{ "name": "Leafhouse Atlas", "generated": "2026-11-11T14:04:44.438Z", "rules": "Every published record has at least two sources and a fact-check date. A fit value of \"unknown\" means we have not sourced it yet; say so rather than guessing.", "counts": { "records": 31, "places": 4, "with_fit": 11 }, "fit_coverage": { "us_code": 8, "skill": 0, "cost": 0, "climates": 3 }, "records": [ { "key": "dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg", "type": "dwellings", "id": "holy-cross-stateburg", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg/", "title": "Church of the Holy Cross, Stateburg", "summary": "A Gothic-revival church of 1850–52 with rammed-earth walls about 40 feet tall. A National Historic Landmark since 1973.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "dwellings", "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": { "value": "historical", "label": "Historical", "meaning": "Documented for what it teaches, not as a recommendation" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "stateburg-sc", "title": "Stateburg, SC", "lat": 33.96, "lng": -80.53, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [ "methods/rammed-earth", "people/william-w-anderson", "methods/rammed-earth", "materials/earth" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-holy-cross-stateburg", "citation": "Church of the Holy Cross (Stateburg, South Carolina). Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Cross_(Stateburg,_South_Carolina)", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "sc-encyclopedia-pise", "citation": "Pisé de terre. South Carolina Encyclopedia.", "url": "https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/pise-de-terre", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "It is not a house, but it is the clearest surviving American test of how earth walls age. An 18-month, $2.3 million restoration repairing extensive termite damage was completed in January 2010." }, { "key": "dwellings/dover-sun-house", "type": "dwellings", "id": "dover-sun-house", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/dwellings/dover-sun-house/", "title": "Dover Sun House", "summary": "A 1948 house in Dover, Massachusetts, heated by sunlight stored in 21 tons of Glauber's salt. It worked for about two and a half winters.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "dwellings", "systems" ], "feasibility": { "value": "historical", "label": "Historical", "meaning": "Documented for what it teaches, not as a recommendation" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region" } ], "related": [ "systems/phase-change-heat-storage", "people/maria-telkes", "systems/phase-change-heat-storage" ], "sources": [ { "id": "mit-tr-dover-sun-house", "citation": "The House of the Day After Tomorrow. MIT Technology Review, June 22, 2010.", "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2010/06/22/202508/the-house-of-the-day-after-tomorrow/", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "wikipedia-dover-sun-house", "citation": "Dover Sun House. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Sun_House", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [ "Demolition year: Wikipedia gives both 2010 and after 2012." ], "body": "" }, { "key": "dwellings/lammas-ecovillage", "type": "dwellings", "id": "lammas-ecovillage", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/dwellings/lammas-ecovillage/", "title": "Lammas Ecovillage", "summary": "Nine households on about seven acres each near Crymych, Pembrokeshire. The first UK ecovillage to win planning permission, in 2009.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "land-landscape", "people-experiments", "dwellings" ], "feasibility": { "value": "case-by-case", "label": "Case by case", "meaning": "Possible with an engineer or an official's approval" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "pembrokeshire-glandwr", "title": "Glandwr, Pembrokeshire", "lat": 51.95, "lng": -4.65, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-lammas", "citation": "Lammas Ecovillage. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas_Ecovillage", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "lowimpact-lammas", "citation": "Wales' unique 'one-planet' planning policy and the Lammas Ecovillage. Low Impact.", "url": "https://lowimpact.org/wales-unique-one-planet-planning-policy-lammas-ecovillage", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [ "Ask residents before naming or photographing them.", "Year Wales adopted One Planet Development." ], "body": "" }, { "key": "dwellings/wells-cherry-hill-office", "type": "dwellings", "id": "wells-cherry-hill-office", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/dwellings/wells-cherry-hill-office/", "title": "Malcolm Wells's Cherry Hill office", "summary": "A semi-underground architecture office beside the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, designed by Malcolm Wells for his own practice.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "dwellings" ], "feasibility": { "value": "case-by-case", "label": "Case by case", "meaning": "Possible with an engineer or an official's approval" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "cherry-hill-nj", "title": "Cherry Hill, NJ", "lat": 39.93, "lng": -75.03, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [ "people/malcolm-wells", "methods/earth-sheltering", "methods/earth-sheltering", "materials/earth" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-malcolm-wells", "citation": "Malcolm Wells. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Wells", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "aia-nj-wells", "citation": "Wells: The Garden State's Most Iconic Architects. AIA New Jersey, 2013.", "url": "https://aia-nj.org/blog/2013/04/10/wells-the-garden-states-most-iconic-architects/", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "waymarking-wells-office", "citation": "Malcolm Wells Office, Cherry Hill, NJ. Waymarking.com.", "url": "https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMHYJD_Malcolm_Wells_Office_Cherry_Hill_NJ", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [ "Build year.", "Whether the office still stands and who uses it.", "Photo rights for any image." ], "body": "Wells built semi-underground offices at the corner of Cuthbert Boulevard and North Park Drive in Cherry Hill, next to the Cooper River. AIA New Jersey notes a quotation attributed to General Omar Bradley printed on its original concrete wall, warning against leaving children a legacy of costly roads that lead only to more congestion." }, { "key": "methods/cob", "type": "methods", "id": "cob", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/methods/cob/", "title": "Cob", "summary": "Hand-built monolithic walls of clay subsoil, sand and straw. Has a model-code appendix in the 2021 IRC that towns can choose to adopt.