Buying your own home can be quite expensive. Building it can be more expensive and will take time and more effort. It is understandable that some people are dreaming of owning a home but the financial aspect doesn’t allow them.

If you want to avoid paying expensive mortgage and piled up debt, you should look for other housing alternative. These are environmental-friendly and affordable. Below are list of alternative housing ideas you can consider:

Shipping container homes

Shipping crate homes are great alternative for expensive housing. They can be cheaper to build compared to traditional houses. It uses fewer raw materials while offering an industrial and modern look. Home builders can use one shipping crate in building a small house or just combine crates for a larger house option. There are options for shipping container homes to make them eco-friendly by using green solution, solar panels, and alike.

Log House

Log houses are considered as an eco-friendly type of alternative housing. Using large logs means great for energy efficiency. Various studies proved that logs can absorb heat during the day, helping the home warmer at night in winter days. To increase the home’s sustainability factor, there are available greener options for chinking and woods stains that homeowners can buy. Log homes can be built using dead trees and can have rustic design.

Green Roof Homes

A house with green roof is an awesome architectural feature. It helps managing the storm water runoff by giving a penetrable surface. Green roof also aids in offsetting the urban heat-island effect. It reflects the heat and helps in lowering the building or home’s cooling cost. Green roofs are considered as great insulators, reducing both noise and air pollution. For homes, extensive roof is the most practical type of green roof. It supports wide array of small plants. Green roofs don’t require too much maintenance.

Manufactured Homes

Building home from scratch is tedious, time consuming, and expensive. This is why manufactured homes are popular these days. Both cost of labor and materials are expensive. If you want a well-designed home without breaking the bank, this is perfect for you. Samples of manufactured homes are modular and kit homes. It offers the chance to choose the exact amount of space you need to live.

Earthship

It may look like a UFO in terms of construction, but earthship is an eco-friendly type of home. It has become popular around world in the recent years. Earthship construction relies on reusing tin cans and empty bottles that can be found on various landfills.

Hemp Concrete

This is also widely used worldwide with exemption of United States. Hemp concrete is a sustainable material when building a home. During the Roman era, they combined the plants woody fibers and lime to make the hemp concrete lighter. Moreover, hemp concrete is a good insulator and makes good acoustics. A hemp plant matures and grows quickly in a span of four months. This material also contributes in energy efficiency.

Mobile Home

If you hear mobile home, what’s the first thing you think of? For poor people? Mobile homes carry a bad image up to this day. However, these days, mobile homes have been popular. One reason is that it’s easy to maintain and don’t take so much space. Mobile homes can also be refaced or remodeled in so many ways. You can save yourself from the hassle of building home and choose this free-spirited home.

Tiny Houses

Most people are dreaming of having a big house but these days, the popular are tiny houses because of their lovely and well considered design. If you’re looking for a tiny house, it’s easy because you can find them online. Tiny houses are built either on a trailer or with a foundation. They are considered affordable to have and live in. If you’re in a tight budget, this one’s for you.

Wood-pallet Houses

Looking for an affordable housing solution? Wood-pallet homes are for you. The wood-pallet housing has eco-friendly aspects, designed to make it more permanent. Wood pallets are readily available and particularly cheaper to buy. Materials for this alternative housing are extremely reusable, recyclable, and easy to mix and match with other materials to create unique and energy-efficient home.

Stone Houses

If you are looking for sustainable construction materials, stones are the best. Stone houses are durable and they are not in danger to extinct. It comes with retro-rustic flair vibe and natural beauty. Stone houses don’t require exterior painting. If stone house is built using the passive home principle (green homes), homeowners can expect well-heated house that can stand the weather, test of time, and even the killer earthquake. They are quite elegant and provide comfort.