DIY 3D Cardboard House

Hi. I am a seventh grader at Central Tree Middle School. In this project you can make a 3-D cardboard house. I gathered all the materials and started to cut the cardboard to the shapes and sizes I needed. This is a model of a sustainable house for the Grassland biome. I choose to build my house in the savanna, specifically in Goiás, South America. The savanna is a grassy plain with few trees. It is mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions. Biomes are defined as "the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment”. There are six major biomes in the world. The six major biomes are Freshwater, Marine, Desert, Grassland, Tundra, and Forest. The coordinates of Goiás are 15.83° S and 49.84° W. The average temperature varies from 58°F to 91°F and is rarely below 53°F or above 97°F. In a year, the rainfall is 66 inches. The temperature influenced the cool roof because if too much heat gets into your house you will have to pay a lot for AC. But with the cool roof the heat will be reflected instead of getting absorbed. The rain levels influenced the rainwater collecting tank because you can use it to flush your toilet and if you can water you garden if you have one.

I chose to add insulation, a low flush toilet, Eco-paint, led lights, rainwater collecting tank, micro-plastic filter, sustainable fridge, solar panels, and a cool roof. The led lights makes this house more sustainable because the lights would last longer than fluorescent and they have fewer toxic metals. The Eco-paint makes this house more sustainable because Eco-paints emit fewer toxins to reduce indoor air pollution. They’re also less toxic to manufacture. The cool roof makes this house more sustainable because a cool roof is one that reflects the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it into your home but still lets some heat into your home. The energy efficient fridge makes this house more sustainable because when you buy appliances they sort of have two prices: the cost of buying and the cost of operating. When you buy the most energy-efficient options, you dramatically cut the second price. The rainwater collecting tank makes this house more sustainable because you can use that water to flush your toilets and water your garden as well. The insulation makes this house more sustainable because it keeps heat in and makes it harder for it to escape and it will help save money on the energy bill. The low flush toilets makes this house more sustainable because it uses less water when you go to the bathroom. The solar panels makes this house more sustainable because it creates electricity that you can use to power your home. The micro-plastic filter makes this house more sustainable because it can filter your tap water coming into your home to keep micro-plastics out of your drinking water. It makes sure that less plastic is in the environment and the water will be safer for the organisms to drink.

Here is a list of the supplies I used.

Cardboard

A pair of scissors

Glue ( I used Elmer's washable clear glue)

A glue stick ( again I used Elmer's washable glue stick disappearing purple)

Pen

Ruler

X-Acto knife (optional)

Sharpie

Paper

Paint and paintbrush (optional)

paint tray (optional)

The sketch above shows the measurements and size of the house. As well as the positions of the windows and doors. The sketch shows each side of the house in detail.

After we finish the sketch it's time to get a ruler out and start measuring the pieces out. The front and the back are 10 by 5 inches. The sides are 7 by 5 inches. (we will do the roof later.)

After you cut all the sides, now we can glue them together. I took the one of the front pieces and one of the side pieces and glued then together. After the glue has dried (might take a day or so)you can glue the other 2 pieces to the ones that are already glued. You might have to hold the pieces for a few minutes to make sure it doesn't fall down. Then once it can stand up, leave it until dry.

Once the house is fully dried and you can pick it up. You can start to make the base. The bass it 10 by 7 1/2 inches. After you have that cut out, you can apply some glue around the edges and carefully put the house on top of the base. Then we wait for it to dry.

While the house and base are drying, we can start the roof. For the triangle part of the roof the dimensions are 7 1/2 inches for each side. For the rectangular part of the roof the measurements are 10 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches.

Now that we cut all the pieces we need for the roof, we can glue them onto the house. I took the triangular piece, applied some glue to one of the side pieces of the house, put the triangular piece on, and laid it on its side so it could dry. Repeat for the other triangular piece.

Now that the triangular parts of the roof are on the house we can add the sides of the roof. I tilted the house on its side and added glue to the side of the triangle that was facing up to the sky. Then I added glue to the perimeter of the side of the roof and added it to the triangles. I quickly re-tilted the house so the new side of the roof is on the scrap cardboard. Then I left it to dry. Repeat for other side.

After the house is fully built, now we can paint. I used white paint but you can use what ever color you have or want to use. I painted everything except the base of the house.

Now that we have painted the house we can make the windows and doors. The dimensions for the windows are 1 by 1 1/2 inches. The doors is 1 by 2 inches. I used a sharpie to trace the perimeter and do the window pane look. For the doors I used a pen to make the door handle.

Now you are only one step away from finishing! All you have to do is glue the windows and doors onto the house and you're done. Congratulations for completing this project.

I learned that a sustainable building helps the environment so future generations still have an environment to take care of. I also learned that each biome has a different climates for the flora and fauna. I could improve this design by making it a 2 story house and adding a garage.