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": { "value": "code-path", "label": "Code path exists", "meaning": "A model-code appendix covers it, if your jurisdiction adopts it" }, "fit": { "climates": [ "temperate", "hot-dry" ], "us_code": "irc-appendix", "us_code_ref": "IRC 2021 Appendix AU (cob construction). Only where the jurisdiction adopts it.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "risks": [ "Low thermal resistance; energy codes treat it as a mass wall", "No fire-resistance rating in the appendix", "Many insulation products fail its vapour-permeability rules" ], "needs_professional": [ "Engineered design outside Seismic Design Categories A, B and C", "Local adoption of the appendix, or an alternative-materials approval" ], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": "IRC 2021, cob construction appendix (Appendix AU; numbered U during approval). Applies only where a jurisdiction adopts it.", "places": [], "related": [ "methods/straw-bale", "materials/earth", "materials/straw" ], "sources": [ { "id": "icc-cob-appendix-approved", "citation": "Cob code appendix approved for the 2021 IRC. ICC Building Safety Journal, August 3, 2020.", "url": "https://www.iccsafe.org/building-safety-journal/bsj-technical/cob-code-appendix-approved-for-the-2021-irc/", "kind": "code" }, { "id": "icc-adoptable-appendices", "citation": "Adoptable appendices in the International Residential Code for cob construction and tiny houses. ICC Building Safety Journal.", "url": "https://www.iccsafe.org/building-safety-journal/bsj-technical/adoptable-appendices-in-the-international-residential-code-for-cob-construction-and-tiny-houses/", "kind": "code" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "methods/earth-sheltering", "type": "methods", "id": "earth-sheltering", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/methods/earth-sheltering/", "title": "Earth sheltering", "summary": "Building into or under the ground so soil moderates temperature and the land above stays green. Needs careful structure, drainage and insulation.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "materials-methods", "dwellings" ], "feasibility": { "value": "case-by-case", "label": "Case by case", "meaning": "Possible with an engineer or an official's approval" }, "fit": { "climates": [ "cold", "temperate", "hot-dry" ], "us_code": "alternative-approval", "us_code_ref": "IRC R104.11 (alternative materials, design and methods): approval by the local building official, usually with an engineer's design.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "risks": [ "Water: soil holds it against the walls and roof for months", "Structure: earth loads on a roof are far heavier than snow", "Heat loss into cold ground if the shell is not insulated" ], "needs_professional": [ "Structural engineer for any roof carrying soil", "Geotechnical check of soil and water table", "Waterproofing and drainage design" ], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [ "people/malcolm-wells", "dwellings/wells-cherry-hill-office", "methods/earthship", "materials/earth" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-malcolm-wells", "citation": "Malcolm Wells. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Wells", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "wikipedia-earthship", "citation": "Earthship. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "Soil is a poor insulator but a large, slow thermal mass. Its insulating value is roughly R-1 per foot, which is why Malcolm Wells recommended about R-10 of insulation between deep soil and heated rooms. Earth sheltering works by evening out temperature swings, not by insulating on its own." }, { "key": "methods/rammed-earth", "type": "methods", "id": "rammed-earth", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/methods/rammed-earth/", "title": "Rammed earth (pisé de terre)", "summary": "Damp earth tamped hard in layers inside temporary forms. Walls can stand for centuries if kept dry and protected.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": { "value": "case-by-case", "label": "Case by case", "meaning": "Possible with an engineer or an official's approval" }, "fit": { "climates": [ "hot-dry", "temperate" ], "us_code": "alternative-approval", "us_code_ref": "IRC R104.11 (alternative materials, design and methods): approval by the local building official, usually with an engineer's design.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "risks": [ "Water at the base and top of walls", "Insects in the timber that frames and roofs it", "Low insulating value in cold climates" ], "needs_professional": [ "Engineer for wall design and soil testing in most US jurisdictions" ], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [ "dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg", "people/william-w-anderson", "materials/earth" ], "sources": [ { "id": "sc-encyclopedia-pise", "citation": "Pisé de terre. South Carolina Encyclopedia.", "url": "https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/pise-de-terre", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "wikipedia-holy-cross-stateburg", "citation": "Church of the Holy Cross (Stateburg, South Carolina). Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Cross_(Stateburg,_South_Carolina)", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "The South Carolina Encyclopedia describes pisé de terre as clay poured into wooden molds and tamped solid, then coated with stucco. S. W. Johnson's *Rural Economy* (1806) introduced the method to American readers." }, { "key": "materials/earth", "type": "materials", "id": "earth", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/materials/earth/", "title": "Earth (subsoil)", "summary": "Clay, sand and silt dug from the site or nearby. Strong in compression and heavy, but a poor insulator and weak when wet.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [ "methods/rammed-earth", "methods/cob", "methods/earth-sheltering" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-earthship", "citation": "Earthship. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "sc-encyclopedia-pise", "citation": "Pisé de terre. South Carolina Encyclopedia.", "url": "https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/pise-de-terre", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "materials/straw", "type": "materials", "id": "straw", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/materials/straw/", "title": "Straw", "summary": "The dry stalks left after a grain harvest. Used baled for walls and chopped as fibre in cob and plasters.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [ "methods/straw-bale", "methods/cob" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-pilgrim-holiness-arthur", "citation": "Pilgrim Holiness Church (Arthur, Nebraska). Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Holiness_Church_(Arthur,_Nebraska)", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "icc-cob-appendix-approved", "citation": "Cob code appendix approved for the 2021 IRC. ICC Building Safety Journal, August 3, 2020.", "url": "https://www.iccsafe.org/building-safety-journal/bsj-technical/cob-code-appendix-approved-for-the-2021-irc/", "kind": "code" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "systems/phase-change-heat-storage", "type": "systems", "id": "phase-change-heat-storage", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/systems/phase-change-heat-storage/", "title": "Phase-change heat storage", "summary": "Storing heat in a material that melts when warmed and gives the heat back as it freezes again. Tried with Glauber's salt in 1948.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "systems" ], "feasibility": { "value": "historical", "label": "Historical", "meaning": "Documented for what it teaches, not as a recommendation" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "unknown", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [ "The salt separates into layers that will not remix", "Containers corrode and leak" ], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/dover-sun-house", "people/maria-telkes" ], "sources": [ { "id": "mit-tr-dover-sun-house", "citation": "The House of the Day After Tomorrow. MIT Technology Review, June 22, 2010.", "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2010/06/22/202508/the-house-of-the-day-after-tomorrow/", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "wikipedia-dover-sun-house", "citation": "Dover Sun House. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Sun_House", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "people/amelia-peabody", "type": "people", "id": "amelia-peabody", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/amelia-peabody/", "title": "Amelia Peabody", "summary": "Boston sculptor and philanthropist who funded the Dover Sun House and owned the land it was built on.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/dover-sun-house" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-dover-sun-house", "citation": "Dover Sun House. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Sun_House", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "mit-tr-dover-sun-house", "citation": "The House of the Day After Tomorrow. MIT Technology Review, June 22, 2010.", "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2010/06/22/202508/the-house-of-the-day-after-tomorrow/", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "people/edward-c-jones", "type": "people", "id": "edward-c-jones", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/edward-c-jones/", "title": "Edward C. Jones", "summary": "Charleston architect who designed the Gothic-revival Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg, South Carolina, built in rammed earth.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "stateburg-sc", "title": "Stateburg, SC", "lat": 33.96, "lng": -80.53, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-holy-cross-stateburg", "citation": "Church of the Holy Cross (Stateburg, South Carolina). Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Cross_(Stateburg,_South_Carolina)", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "sc-encyclopedia-pise", "citation": "Pisé de terre. South Carolina Encyclopedia.", "url": "https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/pise-de-terre", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "people/eleanor-raymond", "type": "people", "id": "eleanor-raymond", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/eleanor-raymond/", "title": "Eleanor Raymond", "summary": "Boston architect who designed the Dover Sun House (1948), one of the first houses heated by the sun alone.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/dover-sun-house" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-dover-sun-house", "citation": "Dover Sun House. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Sun_House", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "mit-tr-dover-sun-house", "citation": "The House of the Day After Tomorrow. MIT Technology Review, June 22, 2010.", "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2010/06/22/202508/the-house-of-the-day-after-tomorrow/", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "people/malcolm-wells", "type": "people", "id": "malcolm-wells", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/malcolm-wells/", "title": "Malcolm Wells", "summary": "Architect (1926–2009), often called the father of modern earth-sheltered architecture. Built underground offices and homes in New Jersey and on Cape Cod.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments", "dwellings" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "cherry-hill-nj", "title": "Cherry Hill, NJ", "lat": 39.93, "lng": -75.03, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/wells-cherry-hill-office", "methods/earth-sheltering" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-malcolm-wells", "citation": "Malcolm Wells. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Wells", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "aia-nj-wells", "citation": "Wells: The Garden State's Most Iconic Architects. AIA New Jersey, 2013.", "url": "https://aia-nj.org/blog/2013/04/10/wells-the-garden-states-most-iconic-architects/", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "Wells began at RCA, designing radios and showrooms, and designed the RCA Pavilion for the 1964 World's Fair in Queens. Learning the pavilion would be torn down after two years pushed him toward what he called gentle architecture: leave the land no worse than you found it.\n\nHe taught environmental design at Harvard in the mid-1970s, wrote and illustrated books on underground building and solar energy, retired from practice in 2004, and kept arguing for underground living until his death in 2009." }, { "key": "people/maria-telkes", "type": "people", "id": "maria-telkes", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/maria-telkes/", "title": "Mária Telkes", "summary": "Physicist who designed the Glauber's-salt heat storage for the Dover Sun House, then founded a solar-energy lab at New York University.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments", "systems" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/dover-sun-house", "systems/phase-change-heat-storage" ], "sources": [ { "id": "wikipedia-dover-sun-house", "citation": "Dover Sun House. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Sun_House", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "mit-tr-dover-sun-house", "citation": "The House of the Day After Tomorrow. MIT Technology Review, June 22, 2010.", "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2010/06/22/202508/the-house-of-the-day-after-tomorrow/", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "people/william-w-anderson", "type": "people", "id": "william-w-anderson", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/people/william-w-anderson/", "title": "William W. Anderson", "summary": "Physician who settled in Stateburg in 1810, built in pisé de terre at his Borough House, and persuaded his church to build in it too.