My project is currently still purely theoretical. I am very interested in the construction methods mentioned in the title, and my design is a hybrid of these. The entire house will be built using PET and/or glass bottles, a construction method that makes the house not only extremely cost-effective but also very strong. The south side will feature the main entrance and windows, along with a kind of greenhouse extension. The rest of the house will be covered with earth if the plot is large enough. If not, the exterior walls will also be enclosed with a similar greenhouse structure. If a rooftop terrace is permitted by the building permit/planning permission, the upper floor will be accessible from the outside over a hill and later covered with a greenhouse-style construction. If a pitched roof is mandatory, glass bottles will be integrated into the walls, along with many or large windows on the upper floor, and glass tiles on the roof. If neither a hill nor a rooftop terrace is allowed or possible, I will try to find a different plot. If this also fails, the small house will simply be placed inside a greenhouse.
The foundation and basement are also planned to be built with PET bottles. I believe that stones/gravel, reinforcement mesh, PET bottles, and waterproof cement should be sufficient. However, I definitely need expert advice here, as the foundation is ultimately the most important part of the house. The interior will be equipped using various Earthship techniques to save and recycle energy and water.
As much as possible will be built by myself, including casting the glass roof tiles. I have a lot of time but very little money. Greenhouse attachments and extensions will be added gradually only after the house is habitable. I am also considering protecting the greenhouse glass against hail, either with a protective film or by using thick, self-cast glass tiles.
Solar panels and a spiral wind turbine for electricity generation are also of interest but are rather marginal. Energy storage is still very poor. So far, the only practical storage method seems to be electrolyzing water to store hydrogen in a large underground pressure tank, then converting it back to electricity via a fuel cell. Hydrogen storage in gels is also interesting but still in its infancy. I find batteries completely unsuitable as a storage medium—without them, self-sufficiency in electricity would be pointless.
I will design everything using CAD software, but first, I want to gather all the important data and hear some opinions.
I am very grateful for any suggestions and tips.
Planning restrictions/limitations
Plot size: 80 - 100 sqm (861 - 1,076 sq ft) or larger (dependent on price)
Slope: irrelevant
Floor area ratio: no plot available yet
Site coverage ratio: no plot available yet
Building envelope, building line and boundary: no plot available yet
Edge development: unlikely
Parking spaces: bicycles will be stored inside on the wall; no car
Number of floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor accessible—no attic
Roof type: flat and accessible or pitched roof with glass tiles
Style: eco-friendly small self-build house
Orientation: windows facing south, all other sides covered with earth or greenhouse
Maximum height limits: 3-4 meters (10-13 feet)
Other requirements
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: eco-modern, rooftop terrace, hill house
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, age: 1 person, age 33
Room needs on ground and upper floor: flexible
Office, family use or home office?: no
Overnight guests per year: no dedicated room
Open or closed architecture: mixed form?
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: possible
Music/sound wall: no full wall
Balcony, rooftop terrace: rooftop terrace
Garage, carport: no
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: yes, the house will be a mix of house, kitchen garden, and greenhouse
Other wishes, special features, daily routine
House design
Who designed it: various architects + myself
Do-it-yourself: yes
What is particularly appealing? Cost, energy efficiency, plants
What is not appealing? That will become clear once it is finished
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 10,000-20,000 (own research)
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: excluding fixtures 25,000 (fixtures will be made by myself or are already available)
Preferred heating system: passive
If you had to give up certain details or extensions
- What can you do without: basement if the building footprint is sufficient, rooftop terrace if not allowed due to planning restrictions
- What you cannot do without: the custom, eclectic design; if I cannot design or decide it myself, I don’t want to build it
The foundation and basement are also planned to be built with PET bottles. I believe that stones/gravel, reinforcement mesh, PET bottles, and waterproof cement should be sufficient. However, I definitely need expert advice here, as the foundation is ultimately the most important part of the house. The interior will be equipped using various Earthship techniques to save and recycle energy and water.
As much as possible will be built by myself, including casting the glass roof tiles. I have a lot of time but very little money. Greenhouse attachments and extensions will be added gradually only after the house is habitable. I am also considering protecting the greenhouse glass against hail, either with a protective film or by using thick, self-cast glass tiles.
Solar panels and a spiral wind turbine for electricity generation are also of interest but are rather marginal. Energy storage is still very poor. So far, the only practical storage method seems to be electrolyzing water to store hydrogen in a large underground pressure tank, then converting it back to electricity via a fuel cell. Hydrogen storage in gels is also interesting but still in its infancy. I find batteries completely unsuitable as a storage medium—without them, self-sufficiency in electricity would be pointless.
I will design everything using CAD software, but first, I want to gather all the important data and hear some opinions.
I am very grateful for any suggestions and tips.
Planning restrictions/limitations
Plot size: 80 - 100 sqm (861 - 1,076 sq ft) or larger (dependent on price)
Slope: irrelevant
Floor area ratio: no plot available yet
Site coverage ratio: no plot available yet
Building envelope, building line and boundary: no plot available yet
Edge development: unlikely
Parking spaces: bicycles will be stored inside on the wall; no car
Number of floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor accessible—no attic
Roof type: flat and accessible or pitched roof with glass tiles
Style: eco-friendly small self-build house
Orientation: windows facing south, all other sides covered with earth or greenhouse
Maximum height limits: 3-4 meters (10-13 feet)
Other requirements
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: eco-modern, rooftop terrace, hill house
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, age: 1 person, age 33
Room needs on ground and upper floor: flexible
Office, family use or home office?: no
Overnight guests per year: no dedicated room
Open or closed architecture: mixed form?
