Eco friendly family house

[witch]

I created my first eco-friendly sim for one of my playables to marry, so I thought I would try an eco-friendly house for them to live in. Unfortunately, although this was intended to be a starter home, I haven't played in so long I went a bit mad with all the new goodies. (New to me). So it's ended up being §50K and some small change, even with wanding.

I have the recycle bin, solar panels, a washing line, no computer or TV (he's a technophobe as well) and lots and lots of wood in the build. If I've missed anything for the eco-freaks, do let me know.

It's specifically built with a family in mind, there's a nursery and bunkbeds for the kids with a treehouse outside. It's easily expandable upstairs - I plan to take out one of the bathrooms and install a spiral staircase when the time comes.

Location in Twinbrook - It's not quite a perfectly level section


Front


Back


Top


Lounge


Kitchen / Dining


Bathroom


Main bedroom


Nursery


Kids' Room


Download here.

[jezzer]

Oooh, verra nice.  I do love me some hardwood floors.

[KawaiiMiyo]

I love it! Especially being a one story house which seem hard to come by these days. I love being able to keep my focus on just one level of a house when playing with my main family. May I ask what size lot is it on? Is there CC besides store stuff? I don't recall seeing the solar panels anywhere before, maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Either way thanks ^_^

[witch]

I have very little cc besides store stuff, so I'm pretty sure it's all EAxis. Will check lot size later, I think it's 30x40.

[Jeebus]

I have very little cc besides store stuff, so I'm pretty sure it's all EAxis. Will check lot size later, I think it's 30x40.

30x20, I'm pretty sure.

[witch]

Could be too, since I was planning a starter.

[J. M. Pescado]

I am not clear as to what the use of a non-reusable house filled with crappy Kewian-based substitutes is. This does not seem friendly at all.

ACCEPT NO KEWIAN-BASED SUBSTITUTES.

[Blech]

Like Kawaii, I love that it's one-story. It's hard to find one-story lots with 2 beds and 2 baths and space to walk around. The style of the exterior would fit in nicely with the pre-builts in the Dogwood area of Riverview, too.

[Anach]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

[J. M. Pescado]

Not to mention the use of Kewian-based substitutes that must inevitably wind up in a landfill.

[soozelwoozel]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

Nice smart-arse reply, but wood burning stoves are generally considered a much more eco-friendly way of heating your house than using radiators etc.

[Anach]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

Nice smart-arse reply, but wood burning stoves are generally considered a much more eco-friendly way of heating your house than using radiators etc.

Pretty sure this depends on where you live. Population, topography, climate and equipment can play a large part in pollution from smoke and particulates,  which in-turn can lead to health issues. As for being considered better than radiators. I think that depends on what form of electricity generation used.

Not to mention the use of Kewian-based substitutes that must inevitably wind up in a landfill.

Nothing beats the overpowering smell of glue on a cheap new couch every couple months.

[soozelwoozel]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

Nice smart-arse reply, but wood burning stoves are generally considered a much more eco-friendly way of heating your house than using radiators etc.

Pretty sure this depends on where you live. Population, topography, climate and equipment can play a large part in pollution from smoke and particulates,  which in-turn can lead to health issues. As for being considered better than radiators. I think that depends on what form of electricity generation used.

Ok if we're really going to be this pedantic, that stove could be for clean-burning fuel. However, going on the basis that sims don't have council restrictions on fuel-burning, and because if you're going for that level of pretend-legislation in the game you're clearly a bit of a nutjob, I would propose a sim-wood burning stove is fine. Yes, of course if you're getting all your electricity from renewable energy, then the stove can be considered wasteful. However, if we're being this pernickity, even with the solar panels shown in the pictures, it's unlikely such a house could go completely off-grid.

Wood burning stoves are cheap and sustainable, far more so than oil or gas heating. Wood burning stoves are considered to be eco-friendly and are increasingly marketed as such. You may disagree with this, which is fine, but I think you were just trying to be a smart-alec in your original post. It's a sims game, not an architectural blue print.