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-04", "territories": [ "people-experiments", "materials-methods" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [ { "id": "stateburg-sc", "title": "Stateburg, SC", "lat": 33.96, "lng": -80.53, "precision": "approximate" } ], "related": [ "dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg", "methods/rammed-earth" ], "sources": [ { "id": "sc-encyclopedia-pise", "citation": "Pisé de terre. South Carolina Encyclopedia.", "url": "https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/pise-de-terre", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "wikipedia-holy-cross-stateburg", "citation": "Church of the Holy Cross (Stateburg, South Carolina). Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Cross_(Stateburg,_South_Carolina)", "kind": "web" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/arthur-ne", "type": "places", "id": "arthur-ne", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/arthur-ne/", "title": "Arthur, NE", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/chateaugay-lake-ny", "type": "places", "id": "chateaugay-lake-ny", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/chateaugay-lake-ny/", "title": "Chateaugay Lake, NY", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/cherry-hill-nj", "type": "places", "id": "cherry-hill-nj", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/cherry-hill-nj/", "title": "Cherry Hill, NJ", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/dover-ma", "type": "places", "id": "dover-ma", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/dover-ma/", "title": "Dover, MA", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/pembrokeshire-glandwr", "type": "places", "id": "pembrokeshire-glandwr", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/pembrokeshire-glandwr/", "title": "Glandwr, Pembrokeshire", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/odeillo-france", "type": "places", "id": "odeillo-france", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/odeillo-france/", "title": "Odeillo, France", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/stateburg-sc", "type": "places", "id": "stateburg-sc", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/stateburg-sc/", "title": "Stateburg, SC", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "places/taos-nm", "type": "places", "id": "taos-nm", "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/atlas/places/taos-nm/", "title": "Taos, NM", "verified_on": null, "feasibility": null, "fit": null, "risks": [], "needs_professional": [], "failure_modes": [], "code_path": null, "places": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "open_checks": [], "body": "" }, { "key": "wiki/water-waste/composting-toilets", "type": "wiki", "id": "water-waste/composting-toilets", "facet": { "value": "water-waste", "label": "Water & waste" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/water-waste/composting-toilets/", "title": "Composting toilets", "summary": "Waterless toilets that turn human waste into a humus-like material. Well suited to remote sites, but they still need greywater handling and a permit.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "composting toilet", "waterless", "greywater", "off-grid" ], "feasibility": { "value": "case-by-case", "label": "Case by case", "meaning": "Possible with an engineer or an official's approval" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "alternative-approval", "us_code_ref": "Approval rests with the state or county health department. Many require an NSF/ANSI 41 listed unit and still require a system for greywater.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "A well-run composting toilet reduces waste to 10 to 30% of its original volume.", "source": "epa-composting-toilets-1999" }, { "fact": "Most systems need a power source, usually for a fan.", "source": "epa-composting-toilets-1999" }, { "fact": "In most cases a composting toilet must be paired with a greywater system.", "source": "epa-composting-toilets-1999" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "wiki/water-waste/septic-systems" ], "sources": [ { "id": "epa-composting-toilets-1999", "citation": "Water Efficiency Technology Fact Sheet: Composting Toilets. US EPA Office of Water, EPA 832-F-99-066, September 1999.", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/comp.pdf", "kind": "paper", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "wikipedia-composting-toilet", "citation": "Composting toilet. Wikipedia.", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet", "kind": "web", "licence": "cc-by-sa", "trust": "community-wiki" } ], "open_checks": [ "Add a current state health code or NSF/ANSI 41 summary as a source", "Confirm which states accept composting toilets as the only toilet in a new home" ], "body": "A composting toilet treats human waste without flushing it away. Instead of the waterlogged conditions in a septic tank, it keeps waste **moist but unsaturated** and well aired, so aerobic bacteria and fungi break it down, much like a garden compost pile. Toilet paper and a carbon additive such as sawdust go in with it, and some units take kitchen scraps too.\n\n## Types\n\n- **Continuous composters** have a single chamber. Waste goes in at the top and finished material comes out at the bottom.\n- **Batch composters** use two or more chambers. One fills while the others sit and cure, so fresh waste never mixes with finished material. Alternating double bins and 55-gallon drums are common in site-built versions.\n\nMany designs **divert urine** into a separate container, or add a waterless urinal, to keep the chamber from getting too wet. Too much liquid turns the process anaerobic, which causes odours.\n\nSome units are small appliances that sit on the bathroom floor. Others are large tanks that need a basement or crawlspace under the toilet.\n\n## Where they fit\n\nThey suit seasonal cabins, remote homes, places where water is scarce, and sites with poor percolation, a high water table, shallow soil or rough terrain, all places where a drainfield is hard to build. Cutting the toilet out of the wastewater stream can also let an overloaded or undersized septic system cope.\n\n## Trade-offs\n\n**For:** no flush water, much less wastewater to treat on site, low power use, and nutrients kept out of streams and lakes.\n\n**Against:** most units still need a power source for a fan. Small units can be overwhelmed by peak use, like a full house of guests. Poor upkeep leads to odours and health risks. Too much liquid in the chamber stalls the process unless it drains properly. Most importantly, you still need somewhere for **greywater** from sinks, showers and laundry to go.\n\n## The finished material\n\nThe end product is a soil-like humus. Rules on what you can do with it are set by the state and county: it may have to be buried or removed by a licensed septage hauler. Material that isn't fully treated can carry pathogens, so it shouldn't go on food crops without checking local rules.