Jim Pardee wipes the sweat from his brow with a sigh, taking a step back to half-admire and half-critique his work.
There’s been a lot of work, and a lot of sweat put into this home–five years of most of his spare time when he isn’t working at Warner Electric as an engineer.
But this is more than a home to Pardee. It is a lesson in conservation.
Pardee is now on a mission to share that lesson with others. The completed earth-sheltered home outside Afton will be one of four Wisconsin homes featured in the National Tour of Solar Homes.
“You have to put a stake in the ground,” Pardee said about the deadline for his home’s completion. “Otherwise you’ll never get it done.”
The home tour, coordinated by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), features renewable energy and energy efficient home technology. Homes using solar water heating systems, wind and photovoltaic systems and energy-efficient designs all will be featured in the tour of homes in the Midwest.
Pardee is a member of MREA, which holds its conference in Amhurst, Wis., attracting about 10,000 people each year. He has always had an interest in home building since he was a boy watching his father build houses in the area.
While researching information provided by the MREA, Pardee came across a company that sells home building kits for Earth-sheltered homes. The kits range in price from $3,500 to $5,500, depending on the size of home desired. He went to Colorado to take some classes on how these simple-to-assemble homes are put together.
Pardee wanted to build the arch-frame home as an example for others, to demonstrate how the simple design could result in a spacious, fashionable home.
“I wanted to make it so no one would have an excuse for not building an Earth-sheltered home,” Pardee said.
He also built the home to last. He estimates it could last up to 500 years.
The arched design of the home is the cornerstone of its durability. Pardee pointed out the sphere is the strongest structure in existence, so the dome-like structure is built to be sturdy.
“I tried to make it durable. I hate maintenance,” Pardee said.
Once he had the frame of the house up, the exterior was sprayed with “shot-crete,” a form of concrete that is shot out of a hose. The fast-setting concrete sets within 15 minutes, so workers had to be fast to trowel it down.
“It’s like papier-mache, only on a larger scale,” Pardee said.
The Earth surrounding the home helps moderate temperature in the home, Pardee said. Contrary to popular belief, the Earth does not serve as an insulator, but it will keep the temperature moderated. He has blanketed his home with 4 inches of insulation so it can stand up to Wisconsin’s bitter winters.
Pardee also paid close attention to the materials he used inside the home. He wanted to use mostly recycled materials. All the wood used in the home was recycled. The tile floor in the living room is cork, which is amazingly resilient. Even the light fixtures are recycled, Pardee noted.
Photovoltaic panels are planned for the home’s exterior. The solar collector panels, batteries for power storage and an inverter/charger can range in price from $12,000 to $15,000, Pardee said. He plans to install the PV panels and make his home an “off-grid” home, receiving no electrical power from a utility company.
Once the PV panels are installed, he plans to harness the power of the sun to heat his Jacuzzi and for other power needs in the home.
But, he’s not banking on just one renewable power source for the new home. Noting that Wisconsin is known for some fairly cloudy days in the winter, Pardee hopes to install a wind generating system as a back-up power supply.
Pardee said he will be happy and relieved once his Earth-sheltered home is completed.
For more information about the MREA and the National Tour of Solar Homes, call 715-824-5166.
