Mana – the house that won't cost the earth
Our design goals are:
To construct a house to live in that is integrated into the land around us where we grow our fresh foods. Design and operational simplicity means less effort to create and less effort to run. A house that is made almost entirely with natural zero carbon materials and which could be biodegraded or recycled at the end of its life. A zero waste system which is eventually off grid and where outputs like humanure, urine and used waters are used as resources for growing food and biodiversity.Unlike most new builds - we created the natural drainage system first so we can grow our food at the same time as building the house.
Once the house is complete, the food we grow will come into the house and the waste will become a resource through composting. The roof is used for collecting water and generating electricity and the water will afterwards go into the gardens to build soil. The grey water from the house will be used to 'self water our garden' to feed our crops as well as process the nutrients and provide a harvest, so firstly no waste and secondly multiple yields from one design element. Similarly the compost toilet processes our human outputs rendering them harmless, feeds the soil and avoids any water usage.
There will be no concrete in our development. The foundations are screw piles with a timber frame on top. The house is being constructed with hempcrete walls, solar heating, compost toilet and green roof. We have already built the Treebog on site.
Most houses still use bricks or concrete blocks which damage the Earth and need a lot of labour. Even most passive houses need extra layers of sealing and breathing sheets on inside and out to ensure they are air tight but breathe at the same time. With hempcrete only hempcrete is needed to provide breathability and humidity control whilst providing no thermal bridges or air flows. Plus hempcrete locks up more carbon than was used to grow it and get it into the walls of the house and it also continues to absorb carbon even after that. When sprayed on, hemp walls produce a good seal for air tightness and easily eliminate thermal bridges without needing additional detailing and sealing tapes
Our green roof will visually integrate the side of the house which is facing the road into its green backdrop as well as helping to regulate the temperature of the house and absorb roughly half the rainfall that lands on it, preventing flood surges into the land. Plus the water that does flow off the roof will be captured in a pond and used to irrigate our orchard and at some point in the future we will use it to supply the house with drinking water to take us off grid.
Windows and door will be triple glazed.
The floor will be suspended and insulated with wool and the same materials will be used in the roof. We will have an earthen floor in the living area to make a more natural, soft and warm surface to walk on and we will use wooden floors in the bedroom and study plus stone floors in the larder to maintain a cool environment. We don’t use a freezer but keep food cool the old fashioned way.
Energy wise we will have a solar PV array on the green roof and a battery which can be topped up overnight at a cheap rate and discharged at peak grid times in the late afternoon and at a higher export rate that provides a profit for us and a better balance on the grid. We intend to use an integrated air source heat pump and hot water tank to provide the small amount of heat necessary for space heating and hot water. In the future, we intend to install a wind generator to balance out the energy sources through the year. Sun is more plentiful in summer and wind is more plentiful in winter. Some of the newer designs of wind turbine will prove more reliable and less hazardous for birds. A Spanish firm is developing a wind generator without turbines and hopefully battery technology will improve to allow us to store charge.
The materials used in the floors and walls provide a natural environment which if experienced feels like a very healthy place to be. The sound quality is exceptional, the air humidity is regulated naturally and the feel is soft and welcoming.
It is a development that integrates Permaculture Ethics and Principles along with Regenerative Architecture One Planet Living and much more. It is the first of its kind in Herefordshire and did challenge the Local planning Authority .. but that's another story for another time.
If you would like visits, how should people arrange their visit? Contact us by e-mail Copied to clipboard Practical Solutions Categories Built environmentGreen building methodsTimber framed Land and nature stewardshipWaste minimisationComposting Health and well-beingStaying wellNutrition Type of project Private (visits by arrangement only) Physical Elements/Features Compost toilets Garden Wildlife meadows Woodland Services/Activities Courses Volunteering Workshops When the project started 2026 Contact name Andrew De La Haye Postal address of projectMana Howle Hill Ross-on-Wye HR9 5SP United Kingdom
Contact telephone 07476714079 Contact email caenwood@yahoo.co.uk Website Taste of Self Sufficiency Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tasteofselfsufficiency- Log in to post comments