In the beginning.....

I fell in love with self sustaining housing a year or two back.  I'm not even quite sure how I stumbled upon the subject.  Be that as it may, it has now become an important goal for me to build one. Not only is it a motivation to get me through my education in accounting, it also addresses and answers things that are important to me. It fits the lifestyle want.  For me, I picked an "Earthship" style home, but there are plenty of other options as well.

That is the beauty of these homes.  Whether you are a green nut or someone who values their independence, they can be built to suit what you value and want, in the climate that you live in.  They can also be made to look the way you want.

I personally fall along the desire of having independence and wanting to look somewhat modern.  Being green is just a benefit that comes from not relying too heavily on big corporations, the government or society in order to survive.  Modern looking means that in a pinch, if I had to sell, it wouldn't be difficult.

Unfortunately there is a BUT...

The major disadvantage to this plan is that it's not mainstream.  An interested person can't go to a local home builder and get everything they need to build one.  If you do find a green builder, you will probably pay a premium and they may not be local.  So the result is, unless you are a millionaire, you will have to be very self motivated and willing to learn.   The less money you have available, the more self sufficient you will have to be.  Finding the balance is the tricky part.

That is why I decided to write a blog.  Like most people, I have limited resources.  I can't just go to the creator of the concept (Michael Reynolds) and ask him to build one for me.  I probably won't be able to fly him up for advice either.  (He costs over $1000/day!).  I also have a career, so this means I can't just take months off of work to build one!  Even if I could, I know nothing about construction or design.  Oh noes.  We have a small conundrum   Therefore it's time to start writing down what I can and cannot do.  This will allow me to understand and plan how much time and money it will take me to achieve the goal. Hopefully my journey will help other people in the same situation as well.