The roof on our two-story Millerton house project is made of 22 gauge Galvalume, Fabral manufactured, with a high percentage of recycled post-consumer metals, making this material an ecologically sustainable choice. The paint warranty is about 45 years, and with proper maintenance this roof could last a hundred years.
Hand-hewn heavy timber beams. Although it may not seem “green” to build with large timbers, such homes last longer than those built with today’s conventional practices.
We currently have a timber frame available suitable for a small barn.
Fresh water supplies are becoming increasingly scarce, especially in arid regions where increasing populations are depleting aquifers that took millennia to charge. Harvesting rain not only decreases the demand on the ground water supply, it also consumes significantly less energy to utilize.
Rainwater Collection: We built this cistern under a greenhouse. The cistern is made out of reinforced concrete with a waterproof coating. There is an access door in the floor. Rainwater is collected on the glass roof, a small area 8×10′ but the cistern fills up fast. We installed a valve to ensure that only clean water is collected. The first few gallons run out a drain pipe, then the valve switches on and directs water into the tank. The water is used on landscaping, pumped directly out of the tank with a garden hose. A generous supply of water is also useful in emergencies when electricity is out, for instance, and the well pump is not working, as a source of water for flushing the toilet. (more…)
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