CruxHomes - An Affordable Passive Home Design

Hi everyone,

I've been working with Brian Waite to bring his arched home design to North America and I'm posting here to spread the word!

There are lots of good options available to build a home with low energy consumption... Earthships, Wofati, earthbag, etc, but none of them have caught on as much as they should have.  I feel that Brian's design has the potential to go mainstream and I believe the permies community will be an integral part of making that happen.

The very short version is that we can build a CruxHome

- Faster than a typical home
- For less money than a conventional home
- That reduces the energy required for heating and cooling by 80% or more

There is a ton of information on our website: https://CruxHomes.com, but I'm very happy to answer any questions here.  If you ask a great question, I'll add it to our FAQ!  Here's a slideshow to get you started:

Hello again,

Of course, I want to sell homes and make a living doing it, but that's not all I want to accomplish.  As a Certified Building Commissioning Professional, someone who's done construction one way or another for most of my life and someone who cares about the world we live on, I feel that I have a responsibility to help people understand the environmental impact of everyday life.  I suspect, that's a big part of the reason why many of us are part of the Permies community.  That's why we spend so much time trying to educate people on https://CruxHomes.com.  That's why I spend time making ads like this:

Hello everyone,

I'm posting here to advertise, but that's not the only thing I want to do on Permies.com.  I think what goes on here is critically important.  I want to help spread the word about permaculture and I think spreading the word about Permies.com is the best way to do that.  

I posted some of my ideas here: CruxHomes feeding the permies.com empire and I've exchanged a few messages with Paul.  At this point, I think he's considering my suggestions . . .

Here's the short version:

I'm offering three options at https://CruxHomes.com

Sets of trusses, drawings and instructions as a kit to build your own CruxHome

Complete turnkey construction of a new CruxHome

Some combination of the two where I help you build (How much I help depends on skill, desire, funds, etc.)

I would like to sell all of my truss kits through Permies.com and share some of the profits to help fund Paul's efforts!

I think it would be helpful in the decision making process to see if people like the CruxHome design.  So if you like CruxHomes, please mark this post as helpful (thumbs up).  It would also be very helpful to share this with your friends and family (or everyone you've ever met!).  If you read this far, thank you for your time and please feel free to ask questions or reach out any time!

Cheers,
CJ
CJ@CruxHomes.com
833-278-9466

Hi CJ! Welcome to Permies. It's exciting to see somebody taking big, bold steps toward sustainability.

I poked around cruxhomes.com, and was curious about several things:

1. Is that all the pictures you've got? I wanted to see lots and lots more.

2. Are those asphalt shingles?

3. What's the oldest Cruxhome? How's it doing? Has anything leaked?

4. The zero overhang on the gable end makes me nervous. Has that given you any trouble? Wood siding rotting around the edges?

5. The FAQ says,

Is the lumber used in a CruxHome treated in any special way?
The method of construction for the curved trusses or I-beams is an assembly of composite / engineered wood that is bent into the designed shape.  No high temperature or chemical treatments are used to create the curved shape.

No chemical treatments are used to put the curve in the beams... that are made of glue.
It seems like you'd get better outcomes by scaring off your chemical-sensitive customers as early in the process as you can. Gluelam beams are non-optional (right?), so advertising "no chemical treatments" is going to bring the wrong people into the sales pipeline. If somebody's not ok with glue, they're not the customer you're looking for. Dontcha think?


Thanks!
Mike

Hi Mike,

First off, thanks very much for your response and the kudos . . . I appreciate it!  I will be adding to and clarifying my FAQ based upon your comments!  Helping the environment and the people who live in it are among my highest priorities.  Second, full disclosure, the images on my website are homes that were built in Europe, I had nothing to do with those projects and I am still working on getting my first customers here in North America.

1. Is that all the pictures you've got? I wanted to see lots and lots more.

I have gotten this feedback before.  I do have more pictures and I will get on that . . .

2. Are those asphalt shingles?

Nope.  They are (I believe) a slate-like product.  The home in most of the pictures on https://CruxHomes.com is built in Scotland and I was not at all involved with that project.  I have several roofing product options to offer prospective clients.

