of course, this has to be adjusted for every area of Colorado, but there are some helpful generalizations in here...
from realtor.com
It's no secret that life's been pretty good to sellers for the past several years. Even if you had no need—or desire—to move, the housing landscape might have seriously tempted you to put your house on the market anyway. After all, it's hard not to see visions of dollar signs when your neighbors are unloading their homes for tens of thousands over asking price.
But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And you've probably heard that the white-hot housing market of years past is finally beginning to cool.
So if you haven't listed your home before now, did you miss the boat? Absolutely not. But with each passing month, the experts say, you can expect the housing climate to shift a bit more in buyers' favor.
"It’s definitely still a seller’s market in most of the country. But it’s not the same seller’s market that you saw in the last couple of years," says Danielle Hale, chief economist of realtor.com®. "You might have to think about how your home compares to the competition that buyers are going to see when they're shopping. And you might have to price a little bit more competitively, or think about other enticements to attract buyers."
There's still a chance to cash in for top dollar, though, if you move quickly. Here are the biggest reasons to sell ASAP in 2019.
1. You won't be the only listing for long
The top reason sellers have been in the catbird seat for the past several years? Inventory. There simply weren't enough homes on the market to keep up with buyer demand. And when a "For Sale" sign did go up, you can bet a bidding war would soon follow.
"You might have been the only listing in your neighborhood, and you could put your home up at a certain list price and you would likely see multiple offers at or above that list price," Hale explains.
That tide is turning this year, Hale says. That's because the number of homes for sale is finally increasing, albeit slowly. For now, buyers still outnumber inventory. But if you're thinking about selling and don't want to compete with your neighbors, it'll pay off (literally) to list earlier rather than later. (This is particularly true in pricier markets, where inventory is increasing at a faster rate than more affordable areas.)
"It's going to depend on what neighborhood you're in, but we expect it to be more common this year that you won't be the only listing," Hale says.
2. You still stand to make a 'handsome profit'
Home prices have been on a meteoric rise for the past seven years. In January 2012, the U.S. median home price was $154,700. Today, that figure has nearly doubled—to $289,300—and sellers have rejoiced.
Now comes a twist: 15% of all home listings saw price cuts in January, according to realtor.com data.
That might sound like bad news if you're thinking of selling. But hear us out: Those moderating prices, combined with today's mortgage rates (more on that below), mean increased buyer demand for your house.
Plus, it's not that home prices aren't still increasing—they're just not increasing at the frenzied pace of previous years, which often featured multiple offers at or above asking price, Hale says. So even though you might have some more competition as a seller, things are still looking pretty sweet for you when it comes to cold, hard cash.
"Even if you don't get an offer above your asking price, you're probably still going to come away with a handsome profit from being a seller in 2019," Hale says.
But again, it'll pay to put your home on the market as soon as you can—before conditions change.
"Sellers who list their homes earlier in the year tend to get a higher sales price, often above list, and shorter days on market," says Ali Wolf, director of economic research at Meyers Research.
3. There's high demand for homes under $300K
There's more good news if you own a home below the national median price of $289,300. Not only is that inventory increasing at a slower rate than its luxury counterparts, but there are more buyers shopping at those price points.
"If you’re a below-median-price seller, you will see a seller’s market that is as good as what you saw in previous years—maybe even better," Hale says. "You might still see multiple offers coming in quickly, maybe even above asking price."
4. Mortgage rates are at a new low
Something strange has been happening over the past few months. Experts predicted mortgage rates would rise—and at the end of 2018, they were indeed ticking upward as expected.
But since the start of the year, rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage (the most popular home loan) have been falling, sliding last week to a new 12-month low of 4.37%. And of course, those historically low mortgage rates mean you could have more buyers knocking on your door.
Plus, this temporary dip in rates creates an opportunity for trade-up buyers as well. After all, if you're selling your home, there's a good chance you'll need to buy another one.
Bottom line: Now's the time to hustle and get both transactions done.
