Seed Eco-Home 2 Preorder Form

How it Works

This form is used to pre-qualify potential buyers of the Seed Eco-Home 2 by Open Source Ecology (OSE)/Open Building Institute (OBI). This is a unique opportunity to obtain an expandable, 1000 square foot starter home at the lowest possible cost. All our plans are on line for free - so if you download our designs and blueprints, you don't need to buy anything from OSE. But if you are interested in a house kit or a turnkey house build - we can offer you this service. If you are interested, please read this introduction - and if you qualify - fill our our pre-order form. There is a $20 charge for form processing, which is applied towards your purchase. Before you fill out our pre-order form - make sure you read the following and understand all of our options. This will help you to determine if you qualify for the turnkey build - or make you aware of other options so that you can negotiate the best solution for you that provides you with an affordable, expandable, high quality home. This way, you can avoid debt and reduce your financial burden - and thus be a happier person all together as we help you negotiate the single largest expense in one's life: housing.

OSE is providing 3 services that will will allow you to access additional support - up to a turnkey house build. However, in all cases - you need to get your own buildable land parcel - as we are helping you to build your home. You simply hire OSE for the additional services or for a turnkey build.

There are 3 main options here:

1. 14 Day Builder Crash Course - $2100 early bird offer for build training where you participate in a complete build.
2. Drop-Shipped Seed Eco-Home 2 House Kit - $10k service fee + materials + any outsourced contractors, BYOL (Bring Your Own Land)
3. Turnkey Build of the Seed Eco-Home - $50k service fee + materials, BYOL

FAQ

Current Model

1. Do you offer an off-grid option? For the Seed Eco-Home, we already have the off-grid option on gas/electric with solar panels - and the absence of gas appliances in favor of more efficient electric induction cooktop, on-demand electric water heaters, and heat pump. We are working on grey and black water reclamation as well, so that the house is completely autonomous and pollution-free, and we expect to offer these as standard options within the next 3 years.
2. What special ecological features do you offer? We offer PV, superefficient applances (refrigerator, heat pump, on-demand water heater, induction cooktop), eco-friendly polished concrete floors, water-saving devices, and a standard bidet option. We plan to apply for Living Building Challenge Certification with the Rosebud model.

Build Model and Legal Issues

1. Is it legal to build your own house, or do you need to hire licensed professionals or contractors to build a house for you? It is legal. You need to follow 5 requirements: have a buildable lot, zoning must allow you to build a house, local ordinances must allow you to build in the particular way you choose, and you must follow building codes for soundness and safety of the home. Also note that none of this applies, or is not enforced - in some locations that do not have or enforce any building codes - see map at Counties Without Building Codes. In fact there is over 100 counties where 'building what you want without asking anyone' is actually allowed. However, if the question is deciding to build your own house, legality is not the only question. Another question is - are you qualified to do so and to do so safely? If you are not qualified, we can train you. If you don't think you can do so safely, we can teach you safety. In short, if you would like to build your own house, there is nothing stopping you - though to do so responsibly, you have to possess or acquire a skill set. And this skill set is not prohibitively difficult. You can also hire out some work to licensed professionals or contractors. There are cases where a fully built and functioning house requires zero contact with the outside world. That would be an off-grid situation where building codes do not apply - or special building types such as barns or utility buildings for which no approval may be needed. But if there is a public grid involved - water, sewer, internet, power, gas - involvement of the utility is required as you are not allowed to tap into public infrastructure by yourself.

Future Work

1. Do you offer an autonomous house option? We are offering an aquaponic greenhouse option for food production. We are developing a closed loop water system with water catchment and recycling. We are developing an open source microfactory option for 3D printing and other productive work so that the house is all together a net producer of energy, food, water, and products - while being zero carbon and socially conscious.