To realize our dream of sustainable living

In our part of the world sustainable living is about using less and sharing more.

Look first at what this 13 year old Canadian girl has to say in his speech to the UN:
The Girl Who silenced the world for 5 minutes

Our dream house is also about to adopt and spread knowledge about a sustainable way to build houses.

That’s why we have chosen an architect Bjorn Berge from Gaia Lista to draw the planes for our house.

That’s why we have chosen to build a house that will:

use a little, last long and do not pollute the environment.

That’s why the house built without energy-intensive products as glava, plastics, synthetic adhesives and paints, and other synthetic products that have short life and is hazardous waste afterwards.

That’s why the house has been located and designed so that it is closed and protective towards the north and open toward the south, extra well insulated and with space for solar collectors on the roof.

That’s why we have chosen to give priority to building a compact house that has an area efficient floor plan. It can accommodate an entire family and two bedsit dwellers, without being particularly large.

That’s why we have chosen to place emphasis on using natural materials of high quality, which will last a long time and withstand everyday wear and tear without being ugly and broken.

That’s why we dress the longest wall in earth-rock (compressed earth minerals). The earth-rocks will absorb and emit heat and humidity as required, and contribute to a good indoor climate, without any technical gadgets that go to pieces.

That’s why the house cost more than others, because the carpenters have never built a house that is constructed in this way before. But they're going to learn something new and sustainable.

For our stubbornness, perseverance and determination …

... (Despite repeated disappointment through 11 years) to carry out the dream:
A healthy, climate- and environmentally friendly Eco-House,
with the possibility of a lush organic vegetable garden and with a short distance to the sea.

Last summer, it was 10 years ago we relocated to Southern Norway to build a house by the sea. After ten years and eight moves, we finally had the land and building permit in order. It finally seemed to go our way. Biddings on the job was obtained.
One that who knows these things, said:
- How’s the ground conditions here?
The first simple examination was disturbing: No solid ground of five meters. Only one thing to do! The entire project was put on hold and geo engineer was contacted. Later in the fall, he was available and could come by with a drilling machine.

-Ooopsi, this was deep!

A little over twelve meters – that is four floors!! Down. Several holes were drilled. Where the house will stand. Just as deep. And just as little resistance in the way down....

- So we own soft clay, and we have tons of it! Should certainly be potters instead house dreamers ...

Can’t say we didn’t go a bit "in the basement" a few days after that. But the only thing to do was to move forward. Hold on to the dream. Finding out what’s needed. 12 meters of soft clay is not much to build houses on…

We needed pillars! Steel core pillars drilled into the mountain, far below the clay. Many piles. At least ten or twelve. And then bearing structures between them.
It will be much more expensive than just doing it in the usual manner.
Can we do it?

Dream Home 2010:

Our the Eco-House in Grimstad ....
Our family consists of Marit and Roar, three now grown children and one grandchild.
11 years ago we followed the dream of living by the sea, and the family moved from Eastern to Southern Norway, where we in the beginning were renting a summer house. After that it has been uphill both, it’s been long and tough, and the children have grown up along the way.
But now, finally, after all these years, we have some land in a neighbourhood with good friends, and we have ready, gotten approved plans for our dream house. It is planned as a modest house made from natural materials, insulated with wood and solar collectors on the roof. The house is going to be climate and environment-friendly in production, use and thereafter. It’s going to fit in all phases of life. Friendly, warm and durable.
But then there was another rock in the sea. It has been shown that the property’s ground is made of loads of clay. The whole house must be built on long steel pilers, down through to twelve meters of clay and in to solid mountain. This is expensive. So expensive that it might topple our dream completely. Again…