"Sellers need to take advantage of low rates as much as buyers do," Wolf says. "Sellers don’t want to get stuck in their homes when rates go up and the math no longer makes sense to move."
5. Millennials are flooding the market
Historically speaking, people tend to buy their first home around age 30. And guess what? We've got a whole bunch of people turning 30 in the next two years—nearly 5 million, in fact, according to realtor.com data. So you can count on those millennials to be a driving force in the housing market.
"Millennials want to own a home as much as prior generations," Wolf says. "We saw millennial shoppers scooping up homes in 2018—and 2019 will be no different."
What's more, Hale adds, is that you won't just be seeing demand from first-time buyers. Older millennials in their middle to late 30s have already owned a home for a few years, and could be looking at now as a prime time to trade up.
"From a seller’s perspective, you’re going to have possibly more interested buyers," Hale says. "So that’s motivation to put your house on the market."
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Tax Benefits of Buying a Home in 2019
interesting tax considerations on home purchasing from lendingtree.com
For many investors, buying a home has always had an almost magnetic pull. First, there’s the promise of a possible long-term return once the house is sold. But homebuying also promises more immediate tax benefits, like deductions on mortgage interest or property tax payments that might help shave a year-end tax bill.
If you are thinking of buying a home soon, you should know some of the more readily available tax benefits of home ownership recently underwent significant changes because of the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which Congress enacted in December 2017. Unless it’s extended, the law is expected to end on Dec. 31, 2025.
The TCJA swept in extensive tax reform, and in terms of paperwork alone, the IRS estimated it had to create or revise more than 400 taxpayer forms, instructions and publications for the 2019 tax filing season. This is more than double what a typical year requires.
For many consumers, buying a home still makes sense. But there’s no question the new law has muddied the tax picture, and consumers will most likely need time catching up with both the breadth and details of the changes. Read on to see what you need to know about the new tax law now.
Mortgage-related deductions
One of the primary tax benefits of buying a home is the mortgage interest deduction, which means homeowners can deduct the interest they pay on a mortgage for debt related to buying, constructing, or improving either a primary or secondary home.
Before Dec. 15, 2017, the mortgage tax deduction was limited to interest paid on a maximum of $1 million debt on the property for married people filing a joint tax return, $500,000 for married couples filing separately, and $1 million for single filers. Now, however, the rules are different. For home mortgages taken out on or after Dec. 15, 2017, debt caps are lower: $750,000 in for married couples filing jointly; $375,000 for married couples filing separately; and $750,000 for individuals.
What do drops in debt limit mean for potential buyers?
Let’s start by looking at a married couple filing jointly who just bought a home for $1.1 million, putting 20% down and whose mortgage is now $880,000. With the new cap, that couple can now deduct mortgage interest for only $750,000 of that debt.
If you bought your home before Dec.15, 2017, there’s no need to worry: The new law is “grandfathered in” to protect you from the debt cap changes.
“If you bought your home in 2014 and you have a million dollars of debt on the books, this particular provision does not affect you,” said Kevin Rose, a certified public accountant and certified financial planner, as well as partner at Market Street Partners in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Home equity line of credit changes
With the new tax law, there’s now also a strong chance some homeowners might have less incentive to take on a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a type of second mortgage that is also a popular tool for using home equity as a way to potentially pay off both home — and non-home — expenses.
Before Dec. 15, 2017, homeowners could take out a HELOC and deduct interest on up to $100,000 in home equity debt, regardless of what the money was used for, even if it was used to pay for non-home expenses like college costs. Now, however, home equity loan interest is still deductible for up to $100,000, but only if it’s used to purchase, build or improve a home. That almost certainly means consumers will now find HELOCs to be less attractive options for paying for personal expenses, and that may cut down on their use, said Rose.
Private mortgage insurance changes
With the new tax law, homeowners can also expect to see a change in the tax status of any private mortgage insurance (PMI) they have to pay. That’s because private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums are no longer tax deductible. That itemized deduction expired on Dec. 31, 2017, and it’s unknown when — or if — it will be reinstated.