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nAsk the county health department early whether it accepts a composting toilet as the home's only toilet, and what it requires for greywater. The answer can change the size, and cost, of the septic system you need." }, { "key": "wiki/energy/wood-stoves", "type": "wiki", "id": "energy/wood-stoves", "facet": { "value": "energy", "label": "Energy" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/energy/wood-stoves/", "title": "Heating with a wood stove", "summary": "How modern EPA-certified stoves differ from old ones, how to size and choose one, and how to burn cleanly.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "wood heat", "stove", "firewood", "emissions" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "standard", "us_code_ref": "Installed under the mechanical code and the maker's instructions. Many towns need a permit and inspection for a new stove or chimney.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Since 15 May 2020, new wood stoves must emit no more than 2.0 grams of smoke per hour (EPA Step 2).", "source": "epa-burnwise-choosing-stove" }, { "fact": "Older uncertified stoves release 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour.", "source": "epa-burnwise-choosing-stove" }, { "fact": "A certified stove has a permanent metal label on the back, and new ones come with a white hang tag.", "source": "epa-burnwise-choosing-stove" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "wiki/energy/passive-solar-design", "systems/trombe-wall" ], "sources": [ { "id": "epa-burnwise-choosing-stove", "citation": "Choosing the Right Wood-Burning Stove. US EPA Burn Wise (historic record; program ran 2009 to 2025).", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/choosing-right-wood-burning-stove", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "epa-burnwise-better-burn", "citation": "Tips for a Better Burn. US EPA Burn Wise (historic record).", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/tips-better-burn", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" } ], "open_checks": [ "Add sourced guidance on firewood seasoning times and moisture targets" ], "body": "Wood is one of the most common ways to heat an off-grid or rural home. Modern stoves are very different from old ones: they burn cleaner, make less ash and use less wood for the same heat.\n\n## Certified stoves\n\nEPA has set smoke limits for new wood stoves since 1988. The current limit, in force since **15 May 2020**, is **2.0 grams of smoke per hour**. Some newer models certify between 1 and 4 g/h. An old, uncertified stove puts out 15 to 30 g/h. When comparing models, a lower g/h rating means a cleaner, more efficient stove.\n\nTo check whether a stove is certified, look for the metal label on the back, or look the model up in EPA's database of certified wood heaters.\n\n## Two designs\n\n- **Non-catalytic stoves** get a clean burn from an insulated firebox, a large baffle that makes the hot gases travel further, and preheated air fed in above the fire. Most stoves sold are this type. The baffle and some internal parts wear out and need replacing.\n- **Catalytic stoves** pass the smoke through a coated ceramic honeycomb where it burns. They give long, even heat, but are a bit more work to run. The catalyst wears out and needs replacing: it can last more than six seasons if used well, but over-firing or burning trash and treated wood ruins it.\n\n## Sizing\n\n- **Small** stoves suit one room or a seasonal cabin, or \"zone heating\" one part of a bigger house.\n- **Medium** stoves suit small houses and well-insulated medium houses.\n- **Large** stoves suit big open-plan houses, or older, leaky houses in cold climates.\n\nA tight, well-insulated house needs a much smaller stove. Take a floor plan to an experienced hearth retailer.\n\n## Burning well\n\n- Split wood small, so it dries faster and burns more completely.\n- Start with natural fire-starters and small dry kindling, then add bigger pieces once it's burning well. Leave gaps between pieces for air.\n- Go outside and look at the chimney. Smoke usually means the fire needs more air.\n- Keep about an inch of ash in the firebox to hold a hot coal bed for restarts.\n- Take ashes out only once they're cool, and store them in a metal container away from the house.\n- Never burn garbage, plastic or treated wood.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nWood heat pairs well with [passive solar design](/wiki/energy/passive-solar-design/): the sun covers the clear days and the stove covers the rest. Plan the chimney route and a dry woodshed into the design from the start, and ask the building department whether the stove installation needs its own permit." }, { "key": "wiki/energy/passive-solar-design", "type": "wiki", "id": "energy/passive-solar-design", "facet": { "value": "energy", "label": "Energy" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/energy/passive-solar-design/", "title": "Passive solar design", "summary": "Using windows, mass and shade to heat a house with winter sun and keep summer sun out, without pumps or fans. The five elements, explained.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "passive solar", "orientation", "thermal mass", "shading", "design" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": { "climates": [ "cold", "temperate", "hot-dry" ], "us_code": "standard", "us_code_ref": "Uses ordinary walls, floors and windows, so it is permitted as normal construction. Energy codes still apply to the windows and walls.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Main windows should face within 30 degrees of true south.", "source": "doe-passive-solar-consumer-guide" }, { "fact": "In winter, those windows should be unshaded from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.", "source": "doe-passive-solar-consumer-guide" }, { "fact": "Clear glass lets through nearly 90% of the sun's heat.", "source": "doe-passive-solar-consumer-guide" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "systems/trombe-wall", "systems/phase-change-heat-storage", "wiki/energy/wood-stoves" ], "sources": [ { "id": "doe-passive-solar-consumer-guide", "citation": "Consumer Guide to Passive Solar Home Design. US Department of Energy, Energy Saver, DOE/EE-2467, 2021.", "url": "https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/ES-Passive%20Solar%20design_081321.pdf", "kind": "paper", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "doe-passive-solar-guide", "citation": "Guide to Passive Solar Home Design. US Department of Energy, Energy Saver.", "url": "https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/guide_to_passive_solar_home_design.pdf", "kind": "paper", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "Passive solar design uses the house itself, meaning its orientation, layout, windows, floors and walls, to collect the low winter sun and block the high summer sun. Unlike active solar heating, it needs no pumps, fans or electric controls to move the heat. Passive solar homes range from those heated almost entirely by the sun to those where south windows cover part of the heating.