Planning, Planning, Planning

Since almost two weeks we are at Clayton's parents. We are using those days not just for family time but also for planning the construction of our future home in a more detailed way. We are going back and forth between the options for the foundation: ~ concrete ~ rubble trench ~ stone ~ raised (stilts) Concrete is probably the easiest but also most expensive and if we really want a green home concrete is probably not a very wise decision. A rubble trench sounds great but it is very time consuming (but we are sure it is worth it). I am a bit sceptic about a raised foundation to be honest. Well, we are still discussing and thinking about the best decision for our specific need (it schould not take too long, hold up for centuries, be green and not too expensive) and we would be more than happy about comments and suggestions from you! Another thing we are thinking about is our water supply. We are interested in a well and rainwater usage. First we thought we would start with a well and just rainwater barrels in the yard. Then we had the idea of Urging a rainwater tank underneath the roof and having this as our only water source. I think having both (well & tank)would be awesome but to save money we should maybe start out with just one. Your ideas and comments are appreciated on this one as well. Thanks! Then we were giving some thought to some of our appliances inside the house. We were discussing about a rainwater or composting toilet and after realizing what kind of composting toilets are on the market I was easily convinced that this is the smartest and most ecological ethic especially if you are having a farm. I am sure a lot of readers might be thinking "gross&nasty" but those toilets are very advanced and not at all comparable to an outhouse (we will have this toilet in our bathroom indoors). A very close friend of mine told me a few weeks ago that it is one of the silliest inventions of mankind to flush away our urin and poop and we should give back to the earth what we took from her. We were also thinking about kitchen appliances like stove, fridge and freezer and how we can be environmentally friendly and not spend too much on those items. Clayton's suggestion was not to have any ;-) but think we need a stove for feeding a family and a fridge and a freezer if we have a farm that will feed us. With having kids I would really appreciate having a washing machine (not a dryer just a washer) too, cause I just cannot befriend the thought of washing everything by hand. Clayton showed me an old style washer that works with arm muscles instead of energy but I am still not sure if this is something could live with ;-) All of a sudden we realize once more how spoiled we are and how we use so many things that make life easier and faster. I think we still have to do a lot of thinking and any help is appreciated!!!