http://www.nwfecoleaders.org/forms/item/35/448
1. Where is your project's biggest impact?
Community
2. What were the goals for your project?
Reduce environmental impact, reduce cost of living, reduce construction impact, simplify life
3. What strategy did you use?
Education, Financing, Investment, Operations, Research
1. Did you accomplish the goals you set for this project? Please explain.
The main goal of this project was to build a small house on wheels that would utilize far fewer resources to build than a standard house, reduce the ongoing environmental impact of my habitation, provide a test bed for a variety of sustainability-related processes and technologies (passive solar design, heat recovery ventilation, passive cooling, home energy monitoring, solar PV, solar hot water, home automation etc. etc.), and of course reduce my cost of living such that a higher percentage of my disposable income can be used for other sustainability projects.
We do not yet have solar PV, solar hot water, or a sophisticated automation system but we have successfully utilized everything else listed above.
2. Choose your impact measurement from the drop down menu and provide details in the box provided (such as specific numbers or results).
Acres protected
I haven't yet done a detailed accounting of how much land we have saved from deforestation and the like from building and living in this house.
3. When did you begin and complete your project?
I began the project in January 2016 and the project is approximately 85% done as of March 29th, 2017
4. What was challenging about your project and how did you respond?
Many aspects of the project have been challenging like not knowing the optimal order of operations or receiving conflicting information about best practices for a given aspect of construction. I have responded by consulting with people who have been in the construction business for far longer than I have. I have relied on family, friends, and strangers on the internet on multiple occasions for expertise, and additional sets of hands.
5. Which groups were involved in this project? Students, faculty, staff or community groups?
Just friends and family mostly. We also worked out of a Makerspace in Cincinnati for a while but I would prefer not to name them as I don't have their permission.
6. Was your project funded? If so, how?
Self-funded and financed with a 6 year personal loan of $25,000.
6. How did you communicate about this project and educate the broader campus and/or community?
Almost entirely through our facebook page www.facebook.com/thetiniesthouse
1. How have you evaluated your project?
Group reflection, Individual reflection
2. What did you do after your reviewed your project?
Communicated your project results through a blog or other media, Added new team members with different expertise
1. What was the biggest or best thing you learned from your project?
That you can learn very thoroughly how to do something by teaching yourself but you can learn much faster by drawing on the experiences of those that have come before you.
2. What advice would you give to others working on a similar project?
If you are using wood lap siding make sure you put the exterior trim up before the siding!!
3. Based on your response above, what are your future plans for this project? And are there resources (people, financial, etc.) available to sustain it?
I would like to explore renting the house out to people interested in living tiny or more sustainably so that they could experience it firsthand and hopefully learn a thing or two.
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