First-time homebuyers are typically required to buy private mortgage insurance if they put down less than 20% of the cost of a home. Meanwhile, PMI insurance is required for any mortgage obtained through the government-insured loan program offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). With FHA loans, down payments can be as low 3.5%, but PMI costs can add up quickly. That’s because an FHA loan now charges an upfront 1.75% PMI fee (as a percentage of the total cost of the loan), and annual charges are .85%.
The PMI deduction is one Congress wrestles with regularly. But Chris Hervochon, a certified public accountant and owner of SOAR — A Better Way CPA in Hilton Head, S.C., thinks the PMI tax deduction was done away with this time because the the larger standard tax deduction many taxpayers now claim is able to capture smaller itemized expenses like PMI, so eliminating the deduction actually makes it easier to prepare taxes.
Standard deduction changes
Anyone shopping for a home now needs to pay particular attention to the standard tax deduction allowed by the IRS. That means deciding whether it might be better to ultimately itemize deductions (and claim mortgage interest deductions as well), or just take the standard tax deduction the IRS allows.
Under the new law, the standard deductions allowed by the IRS increased; for example, for a married couple filing jointly, it went from $12,700 in 2017 to $24,000 in 2018. If a married couple had less than $24,000 in itemized deductions — including mortgage interest — then it might be financially smarter for them to go with the standard deduction.
There is a complicating factor: The new tax law now limits deductions of state and local taxes to just $10,000 for married couples and individuals and $5,000 for married couples filing separately. That means it also sets a cap on how much property tax can be deducted, a huge disadvantage for homeowners who live in states like New York, California, Florida and Texas, where property taxes often reach far more than $10,000 annually.
Here’s an example of how this works: If you’re a married homeowner in South Carolina who now pays $7,000 in state income taxes but your property taxes are $5,000, any property tax amount over $3,000 is not deductible under the new tax legislation.
“If you’re thinking about (taking) a standard deduction of $24,000, it’s kind of tough to get there because you’re now limited to $10,000 of real estate tax and state and local income tax,” Hervochon said.
Before the new tax law, Hervochon used to just ask clients whether they owned a home or rented.
“If they said ‘own a home,’ well, you’re going to itemize,” he said. “Now you can’t get away with asking just that question.”
Rose, for his part, said he started seeing clients trying to prepay their property taxes toward the end of 2017, and “going forward, that’s a big change.”
Tax-free profits
Even with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, there is one significant tax benefit that is staying the same: the amount of capital gains that can go tax-free after a homeowner sells a house at a profit. For example, married homeowners may now retain up to $500,000 in tax-free profits from the sale of their home, and for single filers the number is $250,000.
To qualify for this exclusion, homeowners must have lived in and used the home as their primary residence for at least two years out of the five years before the sale date.
Moving expenses
Before December 2017, taxpayers could deduct moving expenses if they met certain requirements related to distance and time. But under the new tax law, all deductions for moving expenses have been suspended. The only exception is for members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty who relocate per a military order related to a permanent change of station.
Another new development: Employers who reimburse moving expenses for employees must now include those expenses as taxable income in employee wages. Before December 2017, those reimbursed moving expenses could be excluded from income.
The final word
It’s still possible some of the tax benefits described above may reappear once the new tax law expires in 2025. But until then — or until Congress passes new tax legislation — buyers in the running will need to look more closely at the tax benefits of homebuying, including whether they’re comfortable making do with potentially larger loads of debt and fewer allowable deductions.
“Sometimes [people] let the tax results affect their decision-making,” Rose said. “They convince themselves it’s a good tax move, but you don’t want to pay a dollar to save 35 cents.”
Before signing the dotted line, consult your accountant to determine if the tax benefits of buying a home make good financial sense for you.
