What kind of wood is it that you used for the posts and beams and why?
- We used an engineered wood product called Parallam. The wood fibre is taken from fast growing trees rather than old growth forest products. The engineered nature of the product provided better rigidity and strength for the high roof and heavy weight of a greenroof (that will have eight inches of soil, plus snow at time), not to mention strong winds.

How can I learn how to do my own straw bale construction?
- There are several excellent books books on the subject exist. Building with Straw Bales is one of the best. Contact the experts at Camel's Back Construction - http://www.strawhomes.ca/ . The folks at Camel's back have an email list that lets you join in the construction of a straw bale home as a volunteer. That way you can learn all you need to know to do it yourself.

How much did it cost?
- The cost was approximately $120 per square foot, similar to a quality custom home built using conventional methods and materials.

What is the pay back period?
- We expect to pay back our investments in the home in general within twenty years. Assuming energy prices go up this pay back period may be significantly less.

Are you going to do anything with concrete floors?
- The concrete floors in the Living Room, Master Bedroom, and Basement will remain as they are. This type of flooring (mass, such as concrete, ceramic tile, slate, stone) is ideal for collecting and holding the sun's warmth in the winter. It also transmits the warmth from the radiant in-floor heating efficiently. In the summer, it absorbs the heat so that the air feels cooler. We like the natural look and feel.

What type of wood did you use in the kitchen and why?
- We used bamboo in the kitchen bacause it looks good and is a type of grass that grows back after being cut down.

What is that big concrete thing north of the house?
- That is a cistern, which is intended to hold rainwater collected from the roof. It has also been installed to allow for filling directly from the well. The cistern will hold water for household use, and also provides a water source in case of fire.

Does it get warm in the summer?
- Surprisingly, most of the house is quite comfortable in the summer. The basement is quite cool, and the main floor area is very comfortable also. The bedrooms upstairs can be quite hot on sunny days. We have plans for a shading structure to be built on the south side of the house, which will shade only the high summer sun, and allow the lower winter sun to shine through. A fan will be installed in the "tower" that will draw the hot air up in the summer also, pulling up the cooler air from the basement.
- The roof is designed to hold eight inches of soil and allows us to plant native plants on it. Once we do that this type of roof can be expected to provide increased cooling in the summer up to 30-40% which should significantly improve the 2nd floor temperatures in the summer. In addition, the extra soil will improve insulation levels for the winter.

Does the $400,000 include the cost of the land?
- No, that is the cost of building the house only. It is advisable to own the land outright before beginning construction.

Does Hydro pay you?
- No, Hydro does not pay us for the power we generate. Our meter often runs backwards, however to date we have never generated more than we use in a month. Under the current regulations, Hydro will not pay us - the best we could expect in any given month is a $0.00 bill.
- We do however save a lot of money. Last year we spent approximately $1,000 on electricity before we had installed the wind/solar power system. This year, based on savings thus far, we expect we'll save about $500 each year.

Can all hyrdo meters go backwards?
- No, some models run in only one direction (forwards). You should be able to have it switched to a model that does run backwards although that might be an additional cost to you.

Is straw bale safe…fire, pests, rot, strength…can you do it in the city?
- There is no problem with pests, rot, fire or strength. The concrete stucco coating prevents any pests from entering and together with the compression of the bales, provides sufficient strength. The straw bale walls are considered more fire-retardant than conventional stud walls. Since the wall breathes (that is, air and moisture pass through freely), there is no problem with rot. Straw bales are supported by the building code. A 6000 square foot straw bale home was built in Mississauga.

Did you have any problems getting the building permit?
- No, we were fortunate to have a building inspector who is familiar with straw bale construction. There were some issues with central composting toilets and rain-water collection. In the end, the Town allowed both the composting toilets and rain-water collection, but required a septic field to be built (along with one flush toilet so that it would operate properly), and a well to be dug.

