Hurricane Ian in Wood or Concrete?

What do you see here? (photo credit: Joe Cavaretta/Zuma Press) I see sticks. Lots of sticks of lumber. The kind of dimensional lumber you build with. Except this lumber is headed to a landfill where it can decompose and release CO2. The only thing this lumber will build is a higher landfill mountain.

And maybe asthma - I once (inadvertently) lived next to an undeclared construction-waste landfill. No one knew it was there because it was buried... and undeclared. Did you know that even underground, it can catch on fire? And burn for months or more? It's a very unique smell I won't forget.

All the work and heavy machinery needed to destroy the forest, saw the log, treat it, ship it, install it, and cover it with other materials to protect it. Gone in a few hours, forever. I guess we can just wait another 40 years for the forest to grow back.

Or maybe avoid the whole mess in the first place and build houses that won't do this? For the same price? And more comfortable & energy efficient to live in? Answer honestly: as a category 5 'cane is barreling down on your house and you're inside, do you want to be surrounded by solid concrete or a cage of wood?

Helping communities rebuild in a way that leaves them susceptible to the next disaster makes us complicit in the mess you see above. There is a better way, and we all know that it's this:

You're Greenwashing If You're Not Even Considering AAC

Ecological homesteads. Sustainable and efficient houses. Tiny homes, re-purposed shipping containers, straw bales, hempcrete, earthships, ICFs and other alternative building materials. Maintenance-free structures that are durable, resilient, comfortable and affordable. Have you ever been interested in any of these things? It's possible you've never heard of AAC. In some cases, there are good reasons not to choose AAC but in many cases AAC is better than anything listed. So if you've never considered using AAC before, we're here to help you learn about it. If you'd rather keep thinking about the above and not learn about AAC, you're fooling yourself and missing out.

AAC doesn't win every rap battle

Let's say you're interested in ramming earth into old tires to make an earthship. If you've never heard of earthships, I encourage you to learn more about them. They are the champions of sustainable homes and may be better than AAC in some circumstances.

Everything has both good and bad. Maybe you don't have a lot suitable for an earthship, or you're in an HOA that won't allow them, or (like me) you just don't have it in you to ram all that earth. On the other hand, maybe shipping for AAC blocks is too expensive. What you really need to do is add up all the good and bad for all your options. Not even considering AAC = not serious.

It's why we're here

We chose AAC as the most ecologically-friendly, lowest carbon, and efficient homestead so that we could live maintenance-free in something durable, resilient, comfortable and affordable. Not everything has worked out as we hoped; some has. We understand the advantages and disadvantages of AAC and we want to help you make the best choice you can for yourself when you're thinking about building or know of others who are building.

Look through the site and let us know how we can help.

What's wrong with AAC?

Do you know anyone that lives in an AAC house? I have a neighbor in an ICF home and that seems very cutting-edge to me, even though there's a lot, and a growing number, of ICF homes. (photo from ConstructionCanada.net)

But for him, it's just a great home that works well. He doesn't have to think about it. Isn't that the goal? Sure, I love learning about building science, but that's not why houses are made. They're just something people use.

And people use them a lot. The US EPA says most Americans spend about 93% of their time indoors. Can that be true? This week, track the number of hours you spend in a building. Chances are, it's a lot.

I have a Chick-fil-A philosophy about this. Shelter is essential to life, so let's make that good, too. I don't need to know how Chick-fil-A makes their chicken (is it pickle juice?) and most people don't need to know how their homes are built. The best home will flawlessly disappear into the background. The homeowner won't worry about being forced out, they won't have to repair it or become building science experts to live in it, and it won't hinder them or their neighbors. How's that for a mission statement?

So. If you're not one of those millionaires buying yachts and islands (and rocket companies?), your shelter is going to consume your money the most. Then, you're going to spend most of your time in it. And finally, you don't want to spend your time staring at (or thinking about walls). Let someone else worry about the recipe for making the chicken sandwich; you should just enjoy it.

Not thinking about it is easy to do. Not a day goes by where I'm "not thinking" about something. But with a house, this can be a costly mistake. That invisible (to us) air you're breathing indoors may be creating health problems, but you never see the connection. The affordable manufactured home unexpectedly depreciates and you thought it was building your wealth. The irritating ants in your sugar bowl and the hot, humid air growing mold while your air conditioner robs your bank account - these happen because your chef got the recipe wrong. You may be thinking about things that are caused by your house being the way it is, and that's just as bad. So let's talk pickle juice.

If it's Sunday, you're not getting that sandwich you wanted. Maybe your town doesn't have a Chick-fil-A at all. Fact: you can only eat what's available to you. Most of our house-building "chefs" don't want to try new recipes. Why would a chicken shack marinate steaks? They won't. They'll "stick" with what they know, maybe make a few improvements at the margins (you know, a better chicken sandwich).

And you'll have to take what they give you. What choice do you have? Are you going to be able to "cook up" your own house?

Yes. Yes, that's actually the answer. If all they fed us was chicken, and then we all went vegan, guess what type of restaurant will open next week? There would be a vegan restaurant on every corner.

So you probably see where I'm going with this. If not, this will be a shocker: the problem with AAC is us. We have to do that thing we don't want to do to get the thing we want. This always happens in life. More examples: going to war to repel an invasion and keep the peace, spending our money in an investment to earn money, living slower so that we can live longer.

The good news is: you can still leave most of the building science to the nerds. Or aspiring nerds like me. That's where this website comes in. With a good, simple layout anyone can read as much or as little as they want. When I went to look for that, I couldn't find it. If I have to create it in my life, I might as well make it easier for others.

Maybe, all you need to know is that there's a thing called "AAC" (or Braac), that it's good to build houses out of and it wouldn't be scary at all to buy a house made with it. Maybe all you need to know is that an AAC house is better and you should ask for it. I'm not saying it's better - yet - I'm still looking it into and will post my unbiased opinions. I intend to walk through this process, risking only my own future, and see if there isn't something better.

Pickle juice, maybe.