Another ‘green’ house tour

Two weeks ago, I showed you a straw-bale house and a solar-powered house that were part of a tour of “green” homes in Spokane.

Next weekend, head up to Sandpoint for a tour of eight homes that are also “healthy, responsible and efficient,” according to a tag line from the event.

The tour is being organized by the Sandpoint Transition Initiative , which I wrote about in the current issue of the Down to Earth magazine. It includes:

-a rural home with an Earth-loop geothermal heating system;

-a “Medieval Organic Revival style” house that uses responsibly harvested woods, found materials and the work of local craftspeople in its design;

-an active solar design house on Schweitzer Mountain;

-an energy-efficient “Craftsman with a twist”;

-a house made with SIPs walls, reclaimed timbers and reclaimed wood floors;

-a home with a design that follows the shape of the land, with walls buried in the earth and very few 90-degree corners;

-eco-friendly apartments in a small community that offers space for vegetable gardening;

-and a straw-bale house built for less than $100 per square foot. I’m not sure how big that house is, but if you do the math that’d be like paying $200,000 for a 2,000-square-foot house or $300,000 for a 3,000-square-foot one.

The tour runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit one house or all eight.

For more information, including a map of the homes, visit the Sandpoint Transition Initiative site .