My first question would be what will your local building authority think of this (assuming you have one). For me, I would have to have a bathroom in both buildings. Having lived for a spell in a campground and having to hike to the privy, I wouldn't care to do that several to many times a day.

The other question I would have would be about your climate. In many climates, you would want a fully enclosed connection between the buildings, possible even with HVAC. Then there's the issue of wild animals and/or two legged predators.....

You need to tell us more about your situation? If you are in the U.S. Or Have young children, this would be impractical. (You wouldn't get a loan from a bank as this isn't a house by U.S. Standards.) you are also talking about two foundations and two roofs which doubles the cost over a standard two story home.

Impractical. Not as cheap to build as you think.

No closets in the bedrooms?

I did grad work in Australia years ago. Lived in a house where the bathroom was in an outdoor bathhouse. It was a major pain in the neck to have to walk outside every time I needed to powder my nose.

This may be something that your family may be able to live with. Now. But what about guests? What about resale? What about aging in place? What if someone in your family temporarily looses mobility - broken leg, recovering from childbirth, even a bad flu?

I think if the "houses" we're physically connected, this would be more feasible. Have you thought of stacking the houses? Maybe utilize the roof of the lower house as the deck of the upper house? Then you could have an enclosed staircase linking the 2.

Duplicate delete.

This post was edited by pixie_lou on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 8:14

I lived in a house for 2 years near the Mediterranean that had the bathroom and kitchen across a large open-to-the-sky but enclosed by perimeter rooms courtyard. The bedrooms were connected to the living room. After dark we had to wake up the cockroaches in the toilet room when we turned on the light to use it ;o). If it was rainy (had to use an umbrella) or windy or both and we were already in our sleeping clothes, they'd get damp or dirty when we went across the courtyard for something to eat or to use the shower or toilet.

Now, although I live on a lot that is over 1 acre, whenever I go outside, if the neighbors' dogs are out (1 has 2 and the other has 3), they start barking the minute my door is open.

Anne

I like PixieLou's idea of stacked houses.

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[Modern Exterior[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2105) by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Feldman Architecture, Inc.

Everyone has pretty much raised a lot of the issues. I'm wondering if building code will even let you build a house, connected though it may be to another, without a bathroom in it.

Just wanted to add that neighbors of ours built a home that is separate buildings. He did it to avoid property taxes...lived in a "garage" for 10 years and then added on the rest of the house. He later married, and after he died, I spoke with his wife who said what a major pain in the neck it was to live in a divided house. Heck, I wouldn't even want a detached garage, let alone bed and bath.

Think about, not only a physical infirmity, like my currently broken ankle, but think too about being ill...say you have the flu. Do you want to go outside and away from a bathroom, to get a cup of tea? I think not. You'll end up with a bath in the main house and a kitchenette in the bedroom quarters...or fundamentally twice the trouble.

I don't know what part of the country this would be, but in our area, our antique outhouse has the door open in, so no matter how high the snow gets, you can still get into the outhouse....something to consider if the lower building is the only potty....

Wow I'm not hearing much support for my design. That's okay! This is exactly why I posted here - I want to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

To address some of your questions/criticisms:

*The house would be located in a subtropical coastal area with a mild year round climate.
*I expect the local building regulations will permit such a design.
*I understand resale value will be somewhat reduced by a unusual design, but I've decided I'll try not to let that affect my decisions too much...
*My main priority is building a low-energy requirements and low-tech house, on a budget

This post was edited by mrtea on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 17:39

I think it's an awesome design... if it were a vacation home. Something that's different to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there full time.

To want to live there full time.. a bathroom in each building for sure. If you need to hit the head in the middle of the night, or go pee quick while cooking, wouldn't want to have to travel to another building to do it. And if you have guests over or are more than two people, two bathrooms is nice.
I see you have a shower area- does that include a tub? I ask because sometimes taking a nice bath is wonderful- and I can't do that because it's all showers in my house. Sooner or later I want a tub, lol. They make enclosed shower tubs in the U.S. that I think are neat.

Have the walkway between buildings enclosed- otherwise what happens when it rains? Do you really want to walk through the rain to get your morning cup of joe, or through the rain to go to bed? Or if there's only one bathroom, go through the rain to get to the bathroom if you are in the other building? I say enclosed instead of just covered because sometimes rain does blow around. Enclosure could just mean screened enclosure- helps keep out the bugs too.

Have you looked into just what's required for gravity feed plumbing? Working with just rain water collection is admirable, but what happens if you get a dry spell or otherwise have water usage where your main tank runs out? You might want a backup well just in case- and they can be hand cranked or solar power pumped for your concerns about energy conservation. What are your plans for hot water? And water filtration or other cleaning of rainwater to make it potable?

What is going to be your energy source for your kitchen? To run the fridge and stove that is.

I don't see a problem with no closets in the bedrooms- if you are planning on storage furniture instead. Like wardrobes for hanging stuff, drawers for other things. Don't forget that beds can be built onto drawer pedestals.

If you are looking to build on a budget, the 2 separate buildings is expensive. That is 2 foundations, 2 excavations, 2 roofs. Since you are on a hill, excavation will be expensive no matter what. To minimize costs, a simple rectangle is your cheapest option with a simple roof. Try looking at some a-frame designs, where the bedrooms are in lofts above the living area.

I think it's really obvious that you dont have any construction exerience, or any off grid living experience either. It's fine to dream, but you need to actually learn something about the nuts and bolts of what makes things work first before trying to design something. Get a summer job with a construction crew and live in a tent while you do that. Do that for a couple of years. Then design something.

First, I agree with others that 2 buildings is not budget friendly vs. one. Esp if you are on a hillside, building a full walkout basement is easy to do and far less expensive....one roof, one foundation.

