This is an email/blog Brian wrote for today and I thought it summed everything about the land/house up very nicely, so here it is:

 

The last few weeks we have been in Athens (southern Ohio) looking for a place to live. We met many nice people in the city and realized that this is the best place we have found yet. There are only 10,000 residents in the city, most are middle aged. There are 20,000 students of Ohio University, which fuels the local economy. We already met 15 or 20 like-minded people that are similar to our age. By noon one day we ran into 3 people we knew. It felt like we are locals already. Everyone loves dogs, they are progressive, they seem open minded to any lifestyle, and they are a tight knit community. I really like that these folks are not BoBos (Bohemian Bourgeoisie). You know, the 20 or 30 somethings that sip on a $4 cup of organic cappuccino and gripe about the state of the world, while stuck in the same cycle of earn and spend to support their loft lifestyle. Instead, the people we met were more grounded, thrifty and earthy in a sensible way.

 

Beyond the community, we loved the geography. Mostly beautiful wooded hills not far from the Appalachian mountains, yet within 5 hours drive of our families. Most of y'all are within driving distance too. The cost of living is lower than the national average. The weather is not to cold for me, and not to hot for Nicole.

 

So we looked at over 50 houses and some plots of land, and decided to go directly for our dream home rather than living in just any house first. We purchased 6 acres of land last week. The plot has an acre of mowed land at the top of a hill, half of which is relatively flat. The other 5 acres is young woods down a north facing hillside. Things we love about the land is that you can see 360 degrees, it has utilities (water, electric and septic) from the house that was there before it was torn down and it is 10 minutes from anywhere in the city.

 

So where do we go from here? We are taking a break in Cincinnati for a few weeks. Then we are going to Athens for a few weeks to close on the land and start getting established. Then we are off to a wedding in Detroit, back to Cincinnati to get our things and off to Athens for awhile. We will be living out of a tent and pop up camper while we build phase 1 - a over sized cellar (10x30 feet) in the hillside. This will be our home for a year while the house is being built. It will be made out of sand bags packed with an earth/clay/sand/lime mixture that sets up once dry. The bags form the walls and support the living roof. Once the house is built, you will be able to walk onto the living roof from the back porch. You will also be able to walk down into this cellar which will be used as two cellars (humid and dry), storage, and a place to cool off.

 

The main house will be built 10 feet from the basement, made of straw covered in plaster for the walls, and post and beam supports for the ceiling and roof. We envision a simple bungalow style house with a 700 square foot footprint. 1 bedroom 1 bath downstairs, 2 bed 1/2 bath upstairs. There will be many efficient/environmental principles used- windows will primarily be facing south for solar gain (warming the house in winter), a concrete slab will be a thermal mass that minimizes temperature swings, the straw bale walls provides thick insulation, a wood stove will heat the house and be used for cooking, grey water will be used to water gardens, a cistern will supply water, solar hot water heater, composting toilets, efficient appliances, etc. Eventually, budget permitting, we hope to install solar panels and a windmill to get off the grid further. Outside, we envision large porches on all sides, many gardens, grape vines, berry bushes, apple trees, wind chimes and bird feeders. The mowed hillside will become filled with wildflowers and native plants. Both houses will be built primarily by my dad, Nicole and myself.

 

So that's the master plan, our dream. The first phase will begin in a month or two. That would be an excellent time to visit and check out the location, and maybe get your hands dirty if you want to help. If not, wish us luck! 

 

Here's to chasing your dreams!

 

B