[Anach]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

Nice smart-arse reply, but wood burning stoves are generally considered a much more eco-friendly way of heating your house than using radiators etc.

Pretty sure this depends on where you live. Population, topography, climate and equipment can play a large part in pollution from smoke and particulates,  which in-turn can lead to health issues. As for being considered better than radiators. I think that depends on what form of electricity generation used.

Ok if we're really going to be this pedantic, that stove could be for clean-burning fuel. However, going on the basis that sims don't have council restrictions on fuel-burning, and because if you're going for that level of pretend-legislation in the game you're clearly a bit of a nutjob, I would propose a sim-wood burning stove is fine. Yes, of course if you're getting all your electricity from renewable energy, then the stove can be considered wasteful. However, if we're being this pernickity, even with the solar panels shown in the pictures, it's unlikely such a house could go completely off-grid.

Wood burning stoves are cheap and sustainable, far more so than oil or gas heating. Wood burning stoves are considered to be eco-friendly and are increasingly marketed as such. You may disagree with this, which is fine, but I think you were just trying to be a smart-alec in your original post. It's a sims game, not an architectural blue print.

Definitely true that one of us is being pedantic, and if you're going to start bringing the real world into it, why not do it right in the first place. Put up some numbers, post some evidence. I for one, find it difficult to believe that having billions of houses full of wood-fired stoves and heaters is going to be Environmentally-friendly based on some "marketing", no matter where you live.

As for your inclination to read too much into my comment, I tend to think this simply means you failed to understand the tongue-in-cheek smiley face.

[witch]

Wood is a renewable resource, coal and oil are not. I agree it depends somewhat on the power generating alternatives as to whether the pollution from wood burning fires is acceptable. Some of our cities in NZ, Christchurch in particular, have had to change building codes for chimneys and fireplaces in order to cut down the pollution. The city is built on a very flat plain with little wind.

Not to mention the use of Kewian-based substitutes that must inevitably wind up in a landfill.

PPPBBBRRRTTT!!!

[soozelwoozel]

Nice house, but wood fire polluting the atmosphere and wasting water on a water slide doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me

Nice smart-arse reply, but wood burning stoves are generally considered a much more eco-friendly way of heating your house than using radiators etc.

Pretty sure this depends on where you live. Population, topography, climate and equipment can play a large part in pollution from smoke and particulates,  which in-turn can lead to health issues. As for being considered better than radiators. I think that depends on what form of electricity generation used.

Ok if we're really going to be this pedantic, that stove could be for clean-burning fuel. However, going on the basis that sims don't have council restrictions on fuel-burning, and because if you're going for that level of pretend-legislation in the game you're clearly a bit of a nutjob, I would propose a sim-wood burning stove is fine. Yes, of course if you're getting all your electricity from renewable energy, then the stove can be considered wasteful. However, if we're being this pernickity, even with the solar panels shown in the pictures, it's unlikely such a house could go completely off-grid.

Wood burning stoves are cheap and sustainable, far more so than oil or gas heating. Wood burning stoves are considered to be eco-friendly and are increasingly marketed as such. You may disagree with this, which is fine, but I think you were just trying to be a smart-alec in your original post. It's a sims game, not an architectural blue print.

Definitely true that one of us is being pedantic, and if you're going to start bringing the real world into it, why not do it right in the first place. Put up some numbers, post some evidence. I for one, find it difficult to believe that having billions of houses full of wood-fired stoves and heaters is going to be Environmentally-friendly based on some "marketing", no matter where you live.

As for your inclination to read too much into my comment, I tend to think this simply means you failed to understand the tongue-in-cheek smiley face.

Ok fine, here's a partial list for WHY wood burning stoves are considered a good choice for the environmentally friendly consumer.

