Build a house for less than $5000

Re:Build a house for less than $5000 by alan_cx on Monday February 13, 2012 @09:50AM (#3585746)

Here in the UK we have a show called Grand Designs on Channel 4. Its a show about self builders. One of the episodes featured a guy called Ben Law(S09E13). He is a woodsman who worked woodland in a strict conservation area. He wanted a home in his woods, and did a similar thing but on a bigger scale. For electricity, he had solar and wind power, feeding submarine batteries. He collected and purified water. Waste waster was, IIRC, fed in to a reed bed. He also had internet sorted out, cant remember how.

I cant find a decent site that shows the build, but for any one interested, it worth a google. Ben has a website, but there is not much detail there. There are also various vids on youtube.

For any one vaguely interested, this project is well worth look up.

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Re:Build a house for less than $5000 by lifeisstillgood on Monday February 13, 2012 @09:56AM (#3585767)

Ben-law.co.uk

this was such a wildly popular (for channel 4) programme that they did a follow up. He had built an extension for his new family (single originally, and let's face it the project was a form of therapy) and was / is now making a small income teaching others how to do it.

My concern, and only real defence of the construction industry, is there probably are not enough hillsides and trees to go round. But as one living opposite a building site, yes, the construction industry can stand to learn one or two sustainability lessons

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Re:Build a house for less than $5000 by ctdonath on Monday February 13, 2012 @10:31AM (#3585926)

"Survivorman" Les Stroud did the same, recounted in his documentary Off the Grid http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001WAMB9U/ref=carldonath

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