eco house - where do we start?

[VM]

Partner and I would like to find land to grow food on and ideally build an energy effcient house on. We're interested in the passive solar/earth sheltered model which we've seen on a visit to the Hockerton Housing Project a few years back. We currently grow almost all our fruit and veg on two allotments in Manchester but want to move out of the city and if possible nearer to my ageing mum in Cambridgeshire.

Apart from the Hockerton visit, we are right at the beginning of thinking about this and know nothing (except about the growing food bit!).

We would be very grateful indeed for any suggestions for forums/groups/places to visit/people to talk to/things to read etc etc. We need to know more about the costs of building a house and the costs and availability of land and how to go about looking for it and buying it.

Used to be on here more often but haven't for a while. Thank you for any help offered.

Also would love to hear from anyone doing anything vaguely similar in the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire/East Anglia area. Imagine we will have to find a way of moving down there to something temporary while we look around - probably next year sometime when partner's job goes on the bonfire of the quangos.

VM

[boboff]

Dick Strawbridge web site has usefull stuff on planning eco heating, water etc.
He runs cources also and is quite smart when it comes to what is really green and what isn't.
For example, it is surely more "green" to rennnovate a dilapidated old house, than to let those ruins return to the earth, and start from scratch?

You need to think about Insulation, ventilation, Ground source heat, using grey water for flushing, and solar stuff, and wind, and having the windows in the right aspect, and having a thick slab of stone in the middle of the house painted black as a sun charged radiator. Oh and a nice three sectioned recycling bin is a must!

[Green Aura]

You could also have a look at the LILI (low impact living something )site. They do courses etc as well as a forum and info.

[oldjerry]

Whatever else you do, contact and visit the C.A.T. at Machync (whatever,in Wales).They 've loads of building ,living stuff,nice train ride via Shrewsbury.Best Wishes.

[Green Aura]

Machynlleth?

[oldjerry]

Yeah,they're the boyos!

[Thomzo]

Your project sounds wonderful but have you found the land yet? In my experience, that is the hardest part of all this. Start looking now, as it could take you years to find a suitable plot. Any plot that is likely to get planning permission will be hideously expensive and don't, whatever you do, just buy a plot in the hope that you will get planning permission. Do your research first and speak to the local council.

Good luck.

Zoe

[VM]

Thanks for these suggestions - and yes I know it will take time to find land and no, we are clear that we are not going to buy a piece of land just in the hope of getting planning permission. Good suggestion about talking to local authority.

[contadina]

When we were first mulling over giving up the office jobs and finding a smallholding we went to visit one near Cambridge. I'd recommend giving them a call and going on one of their guided tours as it certainly made us realise that our plans were doable and it provided us with a lot of inspiration. http://www.guildengate.co.uk/

[VM]

Thanks for that link - just looked at their website and emailed about going on a tour. I know that village by name from when I lived down there when I was growing up, but didn't know about their project - looks good.

[MandyWB]

Hi, I've just joined the forum and noticed your post and that you are currently in Manchester. We have built an ecohouse in Orrell (Near Wigan) so we are not too far away from you and would be happy to share our experience with you. There is no definitive right way to ecobuild and we found that we had to make a fair few compromises along the way but we have ended up with a really warm house without the need for any heating source other than a wood burning stove. In our our opinion, the insulation is the most important part of the build and worth taking the most time over getting right. If you would like to contact us or visit, you are more than welcome.

[Green Aura]

Hi Mandy, welcome to Ish

[tinacarolan]

hi
I have just joined and would like to show you are Eco house and farm run off solar panels charging in to electric batteries
if you like to go in and see (deleted by Admin)
looking forward to some replies

Note from Admin - please read our rules here regarding advertising
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[southeast-isher]

For the eco energy side of things from Solar to Hydro there are some real smart cookies over at the Navitron forum...

http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/

Best of luck.