Natural and Elegant Living in an EcoNest
If you want a truly green home take a look at the work of builder Robert Laporte, a pioneer in natural building, and his wife Paula Baker-Laporte, an architect and healthy home advocate. Together they teamed up to create the EcoNest Company, which delivers some of the most naturally elegant homes you will ever see.
The homes are crafted using traditional timber frame and clay/straw construction, methods researched and refined by Laporte over twenty five years. EcoNest construction uses only natural materials and the homes are very finely crafted. Non-toxic finishes are used throughout. The clay/straw walls, finished with natural plasters, breathe well and the design and construction of the homes make them very energy efficient. The walls have an R-24 insulation value, and perform even better than they are rated due to the thermal mass inherent in this type of construction. The houses all have a good "hat and boots" - generous roof overhangs and carefully designed foundations that protect the natural walls from the elements. The homes are strong, built to last, and they blend easily into the surrounding landscape.
EcoNest designs show great sensitivity to healthy living, both for the occupants and for the planet. They have a very organic feel, and many have an elegant and serene Japanese style. Probably the best word to describe the homes is "peaceful." Houses are sited carefully to harmonize with the land and they're modestly sized to keep a respectful footprint. They are always bright inside, flooded with natural light from excellent daylighting and careful window placement. Again, only non-toxic materials and finishes are used throughout.
Take a look at some EcoNest interiors:
Truly, these homes live lightly on the planet and make every effort to be healthy to live in, both in body and spirit. Each design is very personalized for the owners. They represent a high level of care in design and craftsmanship in construction. Though the building methods are literally old world, they're well proven and very properly done under the expertise of the EcoNest Company. There's no doubt that the house of the future can learn a lot from the past. If you want a very unique and natural home of the highest quality, an EcoNest could be for you.
Image credits - EcoNest Company site
2 comment(s):
What a huge and wasteful amount of space. The FIRST thing anyone should look for when considering an "eco" home is size. Do you really need a 1000 square foot kitchen or a shower stall that can hold 5 people?
Guys, I browsed this site and I have to say what you seem to consider "environmentally friendly" is still a LONG LONG way off. Too much emphasis on new construction, single family homes on large lots. This type of development, even when done with nontoxic and recycled materials is still unsustainable.
Hey fair points. I won't disagree. I'll only say that the Econests I've seen are pretty modestly sized - under 2,000 sq-ft for the whole home, sometimes well under. I also regularly advocate and feature small but quality homes on this site. I definitely think the number one path to sustainability is to simply consume less.
As for being green, my main focus for this site is to highlight interesting homes, primarily modern in style, that are better than the conventional stick frame spec home most Americans buy. I try to highlight green homes, but I would say I am far from being a purist. I am happy to show an interesting house even if it is not as green as many others.
My point of view is that everyone is on a path, but not necessarily on the same place on the path. Moving people in the right direction is better than nothing. The whole world, sadly, is not going to change overnight. I hope only to peak people's curiosity. As I have tried to often state, I am no expert. Rather, I am on my own personal search, and I use this site to document it for my own uses as well as share ideas with others.
Thanks very much for visiting, and thank you for your comment. I sincerely appreciate it, and I hope you come back and comment some more.
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