney) mentioned in recent interviews about growing up in Wyoming that a relative lived in a "soddy"/"soddie" (sod house made of sod "Nebraska bricks") and her grandparents lived in a dugout house (dig into a hillside and cover the opening with Nebraska bricks or a wooden frame). A pithousehttp://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/10/soddies-sod-houses-pithouses-dugout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-5050788634015877402Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:23:00 +00002007-09-13T16:50:23.690-04:00 A Row of American Foursquare Craftsmen, Louisville Kentucky, May 2006 (W. Marsh)Previous: Maximize Home Space Cheapest Cubic Space: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 1 Celebrating the Classic American Foursquare (“Prairie Box” or “Box House”) 1890-1930The classic American “Four-Square” architectural style is the closest example of the pragmatic cube. This simple “box house” often starts with 4 rooms http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/09/american-foursquare-prairie-box-box.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-5082927594825199630Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:33:00 +00002007-09-13T08:57:05.577-04:00Maximize Home Living Space and Energy EfficiencyGet the maximum interior space for the minimum perimeter (home exterior). Minimum perimeter means lower construction costs in wall footage, roofing, foundation, and insulation. It also means lower operating costs from lower energy consumption (radiators have fins to maximize surface area to transfer heat, so minimizing external surface area http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/08/maximize-home-space-cheapest-cubic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-4471053024002229005Sat, 21 Jul 2007 07:48:00 +00002007-07-24T17:00:50.060-04:00 Dee Williams' 84-square-foot houseThe adult on the porch shows the scale better than the foreground children do.This site (IHB) often has mentioned simple homes, tiny houses, micro houses, or little houses. A recent story of a woman, 44-year-old hazardous-waste inspector Dee Williams, who scrap-built an 84 square-foot (84sqft) cabin on a trailer frame, made it onto the Yahoo.com home page. Her http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/07/84-square-foot-84sqft-home-on-wheels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-5492261628508910269Thu, 19 Jul 2007 04:40:00 +00002007-07-19T01:37:46.442-04:00This homeowner's furnace trouble reminds us of 2 important principles.Sasknelli at LittleHouses wrote about her furnance-buying experience:These guys were very condescending. I was shocked to discover that some of these salesmen didn't even know the difference between 2speed and 2 stage and yet they talk down to you as if you know nothing. I did finally find a knowledgeable salesperson who was http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/07/beware-salespeoples-estimates-sizing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-8937553794285293930Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:53:00 +00002007-07-21T04:21:42.387-04:00The Solution to the Housing Bubble: Modest Houses and Simple LivingThe Simple Life: Thoreau's Cabin at Walden PondHenry David Thoreau reportedly marched into the woods on the 4th of July, Independence Day, in 1845 to begin his experiment in simple living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's action was his personal Declaration of Independence.Throreau's do-it-yourself (DIY) http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/07/personal-independence-day-built.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-4992514231931392130Fri, 22 Jun 2007 19:40:00 +00002007-10-02T05:40:01.370-04:00Get cheap energy, energy independence, and energy security by generating your own power at home. To do so, 12-volt Direct Current (12V DC) is a good choice for local power, which is why it is used in small, self-contained systems such as cars and boats. Alternating Current (AC) is better for transmission over long distances (which is why it is used) but most consumer products “rectify” the power http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-make-12v-dc-power-system-easy-as.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-3509309526415193823Wed, 09 May 2007 13:06:00 +00002007-06-24T18:51:47.814-04:00Previous: "Best Ways To Cool Your Home."The previous article covered how the best "cooling" is not to heat in the first place (avoiding heat, so actual cooling is unecessary). This article now covers how to remove any heat that does occur, using as many passive cooling techniques as possible.Solar heat for home heating is fine but you tend to want more of it when there is less of it (in winter). http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/05/passive-cooling-solar-cooling-use-heat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-6146272270393989202Tue, 01 May 2007 13:28:00 +00002007-05-01T09:33:54.902-04:00Part of: "Best Ways To Cool Your Home."A "cool roof" combines high solar-light reflectance (albedo) with high thermal emmittance. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the following savings in money ($ dollars) and electricity (kWh): The EPA labeled these figures as "annual" savings although that seems low compared to its other statement that a cool roof can save 20-70% of annualhttp://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/05/cool-roof-high-albedo-reflects-sunlight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-6208408483941786933Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:05:00 +00002007-05-01T09:45:32.053-04:00Part of: "What Is a Fly Roof? How To Build a Flying Roof."Ancient Egyptian Air Conditioner over 4,000 Years OldAncient Egyptians of 2600 BC during the Old Kingdom buried 2 ships near the Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu) and the ships are known as “Cheops boats,” Cheops ships,” “Khufu ships,” or “solar ships.” The papyriform “Cheops 1” (the only one excavated) shows a cabin that used a http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/04/ancient-egyptian-air-conditioner-cheops.