Prefab(ulous?) - Feeding the Soil

In my Mondo Beyondo course, one of the dreams that is pushing its way to the top of my consciousness is my desire to live in a complete sanctuary, an oasis.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the little 1930s bungalow we live in right now in historic Houston, and we are taking steps toward making it more of a sanctuary. But the truth is, I want to live among the trees. I want to live by water. I want to envelop myself in Nature’s arms (cheesy, but true).

There’s a picture in Amy Butler’s book that gets to the heart of what I’m talking about. Her house seems to be above the treeline, and she can look out her window and let her eyes rest upon the tops of trees. Oh, how I wish that for myself and my family!

And I want to share the land with friends. Separate small houses but a shared orchard, organic garden, swimming pool, composting, and common spaces for dinner parties. We can generate our own electricity with solar panels and live off-the-grid.

I remembered a book about environmentally houses called Prefab Green (see photo above) that I saw at Whole Earth Provision Company. And then when I was in the line at Whole Foods, I saw an article in Dwell magazine about prefabricated houses.

Since pieces of prefab homes are made in a factory, they can be faster and cheaper than site-built homes. Of course it’s way more eco-friendly to move into a home that already exists, but my vision may only be possible if we buy our own land and build on it.

6 Comments

linda the pinata bride

April 8, 2010 at 1:05 pm Reply

If you want to move to Vermont, count me in as your neighbor at the sancuary! It sounds amazing and nature's arms surround just about everything here 🙂

Jennie

April 8, 2010 at 4:57 pm Reply

Although these aren't prefab houses, the community aspect is similar to what you describe. Check out Creekside Commons, a co housing community on Vancouver Island!

http://www.creeksidecommons.ca/