Do you ever get the feeling that you were just meant to read a book? As in, it may be the perfect message at the perfect time in your life… I got a bit of that feeling from Paul Jeffrey Fowler’s The Evolution of an Independent Home. Granted, M (my fiance) and I aren’t ready to mad-dash our way out of city life and our little condo on the asphalt quite yet, but The Evolution of an Independent Home gets many gears turning, while stoking the flames of future visions. Please enjoy this book review of The Evolution of an Independent Home, by Paul Jeffrey Fowler
How Did I Find it?
I was on the horn with my old middle school buddy, Kurt, catching up one day last summer. Kurt is usually jazzed about something, generally fishing or a project of some kind. I like that.
I was yappin’ something about our garden, permaculture design or the sort when he told me about his Mom’s second husband, their homestead in rural western Massachusetts and the book he wrote about it. Kurt explained how the book details their journey into off-grid living, solar electricity, homesteading, etc.
I didn’t need to hear anymore, I was sold.
So, I bought the book, read it immediately and wrote this book review.
No, nope…No.
That is not what happened at all. I bought the book, and upon receipt, plopped it on a my unwieldy “to read” stack.
It marinated. I marinated.
Recently, I picked it up.
And, in a fashion that I’ve come to understand is my modus operandi when I’m into something, I blazed through the book in short order, annotating and underlining like a madman. I gushed about the content to anyone unfortunate enough to be within confabulation distance.
“Oooh, honey! Check this out. Thermal mass!
What's the Gist?
The book depicts an off-grid home build. From raw land to meticulously designed homestead, Paul’s odyssey reminds us that many overestimate what they can do in the short-run, while underestimating what they can do in the long-run.
An ambitious project like Paul’s takes patience, knowledge, grit and a “little help from my friends.”
Paul Fowler, a jack-of-all-trades, originally from western Mass, returns to his country roots to build his dream home on a site in Worthington, MA. Expressed chronologically, Fowler explains exactly how he did it, blunders and triumphs included.
The tale is fantastic, but truthfully, pretty standard for western Mass. This is no slight to Fowler, in fact, I mean it to be complimentary. You see, many western Mass residents could be described similarly: the more you learn about them, the more interesting they become. You get insight into their creativity, artistry, handiwork, their vocations. A journeyperson job history or some connection to one of the many schools in the area aren’t uncommon.
But I digress about the wonders of western Mass…
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So, Paul’s building a house, right?
In Worthington. Wait, where?!
Ha! Yeah, it’s pretty far out there.
This section of western mass, often called the “hilltowns,” as in the foothills of the Berkshires, is remote, stunningly beautiful and filled with wildlife and down-to-earth folks.
It’s also where M grew up, so we are closely connected with the area and love returning ourselves to spend time outdoors and visit family.
What Did I Like About It?
Graphics
Technical drawings, maps and diagrams fill many pages of this book. Generally, I appreciated the visual aids as I read, which helped me understand the content. Some early drawings depict the site and build, rhyming with those of permaculture site design.
Others are highly technical drawings, specific to the various systems employed on the homestead. I found the tech spec conversations about appliances to be tedious at times, but I may appreciate these more fully later as I attempt to execute similar undertakings (and need the help!).
Solar electricity, passive design.
The meat of the book details the initial build and the series of improvements to the homestead’s systems: solar-powered electricity, refrigeration and heating. As mentioned, much of this is academic for me as I sit in a heavily populated city, living fully on-grid and enjoying all of the benefits of immediate electricity-fueled gratification. I still find it useful and enjoyable however, as it expands my knowledge base and fuels my imagination. This excites me.
The more I learn about design, within the context of sustainability, the more shocking the suburban “McMansion” becomes. It might be unrealistic to promote locally sourced cob homes as “the answer” to all of humanity’s woes, but wouldn’t it make sense to put a bit more thought into how we build our homes?
What if we put the same amount of time into thinking about how our homes relate to their external environments as we do with accommodating the wants and needs of its internal inhabitants?
Echoes of Walden
In reviewing this book, I couldn’t help but think of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as I turned the pages of The Evolution of an Independent Home. Fowler plants his spade in Thoreau’s literary garden with his opening chapter: “My Roots in Self-Sufficiency,” where he briefly discusses his upbringing.
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Later, in the book’s closing chapters, Fowler gives a more robust accounting of his solar home. Momentarily transported to the banks of Walden Pond, I heard the sound of Thoreau’s voice, dutifully listing off the expenses of his one-room cabin, from nail to shingle.
But this is 1995, not 1845. Things have gotten a bit… more complicated?
Fowler discusses the economics of his solar home design. Although the specifics made be worlds apart, both Fowler and Thoreau share an attention for detail, a passion for the mission at hand and a staunchly independent spirit.
“I have my own methods of comparing the cost of our solar electricity on Bashan Hill to the cost I would pay to the utility company… My personal way of looking at the savings of my solar electric system is very basic. I saved $8,000 originally and got ten years of free electricity in the process. After the ten years, when I start to maintain the system, I will begin to pay 30 cents per kilowatt hour for 100 kilowatt hours per month…
‘The lack of a power line is a poor real estate investment,’ friends have pointed out. ‘Your home is worth $20,000 less.’ I reply, ‘I do not have to spend money on more land to ward off the pressure of development. My home is not for sale. It has no dollar value.’
There are numerous ways to compare the cost of a solar electric system to the cost of electrical energy from the power company. It is obvious that we pay three times as much for solar electricity as we would for the electricity from the power company. Anyone can see that someone would seem foolish to replace 10-cent-per-kilowatt-hour electricity with 30-cent-per-kilowatt-hour electricity if a power line were already running into his or her home. But what if everyone did? Perhaps it would be a good deal.”
We see Fowler and Thoreau share a deeper understanding of value. Likely, not the kind measured by standard units of account, but something more meaningful. Maybe, we’ll just let old Thoreau say it himself, not sure we’ll be able to put it any better:
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
Celebrates Western Mass and its People
Fowler’s Evolution of an Independent Home celebrates western Massachusetts and its people. I’m totally biased, but I loved this about the book. You get a great sense of the amazing people that hail from these parts. They are hard-working, ingenious and kind folk who both help their neighbor and are helped by their neighbor.
Who Would Like This Book?
If you want inspiration on a home build, read this book. The technology discussions may revolve around outdated equipment, but the insights into Fowler’s approach and thought process are invaluable.
If you are intrigued by tales of self-sufficiency, you will enjoy this book. Fowler shows how a person can accomplish great things through grit and perseverance.
Conclusion
The Evolution of an Independent Home, by Paul Jeffrey Fowler is a formidable accomplishment and a fun read. I hope you enjoyed this book review as much as I enjoyed reading it!
It may be my personal connection to its people and/or the land, but I especially appreciate the simplicity and eloquence found within the final sentences of Fowler’s introduction. “I originally started writing this book for myself. I think I wanted to write this book from the first day I took possession of my remote land on Bashan Hill. As the project wore on and the tasks became more difficult, I finished the book for my family… Eventually in the next twenty years, each will read this book and better understand how and where they have lived.”
