All human beings have the right to be happy yet today 20 million people are refugees in the world, according to the UN, this number will reach 250 million in 2050. Must we always build walls to break the chain of human solidarity, separate peoples and protect the happiness of some from the misery of others?

—  Home (2009)

Money will no longer be an issue for the many who would like to live off-the-grid since LIFEHAUS is designed in a manner that reduces cost without failing to provide comfort and self-sufficiency.

LIFEHAUS is designed to reduce cost and reduce waste, making affordability possible for the financially challenged and victims of war and natural catastrophes who are returning back to their destroyed homes.

On the other hand, LIFEHAUS can also be personalized to suit ones own taste and level of comfort and luxury.

The LIFEHAUS project aims to give this chance to all human beings.

The average cost of an unfurnished conventional house in Lebanon rounds up to almost $800/m2.

The average cost of a LIFEHAUS is HALF the price of a conventional house if self-constructed, and 10% less if done by professionals.

Its added value comes in the form of its optimized passive heating and cooling systems economizing the cost of the heating/cooling installations (AC, boiler, radiators, heating pipes, etc.) and the amount of fuel and electricity that is spent yearly on conventional methods of heating/cooling, as well as the electricity spent in a regular dwelling for the attainment of the same thermal comfort.

Several sustainable systems (PWFSS : power, water, food sustainable systems) -- integrable in conventional houses -- that plays a part in determining the total cost of the LIFEHAUS has been put aside due to the variation of their cost that depends on many factors:
  
Price variations:

• POWER:

If a LIFEHAUS is to be built in a region with little sunlight, it will require a greater surface area for photovoltaic sensors. This of course will increase the cost. 
Photovoltaic, windmill and watermill energies depend on latitude, geography and climate.

• WATER:

If a LIFEHAUS is built in a low rainfall zone it will need larger surfaces to harvest water (see WATER page), which in turn increases the cost.
Rainwater harvesting is naturally affected by the pluviometry of the region.

• FOOD:

Food production is very delicate, and requires a certain amount of sunlight, as well as water and humidity and essential minerals in the soil.
As for cattle farming, and animal feed, they too are tied into the weather cycle and the flux food production mentioned above.
Food production in very cold regions requires the installation of huge greenhouses, which increase the cost.
This is why food production could be very expensive and un-ecological especially in extremely dry regions.

The cost of a LIFEHAUS can be split into 3 categories with different specifications for each:

LIFEHAUS - ECONOMY
LIFEHAUS - STANDARD
LIFEHAUS - LUXURY

Although in the short term, sustainable energy may be pricier than fossil fuels, in the long term, continuous fossil fuel consumption costs much higher in terms of money as well as environmental and livelihood damage.

LIFEHAUS can considerably reduce the cost of simple, efficient living by integrating all the mentioned sustainable manual/mechanical techniques that can be self-built with cheap materials to reduce excess consumption in everyday tasks.

Although there is a profit to be made, this project is not about making profit, nor should it be. It’s about proving that it is feasible to live in a sustainable way.

LIFEHAUS is valuable being a dwelling that provides basic thermal comfort and the choice to plug into the grid or not.

In the end, it’s a matter of choice; either we think about the quality of life of future generations and the survival of our species or we participate in the sabotage of humanity.

Our planet will remain and rebalance itself as it has been doing for the past 4 billion years. Planet Earth doesn’t need us, we need her.