The ideal house for this Christmas season would be practical and thoughtful. It is not possible to gain individually when our stepping up is taking away from others in any way shape or form.

My wife and I would like to save and take a small loan for an eco/mini house. These are pre-made from sustainable, natural, non-toxic materials. It would be designed for energy efficiency and conscious living.

We would have one floor with 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, living area and one bathroom. I would have one extra room attached to the side of the house which would have its own porch and screen entrance. This room would be used for massage, yoga and other applications bringing space to the local community.

The property the house would be on would have plenty of room for small cropping, building a meditation garden and for any other use. The floors and common wood used would be either untreated bamboo or hemp, being more durable, safe, and less harmful on the local ecosystem.

In the backyard I would like a large shed converted to a dog kennel room for my two rescue dogs. One of our dogs is disabled and uses a wheel chair so a ramp would be needed at certain points on the property.

I would paint the house myself keeping to a Zen Asian theme featuring dark chocolate framing with bamboo green walls and hand painted graphic art of bamboo chutes and tall grass on the corners of certain walls.

The windows would be draped with all organic shoji blinds, and the entrance to the main living area would be accented by a sliding shoji screen. The house would be mostly powered by wind and solar energy.

We would use eco-blue technology to produce high quality filtered water out of the air and create organic compost for soil on the property. There are interchangeable details in my mind regarding the layout and shape of the house.

Overall it would have the getaway feel, be extremely healthy, and using only about 800 sq ft. would cost under 100,000 to build. It’s not a matter of how, it’s simply a matter of when.