For many investors, buying a home has always had an almost magnetic pull. First, there’s the promise of a possible long-term return once the house is sold. But homebuying also promises more immediate tax benefits, like deductions on mortgage interest or property tax payments that might help shave a year-end tax bill.
If you are thinking of buying a home soon, you should know some of the more readily available tax benefits of home ownership recently underwent significant changes because of the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which Congress enacted in December 2017. Unless it’s extended, the law is expected to end on Dec. 31, 2025.
The TCJA swept in extensive tax reform, and in terms of paperwork alone, the IRS estimated it had to create or revise more than 400 taxpayer forms, instructions and publications for the 2019 tax filing season. This is more than double what a typical year requires.
For many consumers, buying a home still makes sense. But there’s no question the new law has muddied the tax picture, and consumers will most likely need time catching up with both the breadth and details of the changes. Read on to see what you need to know about the new tax law now.
Mortgage-related deductions
One of the primary tax benefits of buying a home is the mortgage interest deduction, which means homeowners can deduct the interest they pay on a mortgage for debt related to buying, constructing, or improving either a primary or secondary home.
Before Dec. 15, 2017, the mortgage tax deduction was limited to interest paid on a maximum of $1 million debt on the property for married people filing a joint tax return, $500,000 for married couples filing separately, and $1 million for single filers. Now, however, the rules are different. For home mortgages taken out on or after Dec. 15, 2017, debt caps are lower: $750,000 in for married couples filing jointly; $375,000 for married couples filing separately; and $750,000 for individuals.
What do drops in debt limit mean for potential buyers?
Let’s start by looking at a married couple filing jointly who just bought a home for $1.1 million, putting 20% down and whose mortgage is now $880,000. With the new cap, that couple can now deduct mortgage interest for only $750,000 of that debt.
If you bought your home before Dec.15, 2017, there’s no need to worry: The new law is “grandfathered in” to protect you from the debt cap changes.
“If you bought your home in 2014 and you have a million dollars of debt on the books, this particular provision does not affect you,” said Kevin Rose, a certified public accountant and certified financial planner, as well as partner at Market Street Partners in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Home equity line of credit changes
With the new tax law, there’s now also a strong chance some homeowners might have less incentive to take on a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a type of second mortgage that is also a popular tool for using home equity as a way to potentially pay off both home — and non-home — expenses.
Before Dec. 15, 2017, homeowners could take out a HELOC and deduct interest on up to $100,000 in home equity debt, regardless of what the money was used for, even if it was used to pay for non-home expenses like college costs. Now, however, home equity loan interest is still deductible for up to $100,000, but only if it’s used to purchase, build or improve a home. That almost certainly means consumers will now find HELOCs to be less attractive options for paying for personal expenses, and that may cut down on their use, said Rose.
Private mortgage insurance changes
With the new tax law, homeowners can also expect to see a change in the tax status of any private mortgage insurance (PMI) they have to pay. That’s because private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums are no longer tax deductible. That itemized deduction expired on Dec. 31, 2017, and it’s unknown when — or if — it will be reinstated.
First-time homebuyers are typically required to buy private mortgage insurance if they put down less than 20% of the cost of a home. Meanwhile, PMI insurance is required for any mortgage obtained through the government-insured loan program offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). With FHA loans, down payments can be as low 3.5%, but PMI costs can add up quickly. That’s because an FHA loan now charges an upfront 1.75% PMI fee (as a percentage of the total cost of the loan), and annual charges are .85%.
The PMI deduction is one Congress wrestles with regularly. But Chris Hervochon, a certified public accountant and owner of SOAR — A Better Way CPA in Hilton Head, S.C., thinks the PMI tax deduction was done away with this time because the the larger standard tax deduction many taxpayers now claim is able to capture smaller itemized expenses like PMI, so eliminating the deduction actually makes it easier to prepare taxes.
Standard deduction changes
Anyone shopping for a home now needs to pay particular attention to the standard tax deduction allowed by the IRS. That means deciding whether it might be better to ultimately itemize deductions (and claim mortgage interest deductions as well), or just take the standard tax deduction the IRS allows.
