Theoretically, you could build any house for free, especially in a model such as the resource-based economy that participants in the Zeitgeist movement propose. Realistically, a dwelling could only be built for free to the degree that it was made from local materials. Therefore any design that involves imported materials will very likely have some level of financial (and ecological) cost attached to it in most instances, though as we will see throughout this chapter this is not necessarily so, as we can often use the detritus of industrialised society to produce the sustainable homes of the future.
In the rest of this chapter I will look at houses that could be built for free but are likely to cost something, even if it is a fraction of what you would spend on a modern bricks and mortar house. To keep costs to the absolute minimum, use your imagination and try to use what you have at hand, as much as you possibly can, in the construction process. In all cases, once they are up they can easily be free to run on an ongoing basis. For inspiration, Lloyd Kahn’s books "Shelter",(137) "Home Work"(138) and "Tiny Homes"(139) are excellent sources.
If you want to eliminate heating bills, and your corresponding ecological footprint into the bargain, then one of the best things you can do is build using a passive solar design, ideally using a locally sourced material such as cob, which has high thermal mass, as a means of storing the energy created.
Designing in a greenhouse, where you propagate and grow whatever plants you want to eat or use, onto the south facing side of your house is one of the best methods of doing so. The sun shines in through these windows throughout the day, heating up the dwelling behind the greenhouse. If you want a house that heats up quickly in the morning, but are happy for it to cool down in the late evening, then fitting your interiors with wood may be a good option within such a design. However, if you would prefer to have a house that takes a little longer to warm up in the morning (for example, if you are out of the house until evening) but which then stays warm throughout the evening until the following morning, then cob may be a much better alternative, as it slowly radiates the sun’s warmth that it stored throughout the day.
This is one version of a passive solar house, developed in the US by pioneering architect Michael Reynolds, for parts of the country that can get as cold as -20ºC. Passive solar homes can be made using a variety of materials, and usually are. Earthships(140) are a specific variety that are made out of recycled and natural local materials. Rainwater harvesting methods, used car tyres rammed with earth, glass panes (which you can pick up for free from your local double glazer, who often are burdened with glass that they’ve cut wrong or that a customer no longer wants), wind turbines, solar water heating systems, photovoltaic panels, even beer cans and glass bottles (used to create wonderful lighting effects inside), all constructed using methods that very much chime with permaculture principles. The result is that you have a model of home that will enable you to be self-sufficient for energy and water, and with a little bit of elbow grease, food also.
Given that 40 million tyres are disposed of every year in the UK, the Earthship is a solution that simultaneously solves two problems: what to do with all these tyres, and the ecological impact of importing all the building materials that we currently use to build our homes, materials these otherwise useless tyres could come to replace. The fact that this untapped resource would provide high levels of thermal mass just adds to the notion that the Earthship design, adapted to use less complex equipment than they currently are designed with, really could be the model of a sustainable, moneyless future.
As an alternative to the rammed earth tyres of the Earthship model above, which pay great long-term dividends but which require a massive amount of time and human energy to begin with (each tyre can take approximately 40 minutes to an hour to fill, though numerous friends and acquaintances have told me that the weeks they spent ramming the tyres had a powerful bonding effect on their group), there is the option of using earth bags(141) instead, which only take a few minutes to tamp depending on how strong and energetic you are feeling. For this purpose you could reuse the rice and grain sacks that your local wholefoods and organic retailers and/or wholesalers may have.
Depending on how simply you want to build these, they could be done without money, but it is more likely that they will be low cost in their construction. In the wake of the earthquake, the Haiti Christian Development Project built around a dozen such dwellings at the cost of £1,400 each, which included wage costs. To bring that figure as close as you can to zero, and as a transitional strategy, you could instead employ a bunch of volunteers to help, whom you’ll find are often enthusiastic about getting involved, whether to learn some new building technique or apply those skills they already have to help others build the sustainable homes of the future. With such a model of working, the volunteers get to learn all the skills which they can then pass onto others or use to build their own dwelling, whilst you get some much needed labour and morale boosting support, without any financial cost.
