The object was to design a modern house and not resort to making a cob or straw bale house, or similar. We wanted to design a place that would not be out of place in A Vancouver neighbourhood, and would not require many specialized skills to build.
While wood is a local material, it was decided to use reclaimed wood. Reclaimed timbers are used for the structure, reclaimed decking for the roof, and reclaimed plywood for the sheathing. Lath and plaster is used for the interior walls, as drywall is not manufactured within 100 miles. Rammed earth is used for one wall and for the main floor and patio. It was used for only one wall due to the required thickness of the walls and the small lot size.
Wood doors and windows are used, as wood is a local material, and while PVC and aluminum windows are made within 100 miles, the raw materials are not. (Bauxite for aluminum comes from Australia for instance.) Rainwater and grey water are stored on site.
Rainwater is collected from the roofs and grey water from sinks and tubs. The rainwater is used for irrigation and the grey water for flushing toilets. The site fence is unique. It uses 2' x 2' cuts of random sheet metal to make the panels of the fence. It was quite interesting visiting local material recycling centres and seeing how many products, from finishing to electrical and mechanical, can be found locally.
(Competitor's text)
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