Suburban Homes: From Liabilities to Assets
A Reconsideration of Modern Suburban Homes and the Promise of Off-Grid Living
The paradigm of the suburban dream home, a cornerstone of American life for generations, has not evolved in pace with environmental, societal, and economic needs. Far from being the assets they are often thought to be, these dwellings, despite their curb appeal, are increasingly revealed as massive liabilities. I argue that modern homes in suburban areas, with their emphasis on space and aesthetic appeal, are fundamentally flawed in design and operation. They are not built to last, they fail to prioritize energy efficiency, and they create little value beyond their use as dwellings that add to the municipal tax base.
A Critical Review of Modern Suburban Homes
Modern homes are frequently constructed with an overriding concern for profit, resulting in the use of cheaper materials that can begin to fail after 30 or so years. Unfortunately, these failures often lead to substantial repair and maintenance costs, eventually rivaling the initial cost of the homes themselves. This represents a significant financial burden on homeowners, making these houses more akin to long-term liabilities than assets.
Beyond the material shortcomings, the design of these homes lacks the long-term foresight necessary for useful sustainability. Modern suburban homes are typically not constructed with energy efficiency in mind, leading to exorbitant energy bills for heating and cooling. Additionally, many of these homes are riddled with materials that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other toxic substances, posing a significant health risk to the inhabitants.
Moreover, these homes do not contribute to walkable communities, exacerbating the reliance and expense of multiple personal vehicles for commuting. This further expands the financial burden of suburban homeownership through the costs of vehicle purchase and maintenance, fuel, and insurance. Additionally, these homes do not address essential human needs like food and water production, energy generation, or waste management.
The modern suburban home's increasing value typically owes more to land appreciation, resulting from urban scarcity, rather than the inherent value of the dwelling itself. As the suburban sprawl levels off, the maintenance of expansive and often crumbling infrastructure will lead to increased taxes, further exacerbating the financial burden of suburban living.
Many HOAs have become so restrictive, it’s impossible to consider planting a garden over the lawn, growing a meadow rather than maintaining chemically treated grass, installing solar panels, or keep chickens. HOAs have become a miniature form of government to further restrict any productive capacity a suburban home might have. I for one, would never live within an HOA as it’s yet another layer of bureaucracy to cut through and support financially. HOAs help to ensure that many suburban homes in neighborhoods remain 100% focused on consumption only.
Suburban homes as financial “investments”
The perception of modern homes as assets is largely contingent on the artificial dynamics of the financial and housing markets. In an expanding financial market, home values can be buoyed by positive economic trends, making these homes seem like good investments. Similarly, homes can gain value due to artificial scarcity created by strict zoning regulations that limit new home construction. These regulations often lead to a mismatch between supply and demand, driving up the value of existing homes. However, these factors are external to the home itself and can be subject to rapid change. If economic conditions worsen or zoning regulations are relaxed, homeowners may find that their so-called assets quickly depreciate in value, reinforcing the notion that modern suburban homes are conditional assets at best, rooted more in market contingencies than in inherent, lasting value.
Off-Grid Homes: A Value-Generating Alternative
Contrary to our prevailing model of suburban on-grid homes, off-grid homes present a sustainable and value-generating alternative. Unlike the typical suburban home, an off-grid dwelling is designed around production rather than consumption, becoming a truly productive asset rather than a consumption focused liability.
Off-grid homes typically employ several techniques to simultaneously reduce energy requirements and generate their own local power. By incorporating passive design elements such as well-insulated walls and optimal orientation to the sun, these homes require less energy for heating and cooling. Additionally, they often generate their own energy through solar panels, biomass burning in rocket mass heaters, wood stoves, solar ovens, solar hot water heaters, and methane digesters, reducing or even eliminating reliance on the grid.
Beyond energy, off-grid homes often incorporate permaculture systems for food and water production. Composting systems and the integration of livestock can contribute to soil regeneration and food production, sustainably turning wastes into resources. Water can be sourced sustainably through wells or rainwater collection systems. After use, grey water can be filtered through reed beds and used again within onsite gardens.
Sanitation can be managed with sustainable methods in off-grid homes, through composting toilets or methane digester toilets, reducing water use and even producing energy while managing the waste. Residents have the responsibility of keeping all toxic elements out of the outgoing water and waste streams. This involvement increases our awareness and respect for our impact on downstream systems, like our gardens or livestock.
Final thoughts on consumptive suburban homes vs productive off-grid homes
While the traditional suburban home has been a long-standing symbol of prosperity and success, a critical examination reveals it as more of a liability than an asset here in 2023. With a high cost of ownership, inherent energy inefficiencies, and an environmentally detrimental impact, our current model of the suburban home requires a radical rethink.
By contrast, the off-grid home offers an alternative model, a home designed as an asset that generates multiple types of value rather than merely consuming many resources to provide the service of shelter alone. These off-grid home concepts offer a blueprint for how residential design can be adapted to meet the challenges of sustainability, resource scarcity, and climate change while providing comfortable and healthful living spaces.
The location of many suburban homes lend themselves well to off-grid retrofitting. Suburbs have room for gardens, food forests, livestock, and other production focused endeavors. David Holmgren has clearly illustrated how suburban homes can be retrofitted for this purpose in his aptly named book, RetroSuburbia.
The case for off-grid living is not just an argument for financial and environmental sustainability. It is a reimagining of what a home can be—a self-sufficient, value-creating asset that provides for its inhabitants' needs locally without depleting the earth's resources via traditional centralized systems (power plants, CAFOs, municipal water, municipal sewage, car-centric design). It is high time we reconsider the standard suburban dwelling and seek alternatives that offer true long-term value, both for the individual homeowner and for our future communities.