\n\nIt's cheapest to design in from the start, but existing houses can be adapted too.\n\n## The five elements\n\n1. **Aperture (windows).** The main windows face within 30 degrees of true south and aren't shaded between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in winter. Living areas face south and bedrooms can face north. In cold climates, keep windows on the north, east and west small. In warm climates, use north windows and well-shaded south windows.\n2. **Absorber.** The hard, dark surface that the sun hits, such as a masonry floor or wall, turns sunlight into heat.\n3. **Thermal mass.** The material behind or below the absorber stores that heat and releases it after dark. Concrete, stone, brick and tile are common.\n4. **Distribution.** Heat moves from where it's collected to the rest of the house, by natural movement of air and radiant heat, or with help from fans and ducts.\n5. **Control.** Roof overhangs and trees shade the windows in summer. Vents, dampers, blinds, awnings and thermostats help fine-tune it.\n\n## How the heat moves\n\nHeat flows from warmer things to cooler things. Passive design uses three ways it travels:\n\n- **Convection.** Warm air rises and cool air sinks, which is why upstairs is warmer. Some designs use this loop to carry heat from a south wall into the rooms.\n- **Radiation.** Heat radiates from warm surfaces to cooler ones. Dark surfaces absorb the sun's heat. Light surfaces reflect it, which helps in hot climates.\n- **Heat capacity.** Dense materials store a lot of heat and give it back slowly, evening out the temperature through the day and night.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nOrientation is decided when you site the house, so check it on the land before anything else is fixed. Earth, cob and rammed earth walls, and slab floors, can do double duty as thermal mass. A [Trombe wall](/atlas/systems/trombe-wall/) is a classic passive solar system that puts the mass right behind the glass. DOE suggests working with a designer who knows passive solar for a new home or major remodel." }, { "key": "wiki/food/plant-hardiness-zones", "type": "wiki", "id": "food/plant-hardiness-zones", "facet": { "value": "food", "label": "Food" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/food/plant-hardiness-zones/", "title": "Plant hardiness zones", "summary": "What the USDA zone map measures, how to find your zone, and why it's a starting point rather than a guarantee for perennials.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "hardiness zone", "climate", "perennials", "garden planning" ], "feasibility": null, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "unknown", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Zones are based on the average coldest night of the year over 1991 to 2020.", "source": "usda-phzm-how-to-use" }, { "fact": "Each zone spans 10°F and splits into 'a' and 'b' halves of 5°F, from zone 1 (coldest) to zone 13 (warmest).", "source": "usda-phzm-how-to-use" }, { "fact": "The 2023 map runs about a quarter-zone warmer than the 2012 map across much of the US.", "source": "usda-phzm-map-creation" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "wiki/energy/passive-solar-design" ], "sources": [ { "id": "usda-phzm-how-to-use", "citation": "How to Use the Maps. 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University PRISM Climate Group.", "url": "https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/pages/how-to-use-the-maps", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "usda-phzm-map-creation", "citation": "Map Creation. 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, USDA Agricultural Research Service.", "url": "https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/pages/map-creation", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map tells you roughly how cold your winters get. It's the standard way US nurseries label which perennial plants, shrubs and trees will survive where you live.\n\n## What a zone means\n\nEach zone is based on the **average annual extreme minimum temperature**: the coldest night of each year, averaged over 30 years (1991 to 2020 for the 2023 map). Zones run from **1** (coldest) to **13** (warmest), each covering 10°F, and each is split into an \"a\" and \"b\" half of 5°F. So 7a is the colder half of zone 7 and 7b the warmer half.\n\nIt is **not** the coldest it has ever been, or will be. It's an average of extremes.\n\n## Finding your zone\n\nEnter a ZIP code on the USDA map site, or click a spot on the map. State maps can be downloaded and printed. The underlying data comes from Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group and can be downloaded as GIS files or by ZIP code.\n\n## Using it well\n\n- A plant at the cold edge of its range can thrive for years, then die in one rare cold snap. Give yourself a margin.\n- Zones only measure winter cold. **Wind, soil, soil moisture, humidity, snow cover, winter sun and summer heat** all matter too.\n- Your own land has **microclimates**. Low spots collect frost, slopes and walls trap warmth, and cities run warmer than the countryside around them. Higher ground is usually colder.\n- An early hard freeze in autumn can hurt plants before they've hardened off, even if it doesn't reach the zone's low.\n- If your zone changed on the new map, keep what's thriving. The shift is partly a newer averaging period and partly better data, and USDA says zone changes aren't reliable evidence of climate change on their own.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nYour zone shapes what a food forest, orchard or perennial garden can hold, and a greenhouse or south wall can push it a half zone or more. In Phase 3, Leafhouse will look up your zone automatically from your address." }, { "key": "wiki/water-waste/septic-systems", "type": "wiki", "id": "water-waste/septic-systems", "facet": { "value": "water-waste", "label": "Water & waste" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/water-waste/septic-systems/", "title": "Septic systems", "summary": "How a conventional septic tank and drainfield treat household wastewater, and the upkeep that keeps one working for decades.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "septic", "drainfield", "wastewater", "maintenance" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "standard", "us_code_ref": "Permitted by the county or state health department, usually after a soil or perc test. Rules vary by state.