Finding a home that supports the homestead lifestyle in today’s market feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. Many homes are priced just out of reach for average families, and even renting requires a two-income household. For those who dream of a lifestyle closer to nature, it is certainly hard to realize a home with space for gardens, maybe a few chickens, and room for children to play.
Even a modest home with a backyard large enough to kick a ball around seems nearly impossible on a middle-class income. In California, most homes that are fit for living are well over half a million dollars, and they certainly wouldn’t provide space for expansive gardens or livestock.
But here’s what I’m learning about suburban homesteads: self-sufficiency can be cultivated even in the smallest of spaces.
A balcony, a doorstep with potted plants, a community garden plot, all can be utilized for homesteading to the greatest capacity.
It’s truly amazing what can be done with creativity and intention. As Low, Gleeson, Green, and Radovic argue in The Green City, the sustainable city and by extension, the sustainable home “can be built by a thousand well-directed small changes.” [1] For those fortunate enough to own or build a home surrounded by nature, there’s an opportunity to design spaces that work in harmony with the natural world, supporting both our health and the planet.
Rethinking How We Live and Work
In my search for homes that support a more natural lifestyle, I came across a striking statistic: to maintain our suburban lifestyles, we need only one-tenth of the environmental resources we currently use. And the problem isn’t so much our homes it’s our workplaces.
Low et al. makes this point directly, dedicating an entire chapter of The Green City to sustainable workplaces alongside housing, open space, and transport; four pillars they argue must be addressed together to create genuinely livable cities. [1] Workplaces can be redesigned to reduce their environmental drain or completely recycled and used for alternate purposes. I’ve worked in positions that required physical office space and regular in-person attendance, but I’ve also worked jobs where the business could have saved money and resources by allowing hybrid or remote work.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted this reality in an unprecedented way. While the experience was challenging, it forced a massive shift in how we think about work environments. Many people discovered they were more productive working from familiar, comfortable spaces designed for their own health needs and sensitivities.
Imagine the economic and environmental impact if more companies embraced hybrid and remote work reducing wasteful use of space, cutting commutes, and allowing people to create personalized workspace that enhance their wellbeing.
This is just one way we can begin building suburban communities that work with nature and support human health and wellness.
Beyond Aesthetics
To create a home that encompasses the homestead lifestyle, you need to understand the basic principles behind natural house design. As our current homes and housing facilities age and deteriorate, we have an opportunity to choose natural resources over synthetic materials in new construction and renovations.
Many people seeking a homestead lifestyle are questioning not just how their home looks, but whether their living spaces harbor hidden toxins. Concern is well founded. According to researcher W. J. Meggs, “allergy and chemical sensitivity are closely related disorders in which environmental exposures produce inflammatory reactions.” [4] Healthy housing has become increasingly important as more people suffer from allergies and chemical sensitivities.
Suburban homesteaders want to create homes that support traditional living styles and overall health, while expressing individuality and respect for the natural world. On the surface, you might notice earthy colors, rough textures, stripped wood, or ethnic ornaments.
But natural design runs much deeper than aesthetics. As architect David Pearson writes in The New Natural House Book: “Health for the body, peace for the spirit, harmony with the environment these are the criteria of the natural house.” [2]
The true essence of a natural home includes abundant natural light, fresh air circulation, natural scents and sounds, and the presence of nature itself. A home should be a place of comfort and healing, a space where we feel in harmony with ourselves and all of life. Designing your home to accentuate the natural resources of your area directly supports your family’s health.
Learning from Our Ancestors
Our ancestors used caves, trees, grass shelters, and hide tents as they traveled with migrating animals and the changing seasons. Pearson describes this deep history vividly: “By the millennial clock of our existence, it is only in the last minute of the eleventh hour that we have changed our primordial living patterns and started to build permanent homes and settlements.” [2] Our forebears later transitioned to settling permanently and engaging in agriculture under the pressure of increasing populations and decreasing natural resources a shift that wasn’t always voluntary but became necessary for survival.
Pearson notes that this transition came at a cost: “The change meant the gradual loss of that deep spiritual contact with all their fellow species, the earth, and the heavens.” [2] Today, we can honor both their adaptability and their connection to nature by learning how to increase our connections to nature within our homes. lessons which seem to have been lost to our current society. A home should support the lifestyle we want to lead, designed to bring positive regeneration and serve as a place of healing for mind, body, and spirit.
