House material/approach advice

5 years ago

Hello everyone, my name is David.

I own a plot of land where I would like to build a house/cottage in the future, to which I would then move permanently. There are old partly destroyed stone houses on the plot and I thought of using those stones.

My question is: is stone a suitable material for building a house if I want to keep the house as passive as possible ?

It´s a remote property without electricity so i plan on using solar panels for basic needs (light, laptop/phone charging) and wood stove for heating. I don´t want a house that would cost a fortune to keep warm in the winter (average winter temperatures here are around -10 Celsius but sometimes can drop to around -18 Celsius)

I also want to mention that i want to build the house myself so i am not a professional so is seek advice from people who know more than i do. (ive helped many people with building houses/cabins so im not a complete newbie) But please do not give me answers like "you cant do it by yourself hire a professional".

I appreciate and write down every tip and advice that you give :)

Thank you.

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Comments (9)

3onthetree
5 years ago
Stone for building a shelter is perfectly fine as it was used for millenia. However, with today's lifestyle needs, desires for energy efficiency, and building construction problems occurring from water intrusion, it is not the best method used by itself. It would require sophisticated know-how, skill, and overall design to incorporate it with current construction methods. You could, depending on size of the fieldstone, use it as a veneer.
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Mark Bischak, Architect
5 years ago
Are you considering using the stone for structure or as a veneer?
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David J
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you for your replies,

The stones i would like to use are remains from farm houses that people in around 1950s lived in so i guess they knew that stone is a good material.

I inspected the houses and found out that all walls were built with only stone and mud/concrete substance so i was wondering if i could choose similar approach.

If you think that the stone is not a good choice i'm completely fine with it, I welcome all ideas and suggestions.

My plan is becoming self sufficient, i already grow enough food for myself and have a drinkable water source, only think missing is the house.
3onthetree
5 years ago
I think if your lifestyle is in that realm, you can taylor the design for stone walls, wood stove heat, and DIY construction.
Seabornman
5 years ago
I applaud your approach to constructing a home. Bearing wall masonry construction is very laborious for one person. Think of a use for that stone that is less structural, like veneer, or retaining walls or patio floors.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
5 years ago
" . . . only think missing is the house."

I think think there is a 'g' missing.
mainenell
5 years ago
I would suggest using the stone as an interior wall feature, possibly behind the wood stove, to create a mass to hold heat during cold weather. This is a typical way to design passive solar homes.
JJ
5 years ago
I think its a great idea. Hopefully you have some equipment to move the stones around.
David J
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Equipment is not a problem, ive got a homemade tractor which is useful in every work :)

Mark Bischak : I´m sorry for that mistake, english is not my first language, i have learned it by myself so mistakes ae pretty common :D