Did you have any problem getting insurance?
- Some insurance companies required inspections because of the "unconventional construction" of the home. The only issue they identified was the wood stove, due to an error made by the inspector. He listed the pipe as single-wall, when in fact it is double-wall. We had no difficulty finding an insurance company willing to insure the home at a reasonable rate, with no issues. Our insurance company ended up being State Farm Insurance.

Did you have any problem getting building financing?
- Our bank provided a construction mortgage, although these are becoming harder to get. Because of the unconventional construction, the bank required the mortgage to be insured by CMHC, even though we had a 25% downpayment.

How much is the wind turbine?
- The wind turbine requires batteries, a tower (60 feet in our case), a charge controller, and an inverter (to convert the DC current to AC for use with conventional appliance and to supply to the electricity grid). Our system also included ten Siemens 40 watt photovoltaic solar panels. This complete system installed was $20,000. We purchased our systems from Phantom Electron Corporation - http://www.phantomelectron.com/ . Contact Leonard Allen or Bed Rodgers.

Does the wind turbine make much noise?
- The wind turbine is actually very quiet. In a moderate breeze, you will hear a quiet whisper, and occasionally a mild him from the wind turbine. When the wind is very strong and gusty, you may at times hear a low "growl". Each type of turbine is different. It is best to check out the unit your expect to purchase if you can.

What was most valuable in your research into how to do Natural Living?
-Toronto Healthy House tour
- book Living Spaces - try GrassRoots store ( http://www.grassrootsstore.com/ )or have it ordered from your local book store.
- Architect Martin Liefhebber - check out his new web site at http://www.martinliefhebber.com/
- Solar Living Center in California - web site: http://www.solarliving.org/
- The Solar House book - look for it at your local book store
- Natural Home magazine - web site: http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/
- Natural Home book series
- Kortright Centre for Conservation - they have a wind/solar power tour and learning facility as well as a large Living Machine.

If you could have done anything different what would it be?
- Reduce the size of the house…reduced cost of construction…keep below $400,000 to take advantage of GST rebate.

What should you do if you already own a home since that is the majority of people?
- Renovation of existing home is by far the most important task. First, start by being as efficient as possible…insulate/seal cracks, reorient windows/walls for passive solar design, use straw bale for additions and even replacement of existing walls, improve insulation in roofing, install solar photovoltaic panels with inverter and grid connection ($5000-30,000) you your roof/yard - contact Phantom Electron Corporation - http://www.phantomelectron.com/ .

 

What are you going to grow on your green roof and how are you going to cut the grass?
- We plan to grow native grasses, possibly setums, and hopefully some strawberries. The intent is to grow vegetation that requires minimal maintenance and watering. We don not intend to cut the grass on the roof. Well, maybe we'll get a goat!

Can anyone create a green roof on their home?
- The green roof is quite heavy, and requires a very strong support structure. Our roof is engineered to support the weight of all the soil, moisture and potential snow.

Can you get any rebates or do any incentive programs exists for solar systems?
- Yes. In our area it is possible to get the retail sales tax rebated. Fore more information see http://www.naturallifenetwork.com/wilson/tax.asp

Why did you decide to have a green roof?
- The green roof will provide several benefits, the most significant being to keep the house cool in the summertime (similar to a basement). It also provides additional insulation to keep the house warmer in the winter. This type of roof helps to conserve the natural environment, providing habitat and food for wildlife. A conventional roof can get very hot, and heat the surrounding air significantly. Finally, the green roof has a natural beauty that is unmatched by any other kind of roof!

What is the grey/tin/silver roof/siding and what is it for?
- The material on the sloping south face is Zinc. Zinc reflects the sun for cooling, and is a natural, long lasting material. It ages nicely, and reflects a spectrum of colours that vary with the angle of the sun.

Natural Home Design/Build Team Contacts:

For more detailed information about solar/wind power, natural homes, and much more:
1. Order the book Natural Living by John Wilson.

2. Order the video tour of the Wilson Natural Home, a 25 minute documentary about how John Wilson and his family built their solar/wind powered home. Written and narrated by John Wilson.