Under the new law, the standard deductions allowed by the IRS increased; for example, for a married couple filing jointly, it went from $12,700 in 2017 to $24,000 in 2018. If a married couple had less than $24,000 in itemized deductions — including mortgage interest — then it might be financially smarter for them to go with the standard deduction.
There is a complicating factor: The new tax law now limits deductions of state and local taxes to just $10,000 for married couples and individuals and $5,000 for married couples filing separately. That means it also sets a cap on how much property tax can be deducted, a huge disadvantage for homeowners who live in states like New York, California, Florida and Texas, where property taxes often reach far more than $10,000 annually.
Here’s an example of how this works: If you’re a married homeowner in South Carolina who now pays $7,000 in state income taxes but your property taxes are $5,000, any property tax amount over $3,000 is not deductible under the new tax legislation.
“If you’re thinking about (taking) a standard deduction of $24,000, it’s kind of tough to get there because you’re now limited to $10,000 of real estate tax and state and local income tax,” Hervochon said.
Before the new tax law, Hervochon used to just ask clients whether they owned a home or rented.
“If they said ‘own a home,’ well, you’re going to itemize,” he said. “Now you can’t get away with asking just that question.”
Rose, for his part, said he started seeing clients trying to prepay their property taxes toward the end of 2017, and “going forward, that’s a big change.”
Tax-free profits
Even with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, there is one significant tax benefit that is staying the same: the amount of capital gains that can go tax-free after a homeowner sells a house at a profit. For example, married homeowners may now retain up to $500,000 in tax-free profits from the sale of their home, and for single filers the number is $250,000.
To qualify for this exclusion, homeowners must have lived in and used the home as their primary residence for at least two years out of the five years before the sale date.
Moving expenses
Before December 2017, taxpayers could deduct moving expenses if they met certain requirements related to distance and time. But under the new tax law, all deductions for moving expenses have been suspended. The only exception is for members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty who relocate per a military order related to a permanent change of station.
Another new development: Employers who reimburse moving expenses for employees must now include those expenses as taxable income in employee wages. Before December 2017, those reimbursed moving expenses could be excluded from income.
The final word
It’s still possible some of the tax benefits described above may reappear once the new tax law expires in 2025. But until then — or until Congress passes new tax legislation — buyers in the running will need to look more closely at the tax benefits of homebuying, including whether they’re comfortable making do with potentially larger loads of debt and fewer allowable deductions.
“Sometimes [people] let the tax results affect their decision-making,” Rose said. “They convince themselves it’s a good tax move, but you don’t want to pay a dollar to save 35 cents.”
Before signing the dotted line, consult your accountant to determine if the tax benefits of buying a home make good financial sense for you.
Greenhouses That Are Actual Homes
from moneywatch.com
fun article from moneywatch on people incorporating greenhouses and conventional houses together...
Homeowners across the world are realizing that one of the simplest ways to save money on heating, lighting and food is to move in with the plants.
Greenhouses don't have to be purely recreational hobby spaces exiled to the backyard. Living inside them can provide insulation for an existing structure, define space in an open floor plan or give your kitchen herbs the sunlight they need to thrive.
Practical considerations aside, greenhouses can also be turned into really beautiful places to call home. The greenhouse where Amy and Rob MacMillan lived in Rhode Island is a prime example of how creative renovators can turn "eco-friendly" into "eco-cozy."
If you're going to live in a greenhouse, you should really play up the light and capture that passive solar energy," Amy MacMillan said. "That aspect of the house is great. If you use it to your advantage, and embrace the landscape outside, you can really minimize your heating costs. ... But when it comes to design, you should really focus on playing up the features that make your home so special. That's true when you renovate a house or just move in to a home."
This Newport, Rhode Island, property was once a greenhouse on the Bonniecrest mansion estate. It was converted into a rough living space in the 1950s, but several decades later Amy and Rob MacMillan bought it from a family friend and turned it into a home.