3. What's the oldest Cruxhome? How's it doing? Has anything leaked?

The oldest CruxHome is the original built by the designer, Brian Waite in the United Kingdom.  He finished building his home in 2012.  Brian and I are in regular contact and as I far as I know he is still very pleased with his home.  If you like, you can ask him yourself :-)  brian[at]brianwaite.co.uk

4. The zero overhang on the gable end makes me nervous. Has that given you any trouble? Wood siding rotting around the edges?  

There is a subtle overhang:



But I agree; the lack of overhang on the gable end makes me nervous as well.  I would avoid reproducing that feature going forward.  Regardless, one of the strengths of the CruxHome design is its flexibility and I intend to review each design with my customers to address their needs and concerns.  To address your question specifically, I don't know if the overhang pictured above has caused any trouble.

No chemical treatments are used to put the curve in the beams... that are made of glue.

That's a tricky word, chemical; I will edit that response to be more specific.  What I was referring to is PLASTICIZING WOOD WITH LIQUID AMMONIA which I am certainly NOT doing.  I'm not steaming or heating either.

That being said, I did not mean to imply a natural product only build and I apologize if I was at all misleading; I will edit that FAQ.  You are correct, glue is not optional for this design.  For the folks who want to live in homes built only with natural products, I think that's great, but to be clear, that's not feasible with a CruxHome.

Either way, it is critically important to me to be fully transparent.  The glue used to to fabricate the arched trusses in a CruxHome is Henkel Purbond GT 20.  This is an Underwriters Laboratories Green Guard Gold certified product.  I have spoken to my manufacturer and started a discussion about using a different glue should someone have a concern about that particular product going forward.

Mike, thank you very much for your questions and comments.  I hope I addressed them adequately.  Please let me know if you think of anything else!

Cheers,
CJ

Interesting, but the videos aren't real specific about what makes a Crux home better than any other well insulated house.  Infact, it has design limitations zero energy homes that look traditional do not have. I think you need to expand your selling points. Consider anyone whose looking into low energy homes will do their research on all types.

Also, do these meet average building codes for residential U.S. homes? I know here they require treated lumber if it's in contact with the ground, and for good reason.

This idea sounds great!

A couple questions:

Your FAQ says maximum arch width is 30ft - is that the internal or external measurement?

It also states that the first floor walls will be mostly vertical - is cob or straw bale wall between the arches feasible, or are there concerns that prevent their use?

Is standing seam metal roofing feasible, or does the continuous curve slope of the roof preclude it?

Thank you for offering another low cost potential housing option for us cash-strapped permaculturists!

Also,  What states are these available in?  Does your company handle the foundations required or would a separate company be needed for that?  I would second the desire for more pictures.  How many bedrooms and such are available, that kind of thing.  I have 3 kids w/ one on the way so all important information .  Thanks.

I realise that all the questions re glue and such are incredibly important, and way over my head, but may I just say, the houses are STUNNING and I would be so proud to live in one just from the girly pojnt of view. Also, could we borrow the lady who did the stone walls? We have hundreds of metres that need repairing. Best of luck with your business!

Hi everyone,

I appreciate all of the positive feedback about CruxHomes!  I'm working on adding more photos and another tab on https://CruxHomes.com dedicated to designs and floor plans.  I also have to update the FAQ with all of the great questions I've gotten!

It's taken me a bit longer to get some of this done because I've been helping out with the https://eastcoast.iceboxchallenge.com/#s1.  I encourage everyone to check out this touring public science demonstration highlighting the benefits of energy efficient housing!

Check this out!

I've read through Brian Waite's website and am even more intrigued!

He says there that he developed a proprietary "bracket" to ensure the straw bales retain the correct angle/curvature as they go up the side of the archway - does your company have the license for this product as well?

Beautiful houses.  Interesting discussion.

The pictures are all of big houses -- how does this design scale down?  Have any been made less than 1000 sq. ft?

Thanks for your work.

OK, sorry, I see that your FAQ says you can make even a tiny house...

It also mentions several stock floor plans.  It would be nice to see examples of a variety of those on the website.

If your house is the max 32' wide (unfinished interior), how tall would it have to be?