And I could easily my wife and myself living comfortably in the very cozy looking portable house.
But the styrofoam igloo has some intriguing possibilities and potential for cheaply, quickly and durably housing those experiencing homelessness.....
Three Extreme Eco-friendly Houses of the Future
With so much attention being drawn towards the perils of our planet and the environmental impact that a global population is causing on natural resources, some forward-thinking companies and individuals are developing new ways to solve our housing needs and the future impact to the environment once built. It requires creative people like these to develop solutions to solve critical issues like the ones we have to deal with in today's environment.
The majority of eco-friendly houses share similar engineering characteristics such as; smaller living spaces and recycled building materials incorporated into the design. Some houses incorporate solar panels, wood-burning stoves or other energy-saving heating and cooling appliances. The potential costs saving on utility bills, property taxes, home maintenance, and furniture would more than make this kind of living ideal for single or duel family housing.
Ewok-Style Tree House
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Imagine you merging with nature in the treetops and living in a custom deluxe eco-friendly tree house high above the ground, may be this is not the sort of lifestyle that is suited for every one of us, but it does make a statement.
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This Ewok-style tree house designed by Canadian carpenter Tom Chudleigh saw the future and built it. The wood and fiberglass waterproof exterior protects an interior that comes equip with a working kitchen including a refrigerator, sink and microwave and built-in beds. However, when nature calls, then the residents must learn to make doo in the great outdoors.
For $45,000 you get the sphere alone and the extra accessories included will set your wallet back some $152,000, which oddly enough makes this the least affordable housing alternative on this entire list.
Portable Martin House-To-Go
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Honestly, this has to be the most practical house on the planet that is eco-friendly to the extremes. Live anywhere and change your scenery when the mood strikes in your own portable house. The Martin portable house-to-go is built to the highest building standards and is weatherproofed with NASA-approved insulation to endure in extreme weather conditions.
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Although, the living quarters are exceedingly small it diffidently isn't cramped. The floor plan uses the space wisely to pack as much into a small space as possible and give its residents room enough to breath. It comes complete with a kitchen with sink, refrigerator and stove, a bathroom with shower, sink and toilet, and a roomy loft bedroom. It also has bamboo floors, high ceilings and large windows to create a more open feel. The $33,900 price tag makes the Martin House-to-Go 2008 model a real affordable housing alternative for anyone desiring to break free from the high housing costs of traditional housing options.
Dome House
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The Japanese are amazing engineers in both housing and technology, so it shouldn't be too surprising that a prefab home manufacturer in Japan called “Japan Dome Housing Co., Ltd., developed an amazingly energy-efficient, extreme weather durable, Styrofoam expandable modular igloo-shaped kit house. Oh, yes, it's true. The house of the future that can be purchased and assembled by you and two or three of your friends in just a matter of 3-days if you work around the clock or about a week if you take your time.
One of the advantages of using 100% expanded polystyrene foam instead of wood or metal, is that it is rot-proof, waterproof and termite-proof, which will automatically save the residents potentially thousands of dollars in future home maintenance costs. Using this material along with the expert engineering and modular construction provides a structure that is extremely resistant to earthquakes, hurricanes and/or typhoons, which providing a sense of relatively peace-of-mind that the house has a better chance to survive the extreme forces of nature.
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The Dome House measures in at 145.86 square feet of floor space that can continue to be expanded on to increase the building size, just by adding additional modular building pieces to the existing structure. The outside measurement is a reasonable 25 feet wide and 13 feet tall, but the draw back is the color, which additional color options may be available from the manufacturer.
The Dome House is amazingly affordable for the basic kit coming in at an estimated $30,000 (USD) or 3,000,000 (yen) and additions can be added when more room is needed for a growing family at an extra cost. The manufacturer also claims that their product can be used to build hotel rooms, restaurants, freezer rooms, steam rooms, bars, or poultry farms, which probably means that this product could be used for practically any building purpose.
