SELF BUILD & SUSTAINABLE
FOREST Retreat IN PROGRESS
BANCROFT - ONTARIO
Hello,
Thanks for CHECKING us out! This is our story of how we healed our sense of disconnection by moving into a forest and started building Our dream Project.
Few years back in 2018 we purchased 45 acres of rural wood land in south eastern Ontario and in 2020 we left our rental apartment in Toronto and fully committed ourselves to the construction of our sustainable house and a retreat centre. We lived in a small camper-trailer for 4 years while building our home ( literally just the two of us, and with a bit of help from friends and family). In August 2023 we moved into our semi-finished home. Currently we’re working on our off-grid elec/hvac system and interior finishes.
On completion, our goal is to hold space for small/personal retreats cultivating creativity, inner peace, connection, ceremonies, and nourishing of the body and the soul with the blessings of the environment we are nested in.
See our latest fly throughs and images (password: akira)
“We believe that there is a better life for us outside in the wild, where we can catch a glimpse of a deer in the back yard, eat directly from the earth and see the stars in the night sky. It is the beauty of experience we seek in the most challenging tasks and the thrill of creating our own path holding our hearts as compass.”
Ece Savas
Hi, my name is Ece. On this project, I’m the visionary, designer, backhoe operator and comfort maker.
Professionally am a spiritual coach, educator and yoga teacher at Grails Spring Hotel in Bancroft. I have a Branding Agency called Palindrome Design where I love supporting conscious leaders around the world. I’m also the co-creator of Lead Through Impact a conscious business community online. With all my talents I really enjoy guiding and nurturing souls towards more loving, purposeful, creative and fulfilling life they are here to experience.
IVAN DELLALOV
He is the dream maker, problem solver, builder, lumberjack, mechanic, cook and everything else on this project.
Ivan is passionate about self mastery, craftsmanship, social justice and helping others. He holds a Bachelor of Biochemistry from UofT and Plant-Based Nutrition Certification from eCornel. He loves sharing his knowledge with others through workshops and courses. He has a business of flooring installation and holds two blackbelts in Karate and Tai-Chi. He is the kindest, most hard working, patient and courageous person I’ve known.
Dear dreamers and achievers, we humbly ask for your help in funds and as labour; so that, we can get through the finishing line without delays. Your contribution is not a donation but a credit for a future stay, a return of favour or products. We believe in cultivating community mindset that is all about helping each other grow and sharing abundance. This way of giving and receiving is a heart based interaction and so much more meaningful for all. Thank you in advance for your love. <3
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OUR TEAM & RESOURCES
Sustainability Consultant AFFECTING CHANGE
Sandra is passionate about green homes and heathy building design. She is full of knowledge, experience and a genuine interest in helping others and the environment. We’re lucky to partner with her on this project.
Design MARENCO ARCHITECTS + STRUCTURAL GRAVITY ENGINEERING
My dear friends and amazing designers we had the privilege to work with. We considered so many different options when hiring our architects. For us the most important consideration was to keep this project intimate and meaningful. We wanted to work with someone with design sensibility and passion towards what we’re creating. And I found them not too far from my heart. I want to honour their hard work and contribution.
Distributors in Ontario:
Green Building Materials: https://eco-building.ca
Septic Systems: We wanted something light and easy to assemble ourselves. At first we were recommended EZ Flow. But this decision was changed due to our land. We’re on a very rocky & clay type of land so we had to build it up with septic sand and used the Chamber Bed method instead. The product website is: www.infiltratorwater.com/ We found our chambers locally from Kijiji.
Concrete Septic Tank and the Distribution box was purchased from www.brooklin.com whom we had great delivery and customer service experience with.
Windows: Our decision for windows were mainly affected by efficiency, price and sustainability. We were given a great recommendation by South Port Construction for a newly established Favori Windows—great customer service, quality assurance, technology and price. Their high efficiency glazing are made in Turkey—which allows me to support my home country—and the aluminum framing are custom made locally. Windows are one of the two major costs we have and we’re very happy with our decision; hence, avoiding future plastic waste.
Boilers: We did a lot of research on how to heat our house. We had no idea how important this decision was and how interconnected it is to our lifestyle. For us #1 consideration is Efficiency. As a sustainable home we want to leave a minimum footprint on the planet and to be able to burn our own wood. For that we highly recommend the Canadian G-Polar Gasification Boilers by Portage and Main. Great local business and reliable product. Distributor in our area for G-Polar is: http://greenheatingsolutions.ca
#2 consideration is Automation. We want to be able to leave our home for few months over the winter and prevent our home from freezing. With a regular boiler we had to rely on a backup propane system (or electric) to be able to do that. Plus with super efficient walls & windows that we’ll have; there is only a little bit of heating we require. After months of research, we finally decided to go with an indoor bio-mass boiler system—efficient, easy to operate and fits our size & budget. One of the best brands in the market for that is Froling Boilers—the same one the Fogo Island Resort is using. Distributor in our area with great customer service is: https://biothermic.ca/