The Full Life Cycle of a Home
When considering natural homes and their impact on the land, we must think through the entire life cycle:
First comes the acquisition and transportation of resources, followed by the processing and manufacturing of materials, components, and equipment. Then we must consider the building site itself and all the components needed for assembly.
Next comes the flow of resources through the building during its useful life ventilation, heating, cooling, lighting, water, wastewater management, repair, maintenance, and eventual remodeling.
Finally, we must consider what happens at the end of the building’s life. Can it be modified or reused? Can its components be disassembled, recycled, or returned to nature without harm?
Moore and Trulsson’s Living Homes illustrates this whole-life philosophy beautifully through profiles of adobe, rammed earth, straw bale, and reinvented material homes; structures designed from the ground up to work with the land rather than against it. [3]
A sustainable home isn’t just about energy efficiency, it’s about building in harmony with the environment and creating spaces that nurture both people and the planet. Whether it’s new construction or a renovated suburban home, small design choices can have lasting impacts on comfort, cost, and sustainability.
Modern Design with Nature in Mind
Modern sustainable homes blend traditional craftsmanship with innovative technology. Features like proper insulation, double-pane windows, and solar panels help reduce energy consumption while maintaining year-round comfort. Pearson’s work on the Gaia Home Charter, embedded throughout The New Natural House Book, calls on homeowners and builders to “transform our homes into havens for the body, mind, and spirit” through practical, step-by-step choices about materials, light, air, and water. [2]
These are not features that belong in every home, these are essential for homesteads working toward self-sufficiency. Solar panels reduce the need for “on-grid” electricity and can significantly reduce the power bill. Having batteries to store the solar energy is a significant addition in the winter when the sun is “less powerful” and we see a lot of cloudy days.
Choosing Sustainable Design
Materials matter, too. Choosing responsibly sourced wood, low-VOC paints, and energy-efficient appliances all contribute to a healthier living space and a smaller carbon footprint. This is especially important given Meggs’ finding that in chemical sensitivity, even low-level exposures to synthetic compounds can trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. [4]
Beyond the structure itself, sustainable living extends to how we use the space around us. A modest lawn can become a pollinator garden, raised beds for vegetables, or a natural water collection zone. Native plants require less maintenance and support local ecosystems, helping to create a thriving environment right outside your doorstep.
Even if you decide to cultivate your your garden space rather than using native plants, its important to note the design and plant selection to support the self-sufficiency and sustainability of your efforts.
The heart of a sustainable design lies in balance, meeting daily needs without depleting future resources. By prioritizing natural light, efficient energy use, and thoughtful landscaping, homeowners can increase their self-sufficiency. Over time, these small choices add up, and you’ll find yourself living with a deeper connection to natural resources.
Taking the First Step
Starting a homestead and living sustainably doesn’t require drastic change it starts with awareness and intentionality. Whether you’re retrofitting your home with new energy sources, water efficiency, improved insulation, or simply starting a small container garden on your balcony, every effort contributes to a healthier home.
A dream of a homestead lifestyle isn’t reserved for those with acreage. It’s available to anyone willing to make choices, one step at a time. As Pearson reminds us, “the strands of health, ecology, and spirit are coming together, the new architecture is alive and well. Ideas and technologies that seemed revolutionary a few years ago are more widespread and natural products more available.” [2] And in doing so, we’re not just building better homes, we’re building a better relationship with the world around us, one step at a time.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
References
[1]Â Low, N., Gleeson, B., Green, R., & Radovic, D. (2005). The green city: Sustainable homes, sustainable suburbs. Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
[2]Â Pearson, D. (1998). The new natural house book: Creating a healthy, harmonious, and ecologically sound home. Fireside/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780684847337.
[3] Moore, S., & Trulsson, N. B. (2001). Living homes: Sustainable architecture and design. Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811824699.[4] Meggs, W. J. (1999). Mechanisms of allergy and chemical sensitivity. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 15(3–4), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/074823379901500307
Photo references
Photo by Uğur Ahmet Yaşar, Alex Reynolds, Zetong Li, Catherina Schürmann, Emine Nur C, Brother Yoon, Uitbundig, Ilinca Roman, Theo Laflamme, Vaida Krau on Unsplash
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