So you've just bought a new bare-land block or vacant section that's perfect for developing and you're getting ready to build your own house. You've got a head full of ideas, you've worked out the price of lumber and plaster and you've got a tin or ten of paint for the finishing touches.

But if you want to build your own house, you can't just charge on in and start following the directions for building a log cabin as described in your "survival in the wilderness" guide. This may make the most of locally sourced natural resources and be low in energy, but it's not a smart idea. In most places, you'll have to get the help of a few professionals.

There is a lot you can do yourself when you build your own house, but you will probably need the help of an architect and a registered builder to make sure that your house isn't going to fall down on top of you, and you will also need the services of electricians and plumbers to make sure you're connected (candles and lanterns have their charm - but not for long!)

The first step when you build your own house is the planning stage. Take a careful look at the physical layout of the site. It's an old trap (and an old fashion) to build houses oriented to the street so they have a big picture window overlooking the front garden - very pretty. This, however, is no good at all if the sunlight isn't right.

Sunlight is an important feature to consider when in the planning stage when you build your own house. Sunlight is nature's way of providing heating and light to your home, and in these days of soaring power prices and the need to conserve energy for environmental reasons, that's important.

Of course, if you live in a hot climate, you will need to make sure that you don't get too much sun indoors so you can keep cool - this is why verandas and porches were invented, and if you want to build your own house in a hot climate, you may want to include one of these. But if you're in a cold climate, you want to make sure your house gets all the sunshine it can.

A good principle for planning your house site when you build your own house is to locate the rooms you live in on the sunny side of the house. This means your living room, dining room, family room, kitchen and maybe a bedroom or two. If you work from home and spend a lot of time in a home office, make sure this gets plenty of sunshine, too. Areas like bathrooms, toilets, laundries and some bedrooms (after all, you use the bedroom mostly at night) can be situated on the shady side.

Other things that make the most of the sun's energy include installing a solar heating system for your water. If you want to build your own house from scratch, this is a simple procedure. And a solar water heater works so well! If you live in an area that doesn't get a lot of sun during winter (Alaska, for example), then a "wetback" heating system, where a woodstove heats the water is a sustainable option.

The materials you build your own house out of can also make a difference. If you copy the example of the Third Little Pig in the story and build your own house of stone, you will find that stone is excellent at absorbing the sun's heat then slowly releasing it after sunset. Straw (to copy the First Little Pig) is also a good insulation material if properly prepared. And for real recycling, you can build your own house out of old tyres - plans exist for these.

And when you build your own house, don't forget the garden. Put in a place to compost food waste and to grow your own vegetables, and install an old-fashioned clothesline to use the sun's energy to dry your laundry. Caring for the environment starts in your own back yard.

About the Author

frank j vanderlugt owns and operates http://www.hausbau-kreta.com 2 Hausbaukretacom