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By Hugh Finlay
According to Sotheby's International Realty, over 20% of luxury house buyers are interested in buying a sustainable house. The interested buyers are from countries like Britain, China, the United States, India and the United Arab Emirates. An example is a sustainable luxury home, is a house in Colorado, which includes 14 beds, a spa, airstrip, helipad, and a geothermal cooling and heating system. Cost: $149 million.
But many wealthy buyers are interested in sustainable houses is to cut running costs of country houses, which can be expensive to run and maintain, according to Hugo Thistlethwayte, of the UK estate agency Savills, which deals with international residences. He said "If they can do that in an eco-friendly way, then they want to do that." He went on to say "A really good eco-home will involve not just (new) technology, but also the oldest forms of technology." This means making best use of the environment to keep the house at the right temperature. About this Thistlethwayte said "If it's a development, it's a bit more about how it looks and the wow factor. So you see a lot of glass in development, but if you're not careful that can turn into a greenhouse." For this reason, building their own homes is the way that some people get exactly type of eco-friendly house they are looking for.
There are cheaper options for eco-freindly homes, such as a house in Portugal made from mud, and includes a composting toilet, a wood burner, and river water. This costs over $57,000. Other options are solar powered houses, with rain water catchers, and made from natural materials. There are also "earthship" houses available, houses that are completely self-sufficient for power and water. Solar panels provide the power, and there is a water catcher to provide the water for the house. And last but not least, the house is built from natural materials.
As the operator of a sustainable buildings website, David Edge, said " The fantasy of owning your own chunk of land and being able to survive off it is still a driving force. Most people are looking for a more meaningful way of life, with a simpler lifestyle that allows more time to connect with the natural world." But there are alternatives to the countryside, as Edge says "If (buyers) aspire to an urban lifestyle then some of the modern, well-designed properties are truly exceptional with their use of (green) resources for heating, lighting."
Nevertheless for complete sustainability it is still the countryside house which are the ones. But be warned. As Edge says "It can involve a large amount of physical work and a change in habits of eating, washing, sleeping, computer usage."
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