The Ultimate Modern Desert House
 

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1401996169

The basic idea is to put you house under a car port, brilliant! :)

The Ultimate Modern Desert House

I like that idea it would work well for cold wet climates as well , if built strong enough to carry the snow load.

It would provide good water collection as well.

Good point.

I think it would be great if they had done a cost analysis. The canopy can't cost THAT much. The A/C savings have to be huge!

[QUOTE=Daox;38537]

Having lived in Southern states before, I know how it feels to be sheltered from the sun's heat by sheet metal.

It's not like roasting in the sun's heat, it's more like broiling in the sun's heat.

Now, if they had the foresight to shade the metal roof with PV panels (now a buck a watt), this idea would be brilliant!

-AC

Well, you could throw a radiant barrier, or even rigid foam under it, and you'd get rid of that radiant heating effect. Not a real hard problem to deal with.

http://imganuncios.mitula.net/pickfo...3508917693.jpg
Around here its not uncommon to see a structure built over a mobile home or rv.

This is very interesting. I'm just adding up the benefits.

It overhangs (or could overhang) the house significantly preventing sunlight from getting in if you are in a hot climate.

The roof is exposed to less sunlight, not exposed to hail, generally stays dry. If the 'top roof' leaks, it is easy to detect and fix but not of an immediate consequence.

This is a radiant barrier that isn't in an attic and allows the space between the heat absorbing top roof to be cooled by even a light breeze.

In snow or hail climates you could adjust the overhang to be ideal and it would block most snow.

Solar panels on this overhead roof would mean no penetrations into the structure.

I'm not seeing any large disadvantages to this as long as it isn't overhanging sunlight in the winter in an area that needs such an overhang. Cost, space, and aesthetics are factors but so is every design decision in homebuilding.