Region: Greater Ottawa Area
Municipality: Ottawa
Email: info@seventhgeneration.ca
Web site: http://www.seventhgeneration.ca

Number of bedrooms: 2
Building footprint, square feet: 109 each
Number of stories: 1

Main contractor name: owner
Designer's name: Monica Kalistar and Paul Battle
Length of time to build (start to occupancy): Over a period of 2 years
Volunteer participation: Lots! These cabins were built as a learning opportunity for many people--straw bale and carpentry workshop, plastering workshop, earthen plastering workshop, earthen floor workshop, creative plastering and artistic workshop.

Other foundation info: Foundation are 4' rubble trench with grade beam perimeter poured foundation

Other roof system info: Home built trusses using an engineered design, steel roof over strapping

Other insulation materials used: Roxul insulation in ceiling

Other bale wall style info: 6 bales high, with bales on edge to maximize inside space, Used galvanized fencing for the mesh (never again, thank goodness there is tenax now!)

Other plasters used: Hand plastered. Outside is 2 coats of cement/lime stucco and 1 coat of tinted stucco; yellow oxide natural pigment was used for tinting. Inside walls have 2 coats of earthen plaster (clay soil, mason sand, straw, cattail fluff) and finished with 8 coats of lime wash (last 2 were tinted with natural pigments)
Mechanical systems info: Windows were installed on all 4 sides to allow for cooling breezes in the summer and to bring in lots of light making the cabins feel spacious, Small electric oil heater (that's all it takes to heat them in the dead of winter)
Electrical systems info: grid
Anything else you'd like to share?: These are beautiful sleeping cabins, whose design and size allows for useable space without a building permit being required (over 110 sq. requires a permit). The outside stuccoing is complete with colour tint, tile work around the windows, wall mosaic designs and a relief grape vine. The inside walls are earthen plastered (soil from the foundation) and finished with a lime wash and natural pigments. For those interested in seeing a solar hot water system and a commercial composting toilet system these will also be available for viewing. Eaves troughs will keep water away from the foundation and will collect water to assist in keeping the pond's water level more stable.

Location and Directions

Participating in this year's tour: No
Tours the rest of the year: No
Coordinates: 45.550897,-75.250084 Google Map
Address: Seventh Generation Community Projects c/o Tucker House Renewal Centre 155-99 Fifth Ave Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5P5 (613) 446-2117 x 4
Driving Directions: Tucker House Renewal Centre 1731 Tucker Road, Clarence-Rockland, ON Tucker House Renewal Centre is about a half hour drive east of downtown Ottawa. From Ottawa follow the Queensway (Highway 417) East past St. Laurent Blvd. Keep left onto HWY 174 (former #17) being careful NOT to bear right on #417 to Montreal. Continue on #174 past Orleans, Cumberland and Rockland. Turn right at Laurier Street after you see the blue tourism sign for Tucker House. Take your first left on Montée Outaouais. Stay on this street past the golf course on your left and past David Rd on your right. At David Rd, Montée Outaouais turns into Tucker Road. Continue straight for less than a minute to 1731 Tucker Road. Tucker House is on your left! (613) 446-2117 x 4