Sadly, Owen Geiger, the originator of this website, died on November 6th, 2018. Most of the plans shown here are still available via Dream Green Homes however, so if you have any questions or comments please contact Kelly Hart via the contact form on that site.
Our main blog is now called Natural Building Blog and the new address is http://naturalbuildingblog.com/
I want to build a small (approx. 500 sq.ft.) eco friendly house on a small lot in Haiti. I already have a small food garden on the lot and would like to build around it. For some reason I have the feeling this type of homes are not expensive because I don’t have money, and that’s the reason I am looking at this concept to rebuild my family home after the quake. I could later on expend the construction with an addition of an art center/retreat if the Not For Profit organization I coordinate can raise the funds for it. I can’t handle this project alone. I will need help from a group of experienced volunteers to put it together with me once we are in Haiti. That’s in addition to locals who will be hired to work. Is it possible to recruit a group here to help me with this project? And how much money does a small 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, living/dining room will cost? An estimated figure will be helpful in determining if such construction is for me or if I should consider cheaper methods. I will appreciate a response very much.
Thank you,
Carline
You can post a free message on our Bulletin Board web page and try to attract builders/workshop coordinators and volunteers. http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/bulletin-board/
Haiti is a difficult situation because almost everything there is quite a bit more expensive than elsewhere. Almost everything has to be imported. So no matter how you build it will still be expensive. The only exception may be a simple bamboo hut. Example: There is not much soil in many places in Haiti. Trucking in soil could cost $200-$300 instead of $30-$50 per truckload. So you’ll have to do a careful cost estimate of all materials in a spreadsheet. It’s not a difficult process, but it does take time. There’s no other way to know what your house will cost. You might find some websites that will help you learn cost estimating.
Thank you, Owen, for the reply. I’ll check the link above.
Amazing website Owen. Thanks. Are you doing any more courses in Asia?
Not now. We’re busy finishing our homestead. Maybe in the future. http://www.youtube.com/user/naturalhomesteader
Dear Sir,
Please on behalf of my Partners in Poverty Alleviation an NGO based in Ghana.
We intend to build 300 homes in Ghana and will like to know the total number of earth bags, we will need to build the 300 homes (made up of 3 sizes thus 600 sq ft,1200 sq ft and 2500 sq ft.) and how much that will cost us.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Abdul Aziz Monieson Suleman
Skype: appostles1
I answered you already on our blog. See this article: http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/how-many-bags-does-it-take/