With the gradual intrusion of the effects of climate change into our lives, people are coming up with interesting ways to reduce its affects. The reality is that some of the schemes are a not exactly well thought out. People need to start living more sustainably, and part of that is building sustainable houses. What does this really mean? It means the houses should be energy efficient, and built using as many renewable/low environmental impact products as possible. But it also means building smaller houses. You know, like the kind they use to build, before North Americans decided to binge on the size of houses? Sure everyone wants bigger houses, or additions to houses, but few people stop to think about how they use the space in their homes properly. You don’t need super large bedrooms, just like you don’t really need multiple living areas, massive kitchens, or four bathrooms. Smaller houses are cheaper and easier to heat, cool, and maintain.
There was a time, before WW2 when house sizes were economical – we’re talking around 1000 ft². Consider the house below from the catalog of Scouton-Lee Co., 1927.
A house from a 1927, “Book of Home Designs”.
Here is the floor plan of the house with, two living areas, and a kitchen on the main floor, and three bedrooms on the second floor. Total space about 1000 ft², not including the basement. There are of course things that could be improved to 21st century standard: the kitchen could be enlarged, a second bathroom added in the basement, storage space (or another living space) in the attic. The house could be easily built from lumber, clad with lumber, insulated with rock-wool, and roofed with a metal roof.
House plan information
By reducing the footprint of houses, there would actually be more green space surrounding houses, which is better, especially from the perspective of water runoff, and of course potential for more trees. This house also has a large porch, a feature often overlooked in modern houses. What it doesn’t have is environmentally unfriendly things like stucco, and asphalt tiles. To reduce our impact on the environment we just have to learn to think differently, and think beyond what our wants are, thinking more about our needs and the needs of the community around us.
working by hand 