"Basically everything required a custom design because the house is super unique," MacMillan said. "We really just wanted to work with the space as it was -- it has such a specific vibe -- so we did things like turning the linen closet into a space for the refrigerator and a bar area."
In 1976, architect Bengt Warne decided he wanted to have a greenhouse home in Vänersborg, Sweden. But rather than converting an existing structure and moving inside it, he built a normal house -- and then a greenhouse around it.
The glass shell surrounding Nature House -- or "Naturhus" -- covers about 984 square feet of space. In addition to providing a sunny and warm environment for plants, it also insulates the small inner 492-square-foot dwelling from the cold and cuts the property's estimated electric bill in half. Both structures are heated by an eco-friendly wood-burning oven and a hot water masonry heater.
Naturhus features a large Mediterranean fruit and vegetable garden, which is sustained by a system that recycles the home's gray water and compost to feed the plants. The garden has kiwi, figs, peaches and grapes for wine, among other things that would normally never grow in the chilly Swedish climate.
Famed interior architect and designer Grégoire De Lafforest, known for working with brands like Hermès and Cartier, used a small prefabricated greenhouse structure to define kitchen space in this Parisian Rue Voltaire loft. This former warehouse space used to have a completely open, 1,100-square-foot floor plan and De Lafforest divided it into six sections that he calls "a village of six small houses," according to Dornob.com.
While this greenhouse is used for cooking rather than growing plants, the loft is full of sunlight and reminders of the natural world. The most prominent example is the tall pine tree in the center of the dining room, which can be seen from inside the glass enclosure. Presumably to avoid the mess of falling pine needles, De Lafforest didn't install a live tree. He cut and dried the branches, and then re-attached them to the tree truck with plastic needles.
This greenhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was inspired by an innovative nearby restaurant: Terrain Garden Café in Glen Mills. Terrain's indoor-outdoor space was appealing to Groundswell Design Group architect David Fierabend, according to Houzz.com, but he also thought his clients would appreciate the restaurant's bright colors and unique display of antiques. Once the clients ate lunch at Terrain, they were sold on building that kind of live-in green space.
A patio made out of recycled railroad tires and a succulent garden connect the main home to the greenhouse, where the homeowners get a beautiful 360-degree view of their 6-acre property. The greenhouse features heated concrete floors and a large fireplace so it can be used during Pennsylvania's cold winters. An array of potted plants and a display of vintage watering cans help retain the greenhouse feel, but these rustic details are balanced with industrial furniture pieces and mixed textures.
"Camouglage House 3," designed by Tokyo-based architect Hiroshi Iguchi, is a glass greenhouse home that blends in perfectly with its surroundings. It's located in Nagano, Japan, a mountainous and lush area with lots to offer. But the forested area outside the property didn't fully satisfy Iguchi, who decided to add some extra space for growing trees inside.
fun article from moneywatch on people incorporating greenhouses and conventional houses together...
Homeowners across the world are realizing that one of the simplest ways to save money on heating, lighting and food is to move in with the plants.
Greenhouses don't have to be purely recreational hobby spaces exiled to the backyard. Living inside them can provide insulation for an existing structure, define space in an open floor plan or give your kitchen herbs the sunlight they need to thrive.
Practical considerations aside, greenhouses can also be turned into really beautiful places to call home. The greenhouse where Amy and Rob MacMillan lived in Rhode Island is a prime example of how creative renovators can turn "eco-friendly" into "eco-cozy."
If you're going to live in a greenhouse, you should really play up the light and capture that passive solar energy," Amy MacMillan said. "That aspect of the house is great. If you use it to your advantage, and embrace the landscape outside, you can really minimize your heating costs. ... But when it comes to design, you should really focus on playing up the features that make your home so special. That's true when you renovate a house or just move in to a home."
