In Sweden, it has cold weather, which is really difficult to grow vegetables in the garden. But, there’s always a solution to any problem.
Charles Sacilotto and Marie Grammer is a Swedish couple. They have built a massive greenhouse that encloses their home in order to grow their own foods and keep their house warm during the entire year.
A tour of their “Naturhus” has been given for Fair Companies which is encompassed by a 4-millimeter pane of glass, and its installation cost $84,000.
On a site of an old summer house on a Stockholm archipelago, this house was built, and the idea was inspired by Swedish eco-architect Bengt Warne, who was also Sacilotto’s mentor.
According to HuffPost:
“The house they bought was not meant for year-round living, but utilizing Warne’s design, they made a home that’s comfortable during the winter. They engulfed the house in 4-millimeter glass and left plenty of room for a wrap-around garden.
The couple has saved so much money using solar energy that they were able to re-do the exterior of the house. Because their home doesn’t come in contact with wind or rain, they covered the new wood facade with only linseed oil.”
The sun helps to heat the greenhouse during the day and remains warm during the evening as the residual heat is stored in a bedrock that resides below the home.
Their son is reading, sunbathing and playing under the roof deck.
They collect rainwater for their household needs and to water their plants, and compost the garden and kitchen waste, in order to be recycled back into their little ecosystem, so this family is very environmentally conscious.
According to Fair Companies:
“The sewage system begins with a urine-separating toilet and uses centrifuges, cisterns, grow beds and garden ponds to filter the water and compost the remains.”
There are figs, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and grapes in their greenhouse.
Charles Sacilotto, an engineer, claims that the glass cannot pose any risks:
“It’s security glass. So in principle, this can’t break. If it ever does, it will break into tiny pieces to not harm anyone.”
Here is the video, and you can meet this family and learn more about their amazing home: