Building a small house (1000 sf) using basic framing similar to that of a pole barn seems eaiser and less expensive than any other options I've considered, and it seems feasible to make it at least as green as standard wood framing.  I'd appreciate any thoughts about the pros and cons.

What I have in mind for the basic structure is to plant 4x6 or 6x6 rot-proof posts 8-10 feet apart (whatever code requires) on concrete footers below the frost line, attach 2x10s to support the floor joists and the roof trusses, then attach horizontal girders to support the sheathing.  I've done all of this before entirely by myself, needing only common tools plus a hand-held auger rented for half a day to dig the holes for the posts.

To insulate, I could use foam sprayed onto the inside surface of the sheathing, and/or attach rigid sheet insulation between the girders and the sheathing to reduce thermal bridging at the posts, if I can figure out how to attach the sheathing with an inch or two of insulation in between.

Some of the advantages include less wood than standard framing and thus less thermal bridging, minimal concrete compared to a slab or basement, no heavy equipment, a significantly stronger structure than standard framing, and easy tasks for one person to handle.

I know I'll have to attach something like more girders to the inside of the posts to support an interior wall surface such as drywall, and I'll have to do some special framing for windows and doors, but other than these sorts of unconventionalities, I'm not seeing many disadvantages.

I really like the idea of Rastra, Liteblok, etc., but the materials cost is several times higher, even without counting the need for a much more expensive foundation, and I'm on a very tight budget.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Many beach houses are built on wood pilings.

curious what you consider rot proof posts? My experience with different varieties of pressure treated posts is that they last 20-30 yrs, then rot at the soil line. possibly telephone poles? Keep in mind that in a cold climate, sufficient floor insulation is critical. where are you?

Last time, in the Northeast, I used the green-tinted PT posts and filled their holes with more concrete after setting them on hardened footers. With the posts inside the enclosed crawlspace, they're not exposed to much wetness; the soil under there gets quite dry, so not much water migrates through the concrete. I would insulate the outer walls of the crawlspace to keep the pipes warmer and not make the floor insulation my only shield. I'm in the Southwest now.

renrik;
Pole construction is nothing new it was being used for home over 35 years ago in the northeast.
live expectancy is about 30 years on the PT
the code does not address pole spacing in the code, it addresses “alternative” building methods, which the pole building home would fall into,
depending on your local building official, they may require signed and sealed structural plans

I would look into using concrete for the underground portion of the piers.

Or fiberglass pilings.  See http://www.pearsonpilings.com/

FYI - a pole house is not a house built atop pilings

Thanks for all of the comments thus far. Starting the wood well above ground seems wise and is recommended in most of the literature I've discovered in the last week or so, unlike what I read last time (20 years ago). I'd appreciate any advice on making a pole/post-frame house as green as possible.

You might find that once you account for codes, durability, performance, etc that more conventional construction is hard to beat. I think you can do better than spray foam in terms of price/performance (cellulose is pretty good). Also consider a frost protected shallow foundation (monolithic slab on grade).

How would conventional construction be more durable or perform better, jonr?

Durability, price and performance will all change with which type of construction you pick. For example, cmu block (or ICF) is more durable than something using 2x wood (for rot, insect, strength, fire, etc reasons).

We have a small building on piers. It was built somewhere else and then we moved it onto the property.

It sits on concrete piers. The entire base is completely sheathed and insulated.