Building a Home in Hundreds of Not So Easy Steps

My name is Greg Manter and I built a home. My small house is unusual in that it is relatively affordable and efficient. This site shares what I've learned about home construction and building products.

A Small House

I built a 584 square foot house (plus porches) on a quarter-acre lot. It's style is "Charleston Single House" -- two story, one room wide, narrow end toward the street and porches along the side. There is a living room, kitchen, bathroom, one bedroom, and porches upstairs and down. This small house is sized to fit one or two people, but the design makes future expansion easy.

The Eastern Shore region has a historic tradition of building expandable homes. In the colonial era they built "big house, little house, colonnade and kitchen" houses that grew as the owner had money and time. My house is designed to be easily expandable in the local style.

Passive solar design features and efficient appliances will minimize the house's environmental impact. All systems have been kept as simple and small as possible. There is no air-conditioning, so we built in ways for hot air to rise and flow right out of the house. Interior materials are mostly natural and hypoallergenic. The exterior is low-maintenance.

My small house is in the small town of Onancock, Virginia. It's within easy walking distance of downtown.