I'd also check your premises as to whether you'll get enough water pressure for the kitchen sink as planned. You may not. In which case, a chunk of the design raison d'etre is kind of moot.

However, if you really, truly have your heart set on a 2 building plan, then seriously consider what functions go in each building. For example, might it make sense to keep the main bedroom in the main building with a bath so all the necessary functions are in one space, and then use the 2nd building for guests, larger group entertaining, etc?

I'd also talk to people who have 2 separate buildings...like a pool cabana or whatever, to see how they actually use the space. People do what is most convenient, and very often, far away spaces are little used just because of location.

Hey Hollysprings why do you have to constantly be so ascerbic?

You can provide constructive comments without being so toxic.

Can you, or is it a good idea even if you can, to have a composting toilet in the middle of the living structure?

The few designs I've seen for composting toilets have them in an outhouse type building, even if it's connected by a short hallway, and they have a lot of vents and such.

What exactly are you trying to achieve with this design? If it is just about the gravity fed water, I'm not sure its worth it. Two buildings means more exterior wall area through which heat is lost and higher heating costs.

If you are doing this for aesthetic reasons or to maximize views it might make more sense.

What about just having a separate shed or deck higher on the hill and having gravity fed water from there?

Oh, I've seen composting toilets in the middle of building, but never actual residences.

I think building two separate buildings is pretty far to go to avoid a pump. If you wanted to be off the grid, you could hook a stationary bike up to a pump to fill a small water tower, and then let your home design focus on other needs and wants.

The tail is wagging the dog here. Don't plan around a deficiency. Engineer to defeat the deficiency.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I'm taking all this criticism on board and have gone back to the drawing board with my design.

Another idea for gravity feed is to put a water tank on stilts outside the house and run roof drains to it. I saw this in the S. Pacific. ANother idea is to run the gutters to a sump and pump the water to a collection tank up high. Of course you need to build an elevated tank and water is heavy.

You could also have a small elevated tank of say 100 gal, and a floor level tank that feed it on a float switch. You get the pressure without the need for a huge foundation. Good luck.

*I understand resale value will be somewhat reduced by a unusual design, but I've decided I'll try not to let that affect my decisions too much...

==>>> i think you under estimate such ... somewhat reduced???

i might suggest it has no resale ... as a family home ...

you might be the only dude to relish this ...

now.. as a semi rustic cabin [one such definition is a structure with no loo] ... that you visit once or twice a year.. hmmmm ... i see bees also calls it a vacation home ...

good luck

ken

Have you seen some of the coastal homes in California that are on bluffs or hillsides. I have been in a few where they run down the hill with the entrance on the top. Typically the kitchen is located where the supplies are easily brought in, one had an entry kitchen dining room level living room level and lowest level had a couple of bedrooms.

If you reduced your stack to two levels and kept your water collection tank at the upper level you could probably make something that worked with out the idea of separate buildings and random bathrooms.

There is this....

Here is a link that might be useful: Encampment house

And this, so it's been done.

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[Rustic Exterior[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2111) by San Antonio Architects & Building Designers Lake Flato Architects

Here is a link that might be useful: [wide open spaces[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/lake-flato-porch-house-at-miller-ranch-rustic-exterior-austin-phvw-vp~370797)

This pod arrangement is very popular with vacation homes in the Virgin Islands. I've rented some and the pros of separate living and sleeping quarters are that it really invites you to use the exterior connecting spaces, it provides privacy for bedrooms, especially if there are multiple pods, and it can save on utilities since frequently only the sleeping quarters have A/C. So no "leakage of cool air to the rest of the house. The biggest cons are security - lots of doors to lock up, kids separated from parents, and being exposed to bad weather to move from one space to another.

You won't find a lot of support for the "non-standard," here, in case you haven't noticed. You'll do better if you are specific about any unusual aspects up-front. If you don't, there are likely to be assumptions made such as: you are in a cold climate or a hot climate (depending on the climate of the commenter), you will want a conventional perimeter foundation, you will need a mortgage, you have 21st century American building codes to comply with, you want a full-time family home, you are concerned about resale.

If none of those things are issues, state them up front to get that out of the way. You'll still get some of those responses, but maybe fewer. I'm still not quite sure if you are on or off the grid. You could do a pressure tank for water if the 2-building solution is only because of the gravity-fed water constraint.

Regarding cost, the two building solution could be more economical if it let you avoid borrowing money and paying interest, for example. But you don't sound quite like you are a DIY type (see, I'm making assumptions on incomplete information, too!).

There are some good points above, but not all of them probably fit your location, your constraints, your project, etc.

One of the problems you'll have to figure out is how to hold up the houses on the hill. Generally, this is done with a foundation / retaining wall. Without knowing the soil type, it would be difficult to figure out how the retaining wall would have to be constructed.

Generally, you can think of a retaining wall as being an "L" shape with the horizontal leg of the "L" being on the uphill side so that the weight of the soil holds the vertical portion upright against the soil pushing against the vertical wall section.

There can be a 1:1 (or greater) relationship between the vertical and horizontal legs depending upon the soil type, This means that a 12-foot high vertical wall would need at least a 12-foot horizontal section to retain the wall. You have to excavate the hill back, pour the horizontal and vertical wall sections - and then backfill the soil against the vertical wall.

You'd really need a structural engineer to do this type of design, as if it is not calculated correctly and then built to match the structural plans, you'll have the entire building sliding down the hill.

An alternative might be caisson (drilled) foundations - but that requires a caisson drill and access to the site where the foundations would be placed.

You could also cantilever the houses off of the hill side - but, that's some real involved structural work.

One other thought - while you're planning on a composting toilet - have you thought about how to dispose of the grey water (shower, sinks)?

This post was edited by buckhorn_cortez on Wed, Dec 31, 14 at 22:49