The past few weeks I have been sketching rough blueprints of my home and researching the building codes, requirements and permits required to build an accessory dwelling unit in Garfield County Colorado.
I've decided to make the house a golden rectangle, 20ft by 32ft with an additional 7ft wide greenhouse running the length of the south side. It will be combination of both pier and monolithic foundations, a post and beam frame, and straw bale infill. Every wall will be straw bale except the interior walls and the south side of the house , which will be blends of stone, wood, and glass (or an similar material with better insulation) . Here is my initial rough blueprint:
The internet makes it pretty easy to find the documents needed, but interpreting it all is a slow process. I've learned that i must dig to a depth of at least 36 inches for the frost, and that my walls insulation must have a r value of at least R-20. Ideally I will just pay a structural engineer to sort out if my frame is strong enough for the snow load of 40PSI and other technicalities. Useful links in learning about the building codes have been:
This packet includes all the information I need to submit on everything from septic systems to driveways and grading permits:
I've also been looking into different types of foundations, and want to use as little concrete as possible. There are a lot of large stones on my land and I want to them as part of the foundation stacked with concrete mortar, possibly as piers or in place of the gravel bags in this picture. I want to do a pier foundation on the front part of the house with kitchen and bathroom being slightly elevated with the floor above a small crawlspace to accommodate piping. The bedroom and living areas will be dug 3 feet into the earth with a monolithic foundation on top of an insulated floor.
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