SEH Cost Savings

Hint: This page describes how we can reduce the cost of materials and build cost of a 1375 sf Seed Eco-Home from $60k to $20k in materials by using open source machines and materials production machines

Narrative

The way to reduce housing cost is by:

1. Optimized Design - open source blueprints, design optimization with integrated design, and open production engineering. All are required for an efficient build that exceeds industry standards.
2. Open-source compliance documentation - producing documentation and engineering reference drawings to reduce permit, plan check, and engineering costs from thousands to near zero marginal cost
3. Efficient Build - 24 person, 5 day modular swarm build that exponentiates learning
4. Open Source Machines - for construction and materials production.
5. Open Source Fuels - plastic pyrolysis for gas and diesel obtained from waste stream plastic. Followed by the full blown Solar Hydrogen Economy

If the current cost is $60k for materials for a 1375 sf 3 bed 2 bath home with 6kW photovoltaics, we can slash this cost to $20k with open source machines and materials. Total Savings in an Open Sector Enterprise are $39640.

• Seed Eco-Home Savings with Open Source Construction Machines - $4340
• Seed Eco-Home Materials Cost Reduction - $35300

It would be impossible for any enterprise to execute on the above without open source hardware, including:

1. Automated grading - cost reduction of $2k in labor. Once built, lifetime design operating costs must be considered:

This is not to mention operating costs:

1. Thermal Battery - 70% electrical consumption reduction out of the box because water heating, cooling, and hot water are 70% of all electric use. Integration with Direct Geothermal makes sense.
2. Open Source Inverter - $2k savings for every 5 years lifetime of an inverter.
3. Open Source Heat Pump - $2k every 5 years for 5 year lifetime of a heat pump

Higher tech endeavors include:

1. Photovoltaics Manufacturing - currently cost is 20 cents per watt, as low as 7 cents from china

Priorities

The general narrative is to displace as much by 3D printing as possible, up to nonstructural infill, deck lumber, pervious pavement block, geogrid, and geotextile. Start on complex components like windows and doors with composites. For windows, off-the-shelf glass can be used with gas infill using TPU seals. Insulation experiments should commence with multiwall polycarbonate glazing, or honeycomb cells, or fine spaghetti.

Lumber is low hanging fruit using an open source lumber mill, adding CNC and using trusses like in the Large Workshop Structure

Concrete experiments with a lime kiln, in 6kW modules stackable to 100 kW. This requires an open source rock crusher, 40 hp for 10 ton per hour production, or even 5 ton/hr with 18 hp This is easy.

Roofless Roof can be implemented readily to eliminate or minimize RPE usage.

For machines, the Open Source Skid Steer does many construction tasks, and retrofit with automation for precision guidance and automated mission planning.

Plastic Pyrolysis can save about $500 in fuel per house.

For cost reduction based on the above, including strategic elements of public appeal and versatile applications, the priority list is:

1. Open source 3D printing in plastics, and composites - today. For over $22k savings
   1. What is the shredder we should build?
   2. What is the filament maker we should build?
   3. Should we invest in pellet-based printing?
2. 3D printed Windows - in the simplest instance, stackable interlocking panels, with 3D printed frame and standard glass. If we 3D print an integrated TPU gasket, we could be talking about gas-tight design for argon fill.
3. Open source CNC lumber mill - $10k in lumber saved
4. Lime Kiln and supporting infrastructure - $3k in concrete + rock.
5. 3D Printed Hempcrete Block - simple box lattices filled with hemp to provide insulation with compression zone on top so block can stack without air gaps
6. 3D Printed Hemp-SIPs - this is far out but doable with 3d printed lattice, hemp infill, and continuous skin coat of cementitious material [1]
7. Hempcrete Insulation - with Solar Concrete, can save about $3k in insulation costs if we displace all fiberglass.
8. CEB Press - up to $5k in materials for house walls

1. Open Source Inverter
2. Open Source Heat Pump -

Links

• 24 Person Operation Definition of Done