{"id":38461,"date":"2010-08-05T04:00:53","date_gmt":"2010-08-05T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=38461"},"modified":"2019-09-11T23:04:08","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T06:04:08","slug":"unusual-abodes-the-grain-bin-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/unusual-abodes-the-grain-bin-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Unusual abodes: The grain bin home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I’m a fan of unusual homes. From tiny homes<\/a> to recycled homes<\/a>, I’m fascinated by unconventional ways one can build houses that save on construction costs and future utility bills.<\/p>\n

Our own house plans are for plastered walls with straw bale infill<\/a>, and we’re close to breaking ground. But when I picked up the latest issue of granola crunchy Mother Earth News<\/a><\/em>, for a minute I considered scrapping our plans. To live in a grain bin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You really have to click that last link and check out the photos to see how architects and builders are taking the big round structures pictured above and turning them into stunning homes. I had never heard of such a thing as a grain bin house, but I was intrigued.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Low Cost, Low Impact<\/span><\/h2>\n

You might be wondering, as any rational person would, what would possibly drive someone to turn a grain silo into a house. Turns out there are quite a few reasons grain bin inhabitants chose the structure. Consider the following features:<\/p>\n

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  1. Eco-friendly.<\/strong> Many builders buy used bins, and they can be recycled. Mother Earth News<\/em> suggests finding used bins by placing an ad in farm magazines or on your local farm co-op bulletin board, through a local bin dealer or erector, or surprisingly, even on Craigslist and eBay.<\/li>\n
  2. Low maintenance. <\/strong>Not fond of painting your house? That’s no longer a task on the to-do list with a grain bin house. The shiny metal will dull to gray, but you’ll never have to pick up a paintbrush.<\/li>\n
  3. Cost effective.<\/strong> Bins cost $30 per square foot or less (not including slab or assembly costs). You can get smaller bins for an office or workshop for a few hundred dollars, or sometimes for free.<\/li>\n
  4. Visual appeal. <\/strong>Mother Earth News<\/em> interviewed Mark Clipsham, an architect from Iowa, who says, “…curved forms are used in either the most expensive and prestigious buildings or the most utilitarian and primitive ones. These forms have evolved out of use because of changes in available materials, labor costs and prevailing building methods. But why not use something utilitarian and affordable \u2014 a grain bin \u2014 to build what is otherwise in the realm of the expensive and exclusive?”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/span>Bells and Whistles<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Earl Stein’s 1,800-square foot grain bin home in Woodland, Utah, uses high-tech systems and solar heat gain to use less energy. The house, called Monte-Silo, was designed by Gigaplex Architects out of two linked corrugated metal grain silos, arranged to enjoy a view of the Provo River. The home features the following:<\/p>\n