This Newport, Rhode Island, property was once a greenhouse on the Bonniecrest mansion estate. It was converted into a rough living space in the 1950s, but several decades later Amy and Rob MacMillan bought it from a family friend and turned it into a home.
"Basically everything required a custom design because the house is super unique," MacMillan said. "We really just wanted to work with the space as it was -- it has such a specific vibe -- so we did things like turning the linen closet into a space for the refrigerator and a bar area."
In 1976, architect Bengt Warne decided he wanted to have a greenhouse home in Vänersborg, Sweden. But rather than converting an existing structure and moving inside it, he built a normal house -- and then a greenhouse around it.
The glass shell surrounding Nature House -- or "Naturhus" -- covers about 984 square feet of space. In addition to providing a sunny and warm environment for plants, it also insulates the small inner 492-square-foot dwelling from the cold and cuts the property's estimated electric bill in half. Both structures are heated by an eco-friendly wood-burning oven and a hot water masonry heater.
Naturhus features a large Mediterranean fruit and vegetable garden, which is sustained by a system that recycles the home's gray water and compost to feed the plants. The garden has kiwi, figs, peaches and grapes for wine, among other things that would normally never grow in the chilly Swedish climate.
Famed interior architect and designer Grégoire De Lafforest, known for working with brands like Hermès and Cartier, used a small prefabricated greenhouse structure to define kitchen space in this Parisian Rue Voltaire loft. This former warehouse space used to have a completely open, 1,100-square-foot floor plan and De Lafforest divided it into six sections that he calls "a village of six small houses," according to Dornob.com.
While this greenhouse is used for cooking rather than growing plants, the loft is full of sunlight and reminders of the natural world. The most prominent example is the tall pine tree in the center of the dining room, which can be seen from inside the glass enclosure. Presumably to avoid the mess of falling pine needles, De Lafforest didn't install a live tree. He cut and dried the branches, and then re-attached them to the tree truck with plastic needles.
This greenhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was inspired by an innovative nearby restaurant: Terrain Garden Café in Glen Mills. Terrain's indoor-outdoor space was appealing to Groundswell Design Group architect David Fierabend, according to Houzz.com, but he also thought his clients would appreciate the restaurant's bright colors and unique display of antiques. Once the clients ate lunch at Terrain, they were sold on building that kind of live-in green space.
A patio made out of recycled railroad tires and a succulent garden connect the main home to the greenhouse, where the homeowners get a beautiful 360-degree view of their 6-acre property. The greenhouse features heated concrete floors and a large fireplace so it can be used during Pennsylvania's cold winters. An array of potted plants and a display of vintage watering cans help retain the greenhouse feel, but these rustic details are balanced with industrial furniture pieces and mixed textures.
"Camouglage House 3," designed by Tokyo-based architect Hiroshi Iguchi, is a glass greenhouse home that blends in perfectly with its surroundings. It's located in Nagano, Japan, a mountainous and lush area with lots to offer. But the forested area outside the property didn't fully satisfy Iguchi, who decided to add some extra space for growing trees inside.
6 Beautiful Natural Built Homes
from offgridworld.com
Natural built houses are gaining popularity all over the world, and the come in many shapes and sizes. Some small, some large, some quaint and still more and on the verge of fantasy cottages in a fantasy land. Practical, inexpensive, and structurally sound, natural homes are one of the most aesthetically pleasing, and versatile homes in the world. Building with natural materials is pleasing, and there’s something to be said for the intrinsic contentment that comes from building a house with your bare hands. Here are some of the most spectacular natural homes in the world!
Natural built houses are gaining popularity all over the world, and the come in many shapes and sizes. Some small, some large, some quaint and still more and on the verge of fantasy cottages in a fantasy land. Practical, inexpensive, and structurally sound, natural homes are one of the most aesthetically pleasing, and versatile homes in the world. Building with natural materials is pleasing, and there’s something to be said for the intrinsic contentment that comes from building a house with your bare hands. Here are some of the most spectacular natural homes in the world!
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