May 10 & 11, 2014

The dream of designing and building one’s own home is one of the most deeply held desires in our culture. The dream of designing and building a sustainable home marries that desire with a wish to live lightly (and affordably!) on the planet.

However, many questions face the prospective owner-builder setting out on this journey. To design yourself or hire a designer? To build yourself, or hire builders for different phases? How to choose from a myriad of competing natural building materials? How to choose heating options, water and waste options, electricity options? How to manage budgets and timelines? How to choose a piece of land? This workshop will explore all of these questions in an in-depth way.

The workshop is designed to be an un-biased look at all the options available to the prospective owner-builder, and to assist you with tools to help you assess and choose your way to the house of your dreams. You will leave this workshop ready to handle all the competing claims and information you will face by focusing on your personal goals and aspirations and creating a road map for how best to meet them.

This course was the inspiration for Chris Magwood's new book, Making Better Buildings. The book will be available at the workshop.

Entry Requirements
Open to all

Fee
$350
$630- Couple rate

Includes healthy lunch (vegan and vegetarian options available)

Maximum class size: 12