Green House by Deborah Christie

An Eco-Lifestyle Book – Story of a Healthy, Energy-Efficient Home

Nov 13, 2009

Deborah Christie's account of building an energy-efficient, healthy home also builds awareness about proactive living choices especially in the second half of life.

Just out is Green House: The Story of a Healthy, Energy-Efficient Home written by a North Carolina lawyer who, inspired in the ‘70s by solar design, forged the intention of one day designing and building her own eco-friendly living space.

After raising three children, in 2003 she and her lawyer husband set out to do just that on a plot of land they owned in Piney Mountain, Orange Country, NC. Working with architect-builder John Hartley, those plans became a reality some two years later when the couple moved into the house that Christie, with lawyerly precision, describes as a ‘’passive solar, Modernist design [with] metal roof, seamless covered gutters, borate-treated insulated wall panels, acoustical insulated ceiling panels, exterior stucco, low-pollution interior built-in cabinetry and paints, fiberglass-framed windows and doors, and exposed ductwork.’’

It is precisely this attention to detail that makes Green House of interest not only to eco-minded folk contemplating building their own home, but like-minded architects, builders, and suppliers. Allowing for differences of location, prevailing laws, materials available and of course individual tastes, requirements and budgets, the book is an excellent source of ideas and information.

A floor plan and elevations of the Christie house are included (the plans may also be ordered at low cost from the author at dchristie5[at]yahoo.com), as is a check list for prospective eco-home owners that includes tick-off items about buying land, when and how to build, the design and construction process, energy issues and ‘’safe’’ materials, sourcing specialists and suppliers, construction contracts and on-site supervision, and more. The check list reflects the subjects covered in Christie’s 17-chapter, 207-page book.

Having occupied the house for four years, the author is also in a position to discuss the things that work magnificently, those that work less well, and – with the house in some ways still a work in progress due to her continuing interest in and growing wealth of knowledge about her subject, in fact, Green House II: Well Water, Rainwater and Landscaping is on the way – what in hindsight might have been done differently. This, too, is highly valuable input.

For those who are not in the building industry or contemplating a build, Green House offers different insights. For one, there is the pleasure and instruction of contemplating the choices made both in terms of the house’s single-story, open living space that maintains a close dialogue with the outdoors (mainly through the series of French doors giving out onto a wooded garden that are aligned all along the length of the house's south side), but also the interior decoration. In the book, the latter comes through in the color cover photos and otherwise black and white illustrations; however, a color slide show on the Internet is also available to browse through.

Another (apparently not deliberate) aspect of Green House is motivational: it’s a prime example of daring to dream, having the will and determination to pursue that dream, working hand and hand with synchronicity and finding answers as one goes with the flow of ups and downs along the way. Related is the matter of attitude; here again, the specific circumstances and choices of Christie’s experience are not important – what is, is developing core values (like wishing to live an eco and health-conscious life) and aligning one’s living style to those values as best one can.

Reading Christie’s accounts of former childhood and adult homes we also gain perception about the difference between a house and a home, and see how often the places we live in reflect neither who we are, nor the specific living wishes and requirements that we may have. We accommodate the accommodation, when by the right order of things the accommodation should accommodate us.

Although Christie herself never addresses the issue head-on, what she is in fact doing is outlining a completely different vision of living in the second half of life. In an age when more and more are enjoying healthy active 80s, 90s and even 100s, it is sheer nonsense to continue fixing that ‘’Golden Years’’ moment at a retirement age of 65 – especially as for all too many, that moment may be less than golden as they look ahead over the next decade or so and view a juiceless existence in circumstances they perceive they have no choice but to accept.

Regardless of Christie’s relatively privileged circumstances, her book offers glimmers of a new approach. Anticipating older age in their Piney Mountain home, she deliberately designed the house on one floor, with few doors inside and strategically placed yet attractive grab bars, even a studio for visiting relatives and friends or equally a tenant or carer, and of course easy maintenance. Another deliberate choice was totally rationalized space so that hardly-ever-used rooms, or basements and attics filled with clutter, are not an issue.

Everything accommodates the home owners, their core values, and their needs – these last defined not only pragmatically, but with much attention paid to the too-little-considered yearning in all of us for individuality, order, harmony and beauty in the space we live in, and, yes, the fulfillment of dreams.

Green House: The Story of a Healthy, Energy-Efficient Home by Deborah Carnes Christie, ISBN-10: 0-615-31891-6 and ISBN-13: 978-0-615-31891-2, size 8.25’’ x 11’’, softcover, $24.95.

The copyright of the article Green House by Deborah Christie in Green/Simple Living is owned by Gail Mangold-Vine. Permission to republish Green House by Deborah Christie in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.