Growing food in urban cores with the Urban Farm Unit

 Here is our page on greenhouse construction in cold climates, have an look here for tips –

How to build a greenhouse in a cold climate

As for heating, using solar thermal collectors can be a great way to heat a greenhouse, is this a new build or is it already existing? I ask because if its new then you can install radiant hydronic tubing in a poured concrete floor that you can feed with heated water from thermal solar panels. If its an already existing greenhouse and you are looking for heating solutions, you could consider running your heated tubes through some sort of thermal mass, like stone or sand beds underneath plants.

Are you looking to make it a 4 season greenhouse? I ask because if so, you may want a better insulated and more reliable system. We recently built a demonstration house that is on a slab on grade floor with solar air heated tubes heating the slab floor. It may be a something to consider depending on how big this project is and if it is all seasons. 

Great that your goal is to create a such sustainable home or homes, and the Hydraloop Residential Grey Water Recovery System is a brilliant product. I think your best bet at this point is to contact a septic engineer, as they are the ones that would need to design a system and size it appropriately and regional Building Code regulations may also apply, that will determine how big septic bed you need, and whether you can feed it from adjacent cottages.

And conceptually speaking, given that you have 14 acres, is it safe to assume you have no municipal water supply and you will be digging a well? If so, I would say maybe zoom out for a second and look at the overall impact because your water will not arrive from a treatment plant, nor will your waste water be heading back there. Meaning, as conscientious people, I assume you will not be wasteful with your water, and that you will likely purchase water efficient toilets and faucets. So, the water you do use will be pumped from the ground and treat on site.

While reduction is a great thing, as long as there is sufficient ground water, in this case I don’t see your ecological footprint necessarily going enough to justify the cost of purchasing what is likely an expensive piece of machinery.  A grey water treatment system would reduce the wear on your well pump, and reduce the energy required to supply a sufficient amount of water, but it’s really anyone’s guess if that’s actually any more sustainable given that you’re going to pump water up, use it, then let it filter itself naturally through the ground. Just food for thought! Where are you building by the way? Was I right about well water, and is there sufficient ground water where you are building?