Owner-Builder Consulting

SlowBuild.homes starts with land. 

In our inaugural project at Marion's Meadow in Ellershouse, NS we are starting with a low-cost land plan for a duplex sharing a total lot of .88 acres with an ADU. The duplex plan is for each to occupy 40% of the total lot while the ADU will occupy 20%. The land will be co-owned by all three family units under the legal title of Tenancy-in-Common. We expect the duplex occupancies share to be valued at $30,000 each, prebuild--well less than 1/2 the current cost on the market for that size. (see the project below with a Google Earth image.)

The second land acquisition approach we will work with you on  is the construction on currently owned land. This might be owner-building on your own raw land, or constructing a modest-rental tiny house or ADU. If you have already or are in the process of acquiring your own land for a build we can engage with you on the advantages of Owner-Building and save over $100,000.00 on your home. (See Building Technology for details.)  Slow-build of a rental tiny home/ADU will provide secure homes for family or community members in need by those who want to help be a part of the housing solution. PLEASE NOTE: If your goal is to build a short-term rental property we don't see that as part of our mission and we won't be partnering with you. 

The third land acquisition approach we will work on is building small communities on a Land Trust. that guarantees low-cost land in perpetuity for a community of people interested in Slow-Housing and a Slow-living lifestyle. 

There are building design core philosophies in each of the two building systems we work with. 

1. FirstDay Cottage is a New Hampshire, USA company founded 30 years ago by Architecture Designer David Howard. FirstDay have partnered with over 200 families in 5 countries in Owner-Building their uniquely "New England" vernacular homes. The defining feature of a FirstDay home is its all-wood construction with nail-laminated wall-to-roof beams (called 'bents") and exposed tongue and groove plank interior finishes. In a FirstDay there is no need for drywall or plywood and all the insulation is on the exterior of the home wall like a continuous coat over the home. FirstDay designs are great for sloped or flat lots as can be seen in their photo directory at Firstdaycottage.com .

2. OsBlock Canada is our second house system design and is an all-Canadian insulated mass-timber block stacking product. OsBlock founder Marco Tremblay has patented a simple but multi-purpose construction technology of glue-laminated Oriented Strand Board (OSB) into a tongue-and-groove 3" solid core of the 8' long, 40 lb block. The blocks are factory built with insulation and integrated nailing strips for both exterior and interior cladding. The blocks truly stack and lock together giving you a buildable system for walls and floors in a spacious, modern design. The OsBlock system is supported by a growing network of dealers and in-depth details can be found at OsBlock.ca. 

Taking on the responsibility of a big, life-changing project can feel daunting but it is anything but impossible. Ten's of thousands of people have done it in the last decade and many tens of thousands more will in the future. BUT, it makes no sense to be naive to the stresses and conflicts that will come with a project this important. 

SlowBuild.homes is committed to the success of families in the process, not just family homes. We require each family member complete a comprehensive Personality Profile assessment to truly understand your risk and conflict profile and give everyone the understanding of each other in depth. We will host a virtual or in-person "family meeting" to review each other's profiles and map out communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills and pathways.  

Owner-Building can mean different things: from acting as your own General Contractor all the way to harvesting your own timber and stone from your own land and constructing your home all by yourself. We are in the middle of these options. 

Doing most of the fabricating and assembly of the house yourself means making time for 20 weekends of work--4 hours Friday night, 10 hours Saturday, and 10 hours Sunday. This adds up to 480 hours of work and that time needs to be managed well to be successful. There are also the other trades, inspectors, and professionals who are involved and need to be coordinated. 

We help with web-based project software for your project! Learning from what others have done doing the same construction system means you don't have to re-invent the project planning and monitoring, yet it can and will be modified to your individual project needs. 

Our Operations Consulting services include our own "sweat equity" in your home build. SlowBuild.homes will provide you with 40 hours of volunteer help in the actual construction of your home.  At a cost of $25.00 hourly, this represents a savings to you of $1000.00 of experienced labour. We are part of your community. We encourage all Owner-Builders to do the same and "pay it forward" in love to others in the spirit of community "barn-raising" as in times of old.