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-3304136623672297645Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:39:00 +00002007-07-19T01:55:29.949-04:00Part of: "Best Ways To Cool Your Home."A fly roof (or flying roof) functions as a parasol by blocking sun or other weather without trapping heated air in or against the main structure. Another function is to vent the interior of the structure, such as a fly roof over industrial "smoke stacks" or the more familiar chimney cap (rain cap) on residential homes. A fly roof is like a chimney cap over http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-flying-roof-how-to-make-flying.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-4249296201389236907Thu, 05 Apr 2007 02:00:00 +00002007-10-19T12:02:13.619-04:00Do not estimate when you can measure.Guessing can cost you money.The Kill-A-Watt meter recorded the following results:The “1875W” hairdryer used only 1360W on high and 390W on low.The toaster-oven and coffee-maker were the next biggest loads, in the neighborhood of a kilowatt (kW), but, like the hairdryer's load, these are short duration uses. Brewing 4 cups (1/3 pot) took 5 minutes and the hot http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/04/real-power-usage-of-appliances-wattage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-6198276172181764858Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:17:00 +00002007-05-09T09:26:44.611-04:00The Best Cooling Is Not Heating in the First Place<?xml:namespace prefix = o /> Just like the best energy efficiency is conservation (not burning fuel), the best “cooling” is avoiding unnecessary heat in the first place. “Cool from inside” by turning off unnecessary electric devices, etc. (each one is an electric heater) but the big winner is “cooling from the outside” (stopping external heat http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/03/best-ways-to-cool-your-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-364905041047108265Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:53:00 +00002007-04-23T15:38:13.960-04:00An upscale family fled their large luxury home because it stank like a sewer. The reason is a lesson in the folly of expensive home-building.The family members made the mistake of closing doors. Apparently, the doors were merely decorative and actually using the doors to shut a room filled the home with septic vapors. According to the post-mortem of this design disaster, the closed room http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/03/live-better-by-spending-less-avoid-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-3134811753545037444Thu, 22 Mar 2007 04:10:00 +00002007-03-22T00:39:42.846-04:00A quick and cheap way to add oomph to or rejuvenate a room is to add a cheap wall border. Instead of wallpapering the entire wall, go with a simple base paint and then add a cheap wall border that accents the base color or appliance/furniture colors.You can add a sunny flower wall border to a country-style kitchen, for instance. You also can get cheap wall borders with leaf and scroll, nature, http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/03/cheap-wall-border.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-1082809169296441447Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:02:00 +00002007-03-21T05:55:52.271-04:001. The usual internal-combustion engine (ICE) co-generation idea tries to put a waste byproduct (heat) to use.2. Another engine waste product is noise (vibration).3. A piezo-electric generator would (a) put the waste noise to use(extracting electricity from sound) and (b) dampen the noise nuisance(law of conservation of energy; absorb vibration).4. Funnels or concentrators might focus sound onto http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/03/piezo-electricity-co-gen-idea.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-3759388054146976264Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:23:00 +00002007-04-11T22:35:55.935-04:00CNN/Money magazine finally did an article to warn home-buyers that homes built during booms are often slipshod because builders rush to the next overpriced paycheck while buyers frenzily outbid each other on new construction that can be inferior to an older home built during leaner times."The house is essentially splitting in two.""He said the walls were life-threateningly out of plumb."http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/02/housing-booms-shoddy-construction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-3013758092309245231Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:19:00 +00002007-05-01T20:42:12.431-04:00"Work" Preface: A joule is used as either a unit of energy or a unit of work. Technically, energy is the ability to do work (effort or input for potential work) while work is the measured effect of applied energy (accomplishment or result or output); directional mechanical work = force * distance and the motively similar thermodynamic work = energy transferred. Your electric bill measures whathttp://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/02/difference-between-energy-and-power-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23386863.post-8268283998203226770Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:46:00 +00002007-04-17T03:13:03.767-04:00 I felt that this part of a previous post deserved promotion to its own post:The Myth of Photo-Voltaic Solar Power?Solar power provides about 1,000W (1kW) per square meter at the equator's sea level. However, typical photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels are only 15% efficient so a square meter of solar panels provides only 150W. Further, even compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are only 20% efficienthttp://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/02/myth-of-photo-voltaic-solar-power.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (J at IHB and HFF)6