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Have an average household system inspected by a professional at least every 3 years.", "source": "epa-septic-care" }, { "fact": "Household tanks are typically pumped every 3 to 5 years. Systems with pumps or float switches need inspecting about once a year.", "source": "epa-septic-care" }, { "fact": "Pump the tank when sludge and scum take up more than 25% of the liquid depth.", "source": "epa-septic-care" }, { "fact": "Indoor water use can reach 70 gallons per person per day, and one running toilet can add 200 gallons a day.", "source": "epa-septic-care" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "wiki/water-waste/composting-toilets", "wiki/water-waste/private-well-testing" ], "sources": [ { "id": "epa-septic-how-it-works", "citation": "How Septic Systems Work. US Environmental Protection Agency.", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/septic/how-your-septic-system-works", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "epa-septic-care", "citation": "How to Care for Your Septic System. US Environmental Protection Agency.", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/septic/how-care-your-septic-system", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" } ], "open_checks": [ "Add a state-by-state guide to who permits septic systems and what a perc test involves" ], "body": "Most rural homes that aren't on a sewer line treat their wastewater on site with a septic system. A conventional system has two parts: a septic tank and a drainfield, also called a leach field or soil absorption field.\n\n## How it works\n\nAll the water leaving the house runs down one main pipe into the tank. The tank is a buried, watertight box, usually concrete, fibreglass or polyethylene. It holds the wastewater long enough for solids to sink into a layer of **sludge** while oils and grease float up as **scum**. Baffles and a T-shaped outlet keep both layers inside the tank.\n\nThe liquid in the middle, called **effluent**, flows out to the drainfield. That's a shallow, covered trench system in unsaturated soil, with perforated pipes or chambers that let the effluent seep out slowly. The soil does the real treatment: as the effluent trickles down, it filters out bacteria, viruses and nutrients before the water reaches groundwater.\n\nIf the drainfield gets more water than the soil can take, it floods. Sewage can then surface in the yard or back up into sinks and toilets.\n\n## Alternative systems\n\nWhere soil is too thin, too wet or too tight for a conventional drainfield, **alternative systems** use pumps or gravity to pass effluent through sand, peat, constructed wetlands or other media. Some evaporate or disinfect the water before it reaches the soil. These have more moving parts, so they need inspecting more often, and a service contract matters more.\n\n## Keeping it working\n\nUpkeep comes down to four habits:\n\n1. **Inspect and pump on schedule.** How often depends on household size, how much water you use, how many solids go in, and the tank's size. Keep a record of the sludge and scum levels at each visit, so you know when the next pump-out is due.\n2. **Use less water.** Every gallon used indoors goes through the tank. Efficient toilets (1.6 gallons a flush or less, against 3.5 to 5 in older ones), aerators and full laundry loads all help. Spreading laundry across the week gives the tank time to work.\n3. **Only human waste and toilet paper.** Never flush wipes, grease, coffee grounds, cat litter, medicines or household chemicals. Skip chemical drain openers and limit the garbage disposal.\n4. **Protect the drainfield.** Don't park or drive on it. Plant trees far enough away that roots can't reach the pipes, and send roof drains and sump pumps elsewhere.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nA septic system is usually the default for a rural home, and the county health department will want a soil evaluation before it issues a permit. That makes the soil one of the first things to check on any piece of land. If a site can't take a conventional drainfield, the options are an engineered alternative system or cutting the wastewater load with a [composting toilet](/wiki/water-waste/composting-toilets/), which still leaves greywater to deal with." }, { "key": "wiki/water-waste/private-well-testing", "type": "wiki", "id": "water-waste/private-well-testing", "facet": { "value": "water-waste", "label": "Water & waste" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/water-waste/private-well-testing/", "title": "Testing a private well", "summary": "Private wells aren't covered by federal drinking water rules, so the owner tests them. What to test for each year, and when to test again.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "well", "drinking water", "testing", "groundwater" ], "feasibility": { "value": "established", "label": "Established", "meaning": "Mainstream practice with standard code provisions" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "unknown", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Private wells are not regulated by EPA and don't have to meet its drinking water standards.", "source": "epa-private-wells-brochure" }, { "fact": "Test every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.", "source": "epa-private-wells" }, { "fact": "Use a state-certified laboratory. Some local health departments test private wells for free.", "source": "epa-private-wells" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "wiki/water-waste/septic-systems" ], "sources": [ { "id": "epa-private-wells", "citation": "Protect Your Home's Water. US Environmental Protection Agency, Private Drinking Water Wells.", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/privatewells/protect-your-homes-water", "kind": "web", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" }, { "id": "epa-private-wells-brochure", "citation": "Protect Your Private Well. US EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 2018.", "url": "https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-02/documents/epa-ogwdw-private-wells-v4.pdf", "kind": "paper", "licence": "public-domain", "trust": "government" } ], "open_checks": [], "body": "On a public water system, a utility tests the water. On a private well, nobody does unless you do. EPA's drinking water standards don't apply to private wells, so the owner is responsible for keeping the water safe.\n\n## The yearly test\n\nTest once a year for:\n\n- **Total coliform bacteria**, a sign that surface water or sewage may be getting in\n- **Nitrates**, often from fertiliser, manure or septic systems\n- **Total dissolved solids**\n- **pH**\n\nAdd anything you have reason to suspect. Your local health department can tell you what turns up in groundwater in your area. Test more often if a baby, an older person, or someone pregnant or nursing lives in the house.