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: possible
Music/sound wall: no full wall
Balcony, rooftop terrace: rooftop terrace
Garage, carport: no
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: yes, the house will be a mix of house, kitchen garden, and greenhouse
Other wishes, special features, daily routine
House design
Who designed it: various architects + myself
Do-it-yourself: yes
What is particularly appealing? Cost, energy efficiency, plants
What is not appealing? That will become clear once it is finished
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 10,000-20,000 (own research)
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: excluding fixtures 25,000 (fixtures will be made by myself or are already available)
Preferred heating system: passive
If you had to give up certain details or extensions
- What can you do without: basement if the building footprint is sufficient, rooftop terrace if not allowed due to planning restrictions
- What you cannot do without: the custom, eclectic design; if I cannot design or decide it myself, I don’t want to build it
It's a pity that I come across as not engaging in a serious discussion, because with the knowledge I currently have, that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm simply not a civil engineer who knows all the regulations and can immediately discuss technical details professionally. I also prefer the PET bottle construction method over the Earthship style using tires and cans. PET bottles take up much less space and are extremely durable. If I can't find the insulation properties of PET bottles through research, I plan to test them myself in an experiment. I do believe the house can be built very cost-effectively. The idea of casting glass myself was not a joke. I have a plan for a melting furnace powered by used fryer oil that can melt steel. That means I could even cast the reinforcement mesh from scrap metal myself. I can get window glass for free, and I can build wooden frames cheaply on my own, almost at no cost if I use pallet wood. It's just a lot of work to plane or sand the wood. Naturally, it is extremely risky to get everything done according to regulations if I do it myself. That's why I have also planned a lot of time to further improve my knowledge. I will also research and calculate the time, costs, and risks more thoroughly. At the moment, however, I don’t see any major problems with the project. As long as the foundation is 100% correct, everything should be feasible.
First, I checked the thread’s start date to see if it might be April 1st. But okay — I’ll try to take this topic seriously.
Since I’m not an expert in construction, I won’t be able to help you much.
One or two years ago, a small-scale project like this was featured on a TV program called Stern TV.
The starting point was a somewhat well-known bottle collector in Germany who made a living by collecting refundable bottles at train stations and stadiums — my respect to that man. Stern TV challenged him to collect enough PET bottles to build a small house.
The house was then built for a daycare center. As far as I know, completely empty PET bottles were used and fixed together with clay (or some kind of mixture) — the bottles were not filled. The size was about that of a somewhat larger playhouse or garden shed for children.
Since air is a good insulator, as a layperson, I could even imagine that this would provide decent insulation properties.
I can’t add anything further on other aspects. Perhaps one serious tip:
If you are indeed planning such a project, I think you will need support. Perhaps a research institute would be willing to help you. I can also imagine that some broadcasting group might support you for one of their formats (“We Build a House,” “Building Rescue,” “Tine Wittler,” or something similar). They could possibly feature this as part of a show or an entire series (maybe even build with you).
This way, you might secure some kind of “funding,” and if the project is well developed, you could also gain valuable publicity support regarding the building permit/planning permission process.
Since I’m not an expert in construction, I won’t be able to help you much.
One or two years ago, a small-scale project like this was featured on a TV program called Stern TV.
The starting point was a somewhat well-known bottle collector in Germany who made a living by collecting refundable bottles at train stations and stadiums — my respect to that man. Stern TV challenged him to collect enough PET bottles to build a small house.
The house was then built for a daycare center. As far as I know, completely empty PET bottles were used and fixed together with clay (or some kind of mixture) — the bottles were not filled. The size was about that of a somewhat larger playhouse or garden shed for children.
Since air is a good insulator, as a layperson, I could even imagine that this would provide decent insulation properties.
I can’t add anything further on other aspects. Perhaps one serious tip:
If you are indeed planning such a project, I think you will need support. Perhaps a research institute would be willing to help you. I can also imagine that some broadcasting group might support you for one of their formats (“We Build a House,” “Building Rescue,” “Tine Wittler,” or something similar). They could possibly feature this as part of a show or an entire series (maybe even build with you).
This way, you might secure some kind of “funding,” and if the project is well developed, you could also gain valuable publicity support regarding the building permit/planning permission process.
Just read this (referring to compressed PET bottles): With building materials like these, whether you live where temperatures drop below 0°F (-17.8°C) or rise above 100°F (37.8°C), the temperature inside the structure stays around 63°F and 78°F.
0°F is -17.8°C and 100°F is 37.8°C, so the greenhouse effect would only matter for the plants and is negligible as insulation. This means I can save on soil and instead build a vertical garden around the house.
P.S. is it allowed to use ** for links? For example: h**p then the rest of the link?
0°F is -17.8°C and 100°F is 37.8°C, so the greenhouse effect would only matter for the plants and is negligible as insulation. This means I can save on soil and instead build a vertical garden around the house.
P.S. is it allowed to use ** for links? For example: h**p then the rest of the link?
And he did it and ended up in the green forum.
I also find such projects very exciting. But I seriously doubt that your budget will be sufficient. It will absorb a lot of money. And even if you spend 10 years working on it to save on rent, you will have paid rent for those 10 years anyway. That’s somewhat a simplistic calculation.
I also find such projects very exciting. But I seriously doubt that your budget will be sufficient. It will absorb a lot of money. And even if you spend 10 years working on it to save on rent, you will have paid rent for those 10 years anyway. That’s somewhat a simplistic calculation.
Voki1 schrieb:
Please, please, please ... make sure to also post this in the Green Forum. I've already got chips and cola ready. This would make for a great weekend. A round of Bacardi and ice to go with it, and it’s sure to be a fun party.
Musketier schrieb:
A bottle of Bacardi and some ice makes for a fun party. And when it’s empty, just install it in the roof right away...
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