1) Wood burning stoves are carbon neutral, in that burning wood only releases the same amount of carbon dioxide as the tree takes in over its lifetime. So as long as you plant trees to offset the ones you're using for firewood, you're fine on that front.

2) Wood is renewable and can be locally produced, lowering transportation costs to the environment.

3) Chopping up firewood requires very little processing.

4) You can now buy "clean-burning" wood stoves which are certified for use in smokeless zones.

I have to work so I can't fish around for actual statistics right now, but I can do so later if you really want me to.
We're not talking "billions of homes", we're talking one eco-home. Did I say stoves were a perfect solution? No. I pointed out that they are considered eco friendly and are therefore hardly incongruous on an eco-friendly lot. Also, it wasn't me who brought real world specifics into it, you brought up climate, population, topography and equipment.

Oh, and for the record I got the tongue in cheek smiley, but you can be both tongue in cheek and WRONG at the same time

Of course, you could have just replied "but that's a fireplace, not a stove" and saved us all this.

[Anach]

Uh oh. We know we're in trouble when we have numbered points. I almost said TL;DR, however, 1, 2, 3, 4 are all good points, but that's a shit-load of assumptions about a Sim household. Now I guess I should take into account the construction of a Sim's chimney, materials burnt, how they chop wood and what type of electricity generation they use, but oh-boy, those are all starting to sound a little borderline "nut-job". How about instead we assume that electric heat comes from those solar panels on the roof (there are no power plants in the Sims), so we are comparing burning wood to the power of the Sun. Also I don't see a water tank on the lot, so I'll assume those Sims living within are just being terribly wasteful and running their water 24/7.

Next time I'll ask more questions before making an insignificant comment. Are the window's double-glazed, is the ceiling and floor insulated, what materials have been used in contruction?  I noticed the lack of curtains in some of the windows. Are there separate recycle bins on the lot? Did you know that this bed is a lot more energy efficient than that bed, etcetera.

[soozelwoozel]

Uh oh. We know we're in trouble when we have numbered points. I almost said TL;DR, however, 1, 2, 3, 4 are all good points, but that's a shit-load of assumptions about a Sim household. Now I guess I should take into account the construction of a Sim's chimney, materials burnt, how they chop wood and what type of electricity generation they use, but oh-boy, those are all starting to sound a little borderline "nut-job". How about instead we assume that electric heat comes from those solar panels on the roof (there are no power plants in the Sims), so we are comparing burning wood to the power of the Sun. Also I don't see a water tank on the lot, so I'll assume those Sims living within are just being terribly wasteful and running their water 24/7.

Next time I'll ask more questions before making an insignificant comment. Are the window's double-glazed, is the ceiling and floor insulated, what materials have been used in contruction?  I noticed the lack of curtains in some of the windows. Are there separate recycle bins on the lot? Did you know that this bed is a lot more energy efficient than that bed, etcetera.

You're really not getting it. I only gave you a list because you asked for real world details! Actually, you asked for empirical evidence, but like I said, I haven't the time right now. My original point, before you started on about topography and climate - neither of which are factors in the Sims - was that your "wood fire polluting the atmosphere [...] doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me" tease is WRONG. Why not just admit this and then I will happily drop it. Perhaps bringing you up on this was nit-picky, but MATY is nothing if not a picker of nits.

[Seqkat]

Are the window's double-glazed

No.

[Anach]

Uh oh. We know we're in trouble when we have numbered points. I almost said TL;DR, however, 1, 2, 3, 4 are all good points, but that's a shit-load of assumptions about a Sim household. Now I guess I should take into account the construction of a Sim's chimney, materials burnt, how they chop wood and what type of electricity generation they use, but oh-boy, those are all starting to sound a little borderline "nut-job". How about instead we assume that electric heat comes from those solar panels on the roof (there are no power plants in the Sims), so we are comparing burning wood to the power of the Sun. Also I don't see a water tank on the lot, so I'll assume those Sims living within are just being terribly wasteful and running their water 24/7.