These are exactly what they seem – houses made in large from straw bales. For a localised (and hopefully moneyless) straw bale house, the type of straw you would use is country specific. In the UK that would be rye, oats or wheat. For more information on how to do this, I recommend Barbara Jones’ book *Building with Straw Bales: A Practical Guide for the UK and Ireland*.(142)
A very useful take on the straw bale house is a mini-model which I stayed in whilst visiting a well-known self-sufficiency project in the UK. The owners built a little straw bale guest house for visitors and volunteers, which was effectively a pimped up tent, but much warmer and cosier. It consisted of old wooden pallets on a base which they levelled out, covered in sheep’s fleece (though any insulating material you can get your hands on for free could be used), with a recycled mattress on top, surrounded on three sides by load-bearing (and small) straw bales, with a south-facing wall of windows (constructed using waste glass and free reclaimed wood), with a green roof to help it blend into its landscape. Alternatively you could use the roof for water collection, depending on other factors in your unique situation. The one I stayed in was sited at the top of a large hill and the views waking up at dawn were quite stunning. It was also a very cosy place from which to watch the sunset on an autumn’s evening, especially if you have a lover’s arms tucked around you.
These mini straw bale guest houses take less than a day to build, they can be done using locally sourced and waste materials, and can be completely free of any financial cost. If you were happy with very basic housing and just wanted to hide away in the woods, this could be easily adapted to allow you to stand and walk around in; the only problem with this adaptation is that you are then more likely to attract attention.
This underground model was popularised by Mike Oehler in his book *The $50 and Up Underground House Book*,(143) which shows you the basics you need to know in order to build one. The benefits of these are many, and include that:
The folk down at the building regulations department may have a few thoughts on it; that is, if you tell them about it!
Whenever a child draws a picture of a house, it always involves straight lines, such is the ubiquity of the rectangular or square house. Such dwellings haven’t always dominated, however, and some circular models are still used as low impact and moneyless homes today. If such a round structure appeals to you, and there are many good reasons why it would, I’d recommend looking at *Circle Houses: Yurts, Tipis and Benders*(144) by David Pearson or *Simple Shelters: Tents, Tipis, Yurts, Domes and Other Ancient Homes*(145) by Jonathan Horning for more information and inspiration.
Four main types of round dwellings spring to mind:
1. Benders:(146) These are easy to make and can be made moneylessly out of local and recycled materials. All you really need to make one is enough coppiced poles (hazel is best but ash or willow would do), a canvas (which you may be able to find for free) or some other waterproof covering, and some string, which you could make yourself out of fibres from locally growing plants.
2. Roundhouses: These are regularly made from a number of locally sourced materials, including cob and cordwood, wooden posts, wattle and daub panels, all finished with either a thatched or reciprocal frame green roof. A great example of one of these exists in Tinkers Bubble, an ecological community based in Somerset. Tony Wrench, who has built quite a well-known roundhouse, has written a very good book on the subject also.(147)
3. Yurts: A standard yurt is usually made up of a circular, wooden lattice frame covered in canvas. The roof is composed of a transparent crown, which allows light and heat in, held up by poles. You can add to their ability to retain heat by stuffing old rugs and duvets, or other insulating materials, in between the frame and the canvas. If this design appeals to you, I would recommend investigating geodesic domes first as a similar option, but one which you are more likely to be able to construct using zero money.
4. Tipis: These dwellings, traditionally used by Native American Indians (the name itself was given by the Lakota) and adopted by hippies worldwide, consist of wooden poles covered by some waterproofing material. Originally animals skins were used, though these days many people use canvas. The main difference between a tipi and other circular dwellings is its conical shape and opening at the top end, enabling the dweller to cook and heat themselves with an open fire. If you decide to use animal skins then tipis can be made 100% out of locally sourced materials and can easily be done without money. If you use canvas, they can still be made for free but you will need to mine the vast amounts of waste at our disposal (see chapter five).
If you live in the UK, all of these round structures will require planning permission; again that is if you inform the authorities. Due to their fairly mobile nature, many people just erect them and hope for the best, safe in the knowledge that they are easily moved if they get caught. In other countries such as Greece, which I spoke about earlier, many of these temporary structures do not require any permission, and given their climate and land prices, it can be a tempting place to go for anyone who wants to live outside of the absurd story of money and credit and debt without having to attempt to navigate the minefield of bureaucracy that exists in the UK.
The ideal home is one which makes the most of the best elements of all the above designs, tailored to the ecological context within which it is built, which is an important point in itself. As long as you have a sound understanding of the materials you are working with, and the landscape and climatic conditions you are working within, you can do a pick-andmix with all the materials and designs above. A large part of your decision may simply come down to what materials grow locally to you and what you already have at hand.
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