In our last post, we discussed the intentions, priorities, budget, and timing of finding a new home. Hopefully, that process narrowed the range of your search to a 20 mile or 30-minute radius, and, with a budget in mind, you can start evaluating properties.

The most sustainable and often cost-effective option is to remodel or renovate an existing home. An old house represents a significant embodiment of material resources and physical effort and we encourage folks to renew one for their family and subsequent generations. But in many areas there is little existing housing stock, the available stock is of truly poor quality or represents a bigger liability than an opportunity. In these cases, building new is the best option to considerately create the house you want.

Within building lots there are several options:

a "greenfield" lot with no improvements: essentially raw land
an "improved" lot with a cleared building site with a driveway and some utilities installed or approved septic plans; sellers will ask a higher price for these investments
a "tear down" property with an unusable house but existing infrastructure

Whenever possible we encourage our clients to find a "tear down" or in-fill lot between developed properties as close to or in town as possible. Not only will this save on infrastructure costs it preserves green space and can reduce the energy impacts of driving to and from the property.

In reality, it can be hard to find a "tear down" property with a well-maintained infrastructure. A neglected house often comes with systems in poor repair that aren't reusable. Your home inspector, a well driller, or a civil engineer will need to verify their status.

The ideal lot would be the smallest possible size (to save on property taxes) that still offers privacy, has a flat or gently sloping buildable area that is south-facing, well-drained, and, if you're making a wish list, has a striking natural feature like a stream, pond, or majestic view. And the closer the buildable area is to road access the more you'll save on building and maintaining a driveway and excavation for utilities from the closest electrical pole. We can quickly assess a parcel for build ability per local zoning code which will stipulate what the minimum lot size is and the buildable distances from the boundaries of the property.

What about building and living off-grid? Most municipalities vigorously enforce planning and building codes which require the presence of an engineered septic system and a potable water source (a well). The combined needs of heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, and appliances require more electricity than on-site renewables can consistently produce and current batteries can affordably store. Propane or other fossil fuels can fill this gap needs but, in our opinion, it's far less sustainable and less self-reliant to depend on fossil fuel extraction than to connect to the electrical grid (which can also absorb excess energy made by renewables at peak times). Banks are less willing to fund a project that does not have the standards that most buyers expect and lessen the value of the finished building.

For more reading on this topic here's a great overview of the energy realities of building off-grid.