Next time I'll ask more questions before making an insignificant comment. Are the window's double-glazed, is the ceiling and floor insulated, what materials have been used in contruction?  I noticed the lack of curtains in some of the windows. Are there separate recycle bins on the lot? Did you know that this bed is a lot more energy efficient than that bed, etcetera.

You're really not getting it. I only gave you a list because you asked for real world details! Actually, you asked for empirical evidence, but like I said, I haven't the time right now. My original point, before you started on about topography and climate - neither of which are factors in the Sims - was that your "wood fire polluting the atmosphere [...] doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me" tease is WRONG. Why not just admit this and then I will happily drop it. Perhaps bringing you up on this was nit-picky, but MATY is nothing if not a picker of nits.

I happily admit that I was not considering topography nor climate in my original comment of Sim wood heating acting as a pollutant. However, as for picking nits, being wrong assumes I was trying to state facts. If you re-read. I said "doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me" (opinion), as in, this house doesn't give the impression (opinion) of being eco-friendly, due to the heating and water slide. Whether or not it actually is eco-friendly is not something I was trying to argue.

Are the window's double-glazed

No.

Thanks for the info. I shall factor that into my future analysis of power consumption.

[Anach]

Wood is a renewable resource, coal and oil are not. I agree it depends somewhat on the power generating alternatives as to whether the pollution from wood burning fires is acceptable. Some of our cities in NZ, Christchurch in particular, have had to change building codes for chimneys and fireplaces in order to cut down the pollution. The city is built on a very flat plain with little wind.

Here in Tas, particulate pollution is a major concern for health and environment.  It's not difficult to understand that when you see the sheer amount of chimneys burning through the night and smell the air. Many of the homes here still have outdated wood heaters, which are often unsafe and add to pollution. There is a program set in place to replace these heaters, and it is also illegal to re-fit older heaters. We also use Hydro-electric generators, so this also factors as to whether Wood heating is environmentally and economically viable for heating compared to electric heating. Besides having to fight the protesters away from every tree you want to cut down.

[HomeschooledByTards]

Are the window's double-glazed

No.

Thanks for the info. I shall factor that into my future analysis of power consumption.

Her point. You have missed it.

[Jelenedra]

In terms of energy saving, you don't want a double GLAZED window, you want a double PANED window. You know. Two layers of glass and a pocket of air that traps hot air inbetween the glass? Instead of just schelacking a glaze on a single pane of glass?

Also, small side note: What water slide?

It is clear your attempt to be scathing and clever has had the opposite affect you meant it to have. Best to run along and pretend that you didn't post here.

[Milhouse Trixibelle Saltfucker III]

so we are comparing burning wood to the power of the Sun.

You'd be surprised how unfavourably it compares. The data I was able to gather suggests that 1kg of wood produces on average approximately 1900W when burned in just a normal, non-clean-burning fireplace. A typical solar panel may produce as much as 200W per square metre in ideal conditions. Unless you are getting 24-hour direct equatorial sunlight somehow, it's pretty obvious which one is more efficient and cost-effective. For some reason people always remember that the sun is an enormous ball of ridiculously hot plasma, and forget the little glitch that the intensity of sunlight is basically jack shit by the time it gets here, and on top of that we can only manage to harness a tiny fraction of it.

If you are going to whine about "eco-friendly", at least know what that MEANS first. Besides, no sim house will ever manage to approach real-world standards of environmental stability until you can make a nuclear pile. :D

[Anach]

In terms of energy saving, you don't want a double GLAZED window, you want a double PANED window. You know. Two layers of glass and a pocket of air that traps hot air inbetween the glass? Instead of just schelacking a glaze on a single pane of glass?

Also, small side note: What water slide?

It is clear your attempt to be scathing and clever has had the opposite affect you meant it to have. Best to run along and pretend that you didn't post here.

"Insulated glazing (IG) also known as double glazing are double or triple glass window panes separated by an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope"

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Insulated_glazing