“The average temperature in Stockholm in January is -3°C (27°F). For Marie Granmar and Charles Sacilotto it can be much warmer thanks to the greenhouse that blankets their home.
“For example at the end of January it can be -2°C outside and it can be 15 to 20°C upstairs,” explains Sacilotto. He was inspired to build a house-in-a-greenhouse through his relationship with architect Bengt Warne who began designing the first Naturhus (Nature House) in 1974*.
Originally Sacilotto looked for an empty lot to build an entirely new Naturhus, but he eventually settled on an old summer house on the Stockholm archipelago. Using Warne’s design, he covered the small summer house, plus an addition, in 4 millimeter glass. The footprint of the greenhouse is nearly double that of the home, leaving plenty of room for a wrap-around garden, and since inside the bubble it’s a Mediterranean climate, the couple now grow produce atypical for Sweden (e.g. figs, tomatoes, cucumbers).
The favorite spot is the glass-covered roof deck. Since there’s no longer need for a roof, the couple removed it and now have a large space for sunbathing, reading or playing with their son on swings and bikes.”
I have considered the idea of a greenhouse as a home. No permits with its no foundation. Having plants around you sounds healthy if done right.
It’s tricky but possible in the right climate. I’ve always liked Kevin Songer’s chain link fencing greenhouse:
https://naturalbuildingblog.siterubix.com/integrating-shelter-food-water-and-sense-of-place/
Some people wouldn’t consider that a real home, but it sure beats some of the alternatives. I’d much rather live in a greenhouse like that than say out of the back of a truck. You could set it up real nice with all the important necessities like roofwater catchment, composting toilet, solar, etc. The best part would be living with all the plants.
One option is to make a living space within the greenhouse that you can moderate the temperature. (Plants and humans have different needs.)
I’ve raved about Kirsten Dirksen’s videos of Faircompanies.com and featured many of them on our blog. She has another fantastic video on her channel about tiny houses that I’m watching now. It’s cutting edge video coverage of a group of artisans who are building shipping container houses in a leased industrial space. No one else has done this as far as I’m aware. There seems to be a loophole in the law where shipping containers are allowed, and since they’re inside no one knows how they’re being used. This is a great way to pool resources, share costs and get affordable living and working space in a densely populated urban environment (SF).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWIJc144mgQ
Great idea if you can afford it. One money saving alternative is to build the greenhouse with poles as shown in yesterday’s blog post about Driftless Farm.
https://naturalbuildingblog.siterubix.com/driftless-farm-greenhouse/