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They say an eco-friendly house can't be built in 150 days for $150,000, and I say it can.
I'm Allen Smith, join me as I push the limits with time, budget and creativity with the
Garden Home Challenge, exclusively on eHow Home. Of course, the house has electricity,
but it also has gas. This is a propane tank we have here. And what we did is we dug a
trench from this point, which is tucked over here in the woods because I didn't wanna see
the propane tank, all the way over to the house, which is slightly less than a 100 feet.
What we did is we dug a trench that was a least 18 inches -- that's the requirement
to put the propane line in. It goes into the basement level of the house and comes up through
the kitchen floor, because we need it for fuel for the stove, and also to heat the hot
water in the house, and that's it. Now, for just that limited use, it's recommended that
a 500 gallon tank, which is what you see here, be installed. The installation is really simple:
They deliver it. They place it on some concrete pads. It's tucked away from the house, as
I mentioned. It can be buried, but the only reason you would bury it is because you wouldn't
want to see it. You might see this as a retina irritant or an eyesore. But you don't have
to bury it because of cold or weather. Propane doesn't freeze. It's very efficient to use.
In fact, propane is rated at a 96 percent efficiency rate. That means, in very simple
terms, for every dollar you spend, 96 percent of it is actually going to be burned as fuel,
and you're gonna get the benefit of it. The other thing that's good about propane: It's
clean, it's natural, and it biodegrades very quickly, unlike other fuels like gasoline.
If you're enjoying these updates on the house, check in with us regularly. We're just about
finished with the house. I can't wait to start the decorating process. And make sure you
subscribe to eHow Home. Okay, now we gotta get this thing hooked up.