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ideas. This included the idea of thinking in terms of spaces instead of rooms. Also,the idea of always having windows on at least two sides of any space.The design process also become very interactive as Grace would update Martinsdrawings according to her views on Alexander and how she felt the space on the sitewould work. Light played a big part as is common in architecture. Lots of windowsand light of course were the result. People, now, as it turns out, always mention howmuch light there is in the home.The idea of using straw bale and solar had always been assumed. The primary goalwas health, which very much included the health of the environment. So that boththe materials and indoor air quality would be healthy. It is a natural fit to combinehealthy materials with solar panels to ensure that the environment stays healthy.After the plans had been submitted i t took more than six months before they gotany kind of response. A huge frustration was the city of Mississauga, which ratherthan getting behind this positive, innovative project, tried to stop it. Mississaguaeventually issued a permit to build in the s pring of 1999 without straw bale. So thesecond floor got enclosed without straw bale while the fight with the OntarioBuilding Code Commission began. The straw bale was critical to Beth so this was animportant fight to win so that she could have a clean air environment. Unfortunatelythe Commissions building was so hard on Beth she could only attend meetings forless than an hour.Mississauga realized that the house was a custom house in 1999. Martin had clearlydocumented the use of cellulose for insulation. At this meeting they finally askedwhat this meant. It meant straw bale.It took until December 1999 for the Ontario Building Code Commission to rule intheir favor. Then Mississauga delayed until March 2000 before they issued thepermit to allow for straw bale. Straw bale construction took place in May 2000.The cost of custom building this home, without the high-end finish would becomparable to conventional construction. The basic cost was approximately$150/square foot. However, this is much more of a house. Essentially the 6000square feet are like five very different complex homes in one. This diversity andcustomization added substantially to the cost but also to the uniqueness andartistry. Each unit was essentially a custom house . Each space that was not sharedwas done specific to each woman. Cheryl estimates that the city of Mississaugaadded $200,000 to the cost of building the home. The home has no air conditioning.155