Above photo is the lot looking from the SW to NE. House next door is ready for stucco.
The lot sure looks small, doesn't it? The darker red decomposed granite in the lower left of the photo is the walking path.

This is the common area directly to the left, or west, of the lot. Should be great for birds.

It's my hope to chronicle, as least in part, the building of our strawbale house. This is the second strawbale house we've built here in So. Arizona. We sold the first, bought a stickbuilt and "moved to town". It just isn't the same. It's a very nice house but we were spoiled by the strawbale. We miss the warmth, the feeling, the insulation, the artistic expression we were able to enjoy. Simply put, it just ain't the same.

So, we came up with a small plan of about 1300 sq ft (exterior). This will be our aging in place home, we hope. Not that we're decrepit but we are aging (aren't we all?) and looking to the future. Our previous home (SB1) was about 1700 sq ft, off-grid, on an acre outside of town. For this home, we've chosen a lot in Civano. Like us, this community has gone through many changes since its inception and we have watched it grow, have growing pains and now flourish. It was attractive due to the sorta-kinda committment to sustainable building, water conservation and alternative energy sources. I say sorta-kinda because those things have waxed and waned through the years. But, I think it is an interesting experiment in using certain of those principles in a more "mainstream" housing setting.

One of the other things that attracted us to the community is, It is a Community. People actually get to know their neighbors, community events are enoyed, community warts are exposed and people work together to solve problems. Not always a pretty process but, what problem-solving process involving humans is.

Building Stage
Plans: The plan was conceived by us and drawn by Dan Dorsey who also drew the plans for SB1. It's a very simple, one-level "ranch". We will have PV (but also be grid-tied), solar hot water, and will be harvesting water. The plans are now in the hands of the city and we expect the final OK to begin building any day. I will post plans in the near future.

My hope is to update this blog about once/wk. So check back.