\n\n## Test again straight away if\n\n- there are known groundwater problems nearby\n- something changed near the well: flooding, earth-moving, new construction or industry\n- you repaired or replaced part of the well system\n- the water's taste, smell or colour changed\n\n## What to test for, by situation\n\n| What's going on | Test for |\n| --- | --- |\n| Repeated stomach illness | Coliform bacteria |\n| Lead in plumbing or service line | pH, lead, copper |\n| Radon in the area | Radon |\n| Farmland nearby | Nitrate, nitrite, pesticides, coliform |\n| Mining nearby | Metals, pH, corrosion |\n| Gas drilling nearby | Chloride, sodium, barium, strontium |\n| Fuel smell, or near buried fuel tanks | Volatile organic compounds |\n| Stained fixtures or laundry | Iron, copper, manganese |\n| Scale, soap won't lather | Hardness |\n\nUse a **state-certified laboratory**. If a result is over a health standard, retest to confirm and call the health department. Some problems, like bacteria, can often be fixed by disinfecting the well. Others may need filtration, treatment, or a new or deeper well.\n\n## Protecting the well\n\n- Slope the ground so runoff drains away from the wellhead, and fit a sanitary seal or well cap.\n- Keep fuel, pesticides, fertiliser and solvents away from the well, and out of the septic system.\n- Pump and inspect the septic system as the health department recommends.\n- Hire a certified well driller for any new well, changes, or closing an old one, and never cut the casing below ground.\n- Keep records of maintenance and any chemicals used in the well.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nWhen you're looking at land with an existing well, ask for recent test results and the well log before you buy. Budget for a full test as part of due diligence." }, { "key": "wiki/rules/tiny-houses-and-the-code", "type": "wiki", "id": "rules/tiny-houses-and-the-code", "facet": { "value": "rules", "label": "Rules" }, "url": "https://leafhouse-preview.netlify.app/wiki/rules/tiny-houses-and-the-code/", "title": "Tiny houses and the building code", "summary": "What the IRC's tiny house appendix allows, the 400 square foot limit, and why your town has to adopt it before it applies.", "status": "published", "verified_on": "2026-11-10", "topics": [ "tiny house", "IRC", "Appendix AQ", "zoning", "lofts" ], "feasibility": { "value": "code-path", "label": "Code path exists", "meaning": "A model-code appendix covers it, if your jurisdiction adopts it" }, "fit": { "climates": [], "us_code": "irc-appendix", "us_code_ref": "IRC Appendix AQ (Tiny Houses), first added in the 2018 edition and revised in 2021. Applies only where the jurisdiction adopts it.", "skill": "unknown", "cost": "unknown" }, "key_facts": [ { "fact": "Appendix AQ covers houses of 400 square feet or less.", "source": "icc-adoptable-appendices" }, { "fact": "It first appeared in the 2018 IRC and was revised for 2021, adding energy conservation rules.", "source": "icc-adoptable-appendices" }, { "fact": "Adoptable appendices are not mandatory unless the local adopting ordinance names them.", "source": "icc-adoptable-appendices" } ], "places": [], "related": [ "methods/cob", "methods/straw-bale" ], "sources": [ { "id": "icc-adoptable-appendices", "citation": "Adoptable appendices in the International Residential Code for cob construction and tiny houses. ICC Building Safety Journal.", "url": "https://www.iccsafe.org/building-safety-journal/bsj-technical/adoptable-appendices-in-the-international-residential-code-for-cob-construction-and-tiny-houses/", "kind": "code", "licence": "cite-only", "trust": "code-body" }, { "id": "icc-cob-appendix-approved", "citation": "Cob code appendix approved for the 2021 IRC. ICC Building Safety Journal, August 3, 2020.", "url": "https://www.iccsafe.org/building-safety-journal/bsj-technical/cob-code-appendix-approved-for-the-2021-irc/", "kind": "code", "licence": "cite-only", "trust": "code-body" } ], "open_checks": [ "Check whether the 2024 IRC changed Appendix AQ", "Add a source on houses on wheels (RVs and park model homes), which this appendix does not cover" ], "body": "A house on a foundation has to meet the building code, and the main US code for homes, the International Residential Code (IRC), was written with full-size houses in mind. Some of its rules, like stair and ceiling dimensions, are hard to meet in a very small space. **Appendix AQ, Tiny Houses** relaxes a few of those rules for very small homes.\n\n## What it covers\n\nAppendix AQ applies to houses of **400 square feet or less**. For context, the ICC notes that small homes usually run 400 to 1,000 square feet, and \"tiny\" homes are under 400, some as small as 80.\n\nIt changes the rules in a few areas:\n\n- **Ceiling height:** lower minimum heights in some spaces\n- **Lofts:** reaching a sleeping loft by ladder, without the guard a stair would need, much like a bunk bed\n- **Emergency escape openings:** its own section of rules for escape and rescue openings\n- **Energy conservation:** added in the 2021 edition\n\nIt also allows smaller floor areas and narrower halls, and accounts for built-in furniture.\n\n## It only applies if your town adopts it\n\nAppendix AQ is an **adoptable appendix**. The ICC puts it plainly: the provisions \"are not mandatory unless specifically referenced in the adopting ordinance.\" If your state or town adopted the IRC without naming Appendix AQ, the regular IRC rules apply to your tiny house in full.\n\nTwo other problems sit outside the building code:\n\n- **Zoning** may set a minimum house size, which rules out a tiny house on its own lot no matter what the building code says.\n- **Houses on wheels** are usually treated as vehicles or recreational units, not houses, and this appendix doesn't cover them.\n\n## Factory-built tiny houses\n\nMany tiny houses are built in a factory and set on a foundation on site, which makes inspection harder because the walls are closed before the inspector arrives. The ICC has published standards for off-site construction to deal with this.\n\n## For a Leafhouse project\n\nBefore buying land for a tiny house, ask the building department two questions: which IRC edition and appendices it has adopted, and whether zoning sets a minimum dwelling size. Write the answers into your project, because they decide whether you build a tiny house, a small house, or an accessory unit." } ], "places": [ { "id": "dover-ma", "title": "Dover, MA", "region": "Massachusetts", "country": "United States", "lat": 42.25, "lng": -71.28, "precision": "region", "climate": null, "records": [ "dwellings/dover-sun-house", "systems/phase-change-heat-storage", "people/amelia-peabody", "people/eleanor-raymond", "people/maria-telkes" ] }, { "id": "cherry-hill-nj", "title": "Cherry Hill, NJ", "region": "New Jersey", "country": "United States", "lat": 39.93, "lng": -75.03, "precision": "approximate", "climate": null, "records": [ "dwellings/wells-cherry-hill-office", "people/malcolm-wells" ] }, { "id": "pembrokeshire-glandwr", "title": "Glandwr, Pembrokeshire", "region": "Wales", "country": "United Kingdom", "lat": 51.95, "lng": -4.65, "precision": "approximate", "climate": null, "records": [ "dwellings/lammas-ecovillage" ] }, { "id": "stateburg-sc", "title": "Stateburg, SC", "region": "South Carolina", "country": "United States", "lat": 33.96, "lng": -80.53, "precision": "approximate", "climate": null, "records": [ "dwellings/holy-cross-stateburg", "people/edward-c-jones", "people/william-w-anderson" ] } ] }