The cold weather in Sweden makes it highly challenging to grow vegetables in the garden, but apparently, there is always a solution.
A Swedish couple, Charles Sacilotto and Marie Grammer, decided to build a massive greenhouse that encloses their home which will help them grow their own produce and keep their house warm during the entire year.
They gave Fair Companies a tour of their “Naturhus” which is encompassed by a 4-millimeter pane of glass, and its installation cost $84,000.
The house was built on the site of an old summer house on a Stockholm archipelago, and the idea was inspired by Swedish eco-architect Bengt Warne, who was also Sacilotto’s mentor.
According to HuffPost:
“The house they bought was not meant for year-round living, but utilizing Warne’s design, they made a home that’s comfortable during the winter. They engulfed the house in 4-millimeter glass and left plenty of room for a wrap-around garden.
The couple has saved so much money using solar energy that they were able to re-do the exterior of the house. Because their home doesn’t come in contact with wind or rain, they covered the new wood facade with only linseed oil.”
The greenhouse home is heated by the sun during the day and remains warm during the evening as the residual heat is stored in a bedrock that resides below the home.
Their son enjoys the roof deck in numerous ways, for reading, sunbathing, and playing.
Moreover, this family is environmentally conscious, and they collect rainwater for their household needs and to water their plants, and compost the garden and kitchen waste, in order to be recycled back into their little ecosystem.
According to Fair Companies:
“The sewage system begins with a urine-separating toilet and uses centrifuges, cisterns, grow beds and garden ponds to filter the water and compost the remains.”
The family grows figs, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and grapes in their greenhouse.
Charles Sacilotto, an engineer, claims that the glass cannot pose any risks:
“It’s security glass. So in principle, this can’t break. If it ever does, it will break into tiny pieces to not harm anyone.”
Watch the video below to meet this family and learn more about their amazing home:
