How We built our Eco Smart Home in Brazil: From Start to Almost Finish
Introduction
Well Today I am super excited to kick off a brand new playlist documenting our smart home journeyâfrom planning and building our Eco Friendly house In Brazil to putting all the smart pieces in place.
And This journey has been an incredible adventure, filled with challenges, big decisions, and some game-changing experiences. We didnât just want to build a home; we wanted to create a smart, sustainable space that reflects our lifestyle and future needs.
So In this video, Iâll take you behind the scenes, sharing every step of the process â from Land selection, to land excavation, to laying out the foundation, to the innovative use of light steel frame construction.
Basically From Start to Almost Finish that made our home not just beautiful, but intelligent and most importantly efficient. And when I Say âAlmost Finishâ is that once your build your home – I mean its never finished, its a never ending journey. Let me know in the comments if you agree with that statement as well.Â
Now this video is broken into 2 main parts – The first 10 mins we will go thru the planning phase where Youâll get to see on how we worked with the architects and engineers to bring our vision on paper and the next 10 mins of the video is a non-stop execution from the ground up of transforming our vision to life. I mean, weâre sharing it all.
Donât worry, I have broken down the video into chapters making it easy to skip through as well.
So, if youâre passionate about sustainability & having a tech-forward house or just curious about what it takes to build one – Lets Jump right in !
Land Selection
Now, When it came to selecting the land for our dream home, we didnât just pick a plot that fit our needsâwe chose one that presented a real challenge. This high slope wasnât the easiest choice, but it offered something no other property could: an unbeatable view overlooking nature – We fell in love with it.
From the beginning, we knew this land wasnât going to make things easy. The steep incline meant that building here would require creative solutions, and a lot of determination. But as soon as we stepped onto the property and saw the view, we knew it was worth every challenge.
Standing here, we were surrounded by natureâlush greenery, and a sky that seems to stretch on forever. We didnât just want a piece of land; we wanted to wake up every day feeling like we were living in a painting.
So basically, The slope dictated every part of our design, from the multi-level layout to the strategic placement of windows that capture every bit of this incredible view.
Topography
Now Once we purchased the land and Before any design work could begin, one of the most critical steps was getting the topography of our land accurately mapped out. I mean This wasnât just a formalityâitâs the foundation of any architectural project, especially when building on challenging terrain like a slope.
Topography involves surveying the land to capture all the detailsâelevations, slopes, natural features, and any potential obstacles. For our project, it was essential for the architect to understand the exact shape and behavior of the land before putting any ideas on paper.
And For a sloped site like ours, it helped determine where the foundation needed to be reinforced, where retaining walls should go, and how to manage water drainage effectively.
Without this information, designing the house would be like working blindfolded. So In short, what I learnt was that topography was the starting point that made the rest of our design process possible. Itâs a step that we couldnât skip when building on a complex terrain as it lays the groundworkâliterally and figurativelyâfor turning our dream into reality.
The Home Design
After completing the topography, our architect had a detailed understanding of our landâs unique features. This critical information & data became the blueprint for designing our home that would perfectly fit the slope, taking full advantage of the natural terrain.
With this data, The topography informed key decisions, such as how to position the house to maximize stability and views while minimizing excavation. It also helped decide the ideal placement of key elements like retaining walls, and outdoor spaces
Using 3D modeling software, the architect overlaid the house design onto the topographic map. This step was crucial because it allowed us to visualize how the home would sit on the slope in real life, highlighting potential challenges and opportunities early in the design process.
Like I said earlier – The topography wasnât just a guideline; it became an active part of our design. For instance, instead of fighting against the slope, the architect designed different levels that followed the landâs natural descent. This approach minimized the need for extensive retaining walls and made the home feel organically connected to its surroundings.
The interior layout was also influenced by the topography. Rooms were strategically placed to capture the best views, and spaces like the garage and basement were integrated into the lower elevations of the slope, optimizing both function and aesthetics
In the end, Our architect turned the landâs challenges into opportunities, creating a design that doesnât just sit on the land but interacts with it. Each level of the house is perfectly positioned to maximize the view, turning a tricky slope into a home that feels connected to the landscape
Electrical & Hydraulic Project
With our architectural design finalized, the next crucial step was planning the electrical and hydraulic systems. These werenât just about wires and pipesâtheyâre about ensuring our home was setup smart, efficient, and sustainable.
For the electrical project, we knew from get go that we wanted a smart home as well as solar panels. This meant everything needed to be tightly integrated.
The key to making this work was having a dedicated electrical plan that was smart home compatible. This involved careful planning of wiring routes, and installing control panels that could handle everything from automated blinds to voice-activated lighting.
Remember, Smart home technology requires precise electrical work, reliable power source, and the wiring must be future-proofed for upgrades. This planning allowed us to seamlessly integrate all our smart home features right from the beginning, rather than trying to retrofit them later.
Equally important was our hydraulic project. We wanted a system that didnât just manage water but also supported rainwater harvesting, which is crucial for sustainability, especially in a tropical country like Brazil.
Our hydraulic engineer designed a system that captures rainwater from the roof and channels it into storage tanks. This harvested water is filtered and used for non-potable purposes like irrigation and cleaning basically reducing our reliance and dependency on municipal water. This same plan also mapped out the entire water flow, ensuring efficient drainage around the house.
Together, these plans created our home that was not just smart but also environmentally conscious which was the backbone of our daily comfort, convenience, and sustainability efforts.
So, if youâre designing your dream home, make sure your electrical and hydraulic projects arenât just afterthoughtsâtheyâre what makes your house truly work for you.
Light Steel Frame
Now One of the most exciting parts of our journey was transforming ours and the architectâs vision into a light steel frame project. This process essentially turned our architectural design into a structural one, allowing us to know upfront how strong the home would be, whether the design was balanced, and how much material was needed before construction even began.
To do this, we hired a light steel frame structural engineer. What they did was analyzed the design and identified which areas needed extra reinforcement. They basically highlighted critical points that required additional steel material and suggested changes to enhance the overall structure. After the first review, the engineer estimated we would need about 8.5 tons of light steel material to support our initial design and pointed out specific structural concerns that needed addressing.
Together with the architect, we went back to the drawing board to adjust the design based on the engineerâs feedback. Fortunately, most of the changes were minor, involving small layout tweaks to improve structural integrity.
We went through three rounds of revisions with the structural engineer. Each review helped us resolve all the concerns, and by optimizing the design, we were able to reduce the amount of steel required by about 12%, bringing it down to approximately 7.5 tons
Once we approved the final light steel frame project, we received a comprehensive structural document. This included a detailed breakdown of the entire house from the ground up, a complete material list specifying cuts and sizes, the home was compatible with the electrical / hydraulics needs as well as a 3D model that gave us a clear visual of what to expect.
With all the deliverables in hand, we went ahead to quote the project, selected our vendor, and within four weeks, all the materials were delivered to the builderâs warehouse, ready for assembly.
This stage of the project was a crucial step in turning our dream into reality, setting the stage for the actual construction of our home on a slope.
So, Now sit back and relax and without much further delay – this is how we transformed our home project into reality.
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âąď¸ TIMESTAMPS âąď¸:
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00:00 Opening
01:07 Video Break Down
01:46 The Land Selection
02:43 The Topography Process
03:44 The Home Design Process
05:16 The Light Steel Frame Project
09:03 The Home Construction – From Start To Finish
19:00 Closing
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