Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?

Dense/heavy envelope construction

Passive · New build only

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are broad judgements against comparable building approaches, not measured figures.

Thick, heavy walls and roofs made of masonry or earth. Sound from outside loses its energy trying to shake a heavy mass, so little of it gets through. The house is quieter inside, as a bonus of walls already chosen for storing heat.

Cost

Medium

Upkeep

None

Skill to build

Specialist

Lifespan

Matches structure lifespan (mass is a permanent material property, not a wearing component)

Embodied carbon

Medium

Space / material use

None

Output timing

None

Skill to repair

None

Regulation (FR example)

Part of the structure or footprint: covered by the building permit (permis de construire) for a new dwelling. Rural sites are additionally constrained by the commune's PLU zoning, outside a constructible zone, a new dwelling is generally refused.

Inputs

none

Outputs

• Reduced noise

How does this solution compare to others for the same need?

The only option catalogued for this need so far, so there is nothing to compare it against.

Sources

No sources recorded yet.

Limitations of this page

We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.