Building a Passive Home; an Earthship

My stream of thought these day, in the early winter months of 2018-2019 is building a passive house on a rural lot.

I'm also looking into tiny house design. I got this funny idea of setting out to build a tiny home in my back yard, and then in a few years being able to move it to a location on a property somewhere. Let's explore these ideas over the next little while and we'll see where my mind takes me!

The Conscious Builder
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRHQqTsE4FcEGfm5mF15zUJrtpMaiUQ2-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvfWHx1SKMs&list=PLRHQqTsE4FcHnNKY0p1am80EqmvlNsluo

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRHQqTsE4FcEeMa2wYn8laUaw2fl78-CI


Websites:

https://ekobuilt.com/ontario-passive-house/

https://evolvebuilders.ca/

https://www.gni.ca/insulation-101/passive-house

A Thing About Land

For me the over-arching goal of humankind is to learn how to value water, air, and the things we need to live more than money. We need to be thinking in much larger time scales than a balance sheet. Here we are at this amazing branch point where our science and technology have taken the greatest of leaps and yet I can't help but be haunted by the fact that we are still very deeply mired in our technological adolescence. We don't think about what our short term actions are doing to our long term future, and that of our children and grand children. So, I'm not so sure we should unleash ourselves on the world. 

~ Ann Druyan, Creative Director, Voyager Interstellar Mission, NASA

I've been thinking a lot about buying land recently.

If you buy land, then you can go there and you can sit there, or stand there, or live there. You can look at the trees, and see the animals that come and go. You can listen to the wind in the grass and the leaves. You can hear the raindrops. You can smell the life forms. You can go there for as long as you like and nobody will tell you to go away. You can just sit, watch, listen, smell, touch, and feel. And learn. Accept it. Embrace it. Think about what was there before and what will be there after.

It's possible to buy a piece of land up in the northern part of the province, about 25 to 40 acres of undeveloped, possibly former cleared land or once cultivated as a hay field, for under $40,000.

So then, some of these pieces are in organized townships, while others are in non-organized townships. There's quite a difference.

If you buy property in an unorganized township, building codes are not required.

The story goes on and on. But basically, once you've got your piece of property, you're free to build on it and use it as you please. You can start a business there.

RETIREMENT PROPERTY in beautiful Northeastern Ontario $38,000 CDN - File 35

https://www.recreationland.net/property/file-35-retirement-property-in-beautiful-northeastern-ontario-38000/

File 35- RETIREMENT PROPERTY in beautiful Northeastern Ontario $38,000

Are you looking for a RETIREMENT PROPERTY in beautiful Northeastern Ontario?

A QUIET PLACE NEAR SMALL TOWN ONTARIO?

Are you old enough to remember a television series called “GREEN ACRES”?

Green Acres was an American sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm.

The show was about a successful New York lawyer who gives up the rat race to fulfill his dream: living the life of the traditional country gentleman farmer.

YOU MAY NOT BE from New York or be a successful lawyer but I think that you might get the idea of this wonderful opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city living.

SO, are you wanting to retire to a small community where you are looking forward to a relaxed and quiet lifestyle, where people are friendly and mostly know each other and help each other when needed?

A great place to raise your kids or have your family come to visit.

39.70 acres in Playfair Township $40,000.00 CDN - File 66 -

https://www.recreationland.net/property/file-66-39-70-acres-in-playfair-township/

This property has just been newly surveyed this spring as it was severed off a larger property.

In our story and on our maps we refer to this property as PART 1.

It enjoys 201 meters or about 660 feet of frontage on Cardinal Road just south of the Town of Matheson in Northeastern Ontario.

The depth of the property is 808 meters or about 2,650 feet.

Playfair Township is located within the boundary of the Municipality of Black River-Matheson so it is AN ORGANIZED TOWNSHIP.

Cardinal Road is a year round road that is maintained and plowed in winter by the Municipality of Black River-Matheson.

There is electrical power along the opposite side of the road if you want to hook up to the grid.

You can choose to stay off the grid if you want.

There is no law stating that you have to hook up.

The front of the property is moderately wooded with timber that is around 15 years old as that is when the mature timber was harvested.

The new growth is around 15 years old and anything that was not mature enough to harvest at that time is of course now 15 years older and taller.

What is interesting about this property is that there is about 15 acres or more of old hay fields at the rear (the north end) of the property.

If you put in a long driveway to just where the old fields start you would have some beautiful building spots and real good privacy.

You wouldn’t be able to see a house from the road and hear minimal road noise if any.

The zoning is rural and that means that you can live here year round if you choose, you can start a farm and a home business.

56 Acres in Lowther Township $36,000.00 CDN - File 67 -

https://www.recreationland.net/property/file-67-56-acres-in-lowther-township/

Get away from the rules and zoning regulations on this 56 acre property.



UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP

NO ZONING

NO BUILDING PERMITS

YEAR ROUND ROAD ACCESS

ELECTRICAL POWER AVAILABLE ALONG THE ROAD

What an exciting opportunity to own a decent sized property with over 740 meters or 2,430 feet of frontage on Highway 583.

Highway 583 is a secondary highway that is maintained and OPEN YEAR ROUND.

18 Acres East of City of Thunder Bay $32,000.00 CDN - File 74-

https://www.recreationland.net/property/file-74-20-acres-east-of-city-of-thunder-bay-32-000-canadian/

HERE IS A NEAT OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A DECENT SIZED PROPERTY WHERE YOU CAN START TO HOMESTEAD

LOCATED IN AN UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP

GO OFF THE GRID
BUILD AN EARTHSHIP
GROW YOUR OWN FOOD
RAISE A COUPLE OF ANIMALS


A very nice 18.5 acre parcel of land close to the Black Sturgeon River east of the City of Thunder Bay.

Located in the UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP OF LY

Enjoy NO ZONING
Enjoy NO BUILDING PERMITS

Build what you want, where you want on your property, as big or as small as you want and NO BUILDING PERMIT REQUIRED.

37.48 acres in Lamarche Township $40,000.00 CDN - File 111-

https://www.recreationland.net/property/file-111-37-48-acres-in-lamarche-township-40000-canadian/

A nice property only 3.1 kilometers or almost 2 miles east of Highway 11 south of the Town of Cochrane in Northeastern Ontario.

Lamarche Township falls within the boundary of the Town Of Cochrane so it is AN ORGANIZED TOWNSHIP.