This site is intended as both a location to keep thoughts and notes about what we are hoping to do with our Arizona land, and also a point of reference for family and friends who are interested in this project. To help regular visitors we've added a WHAT'S NEW page so you can see the latest additions or modifications easily.

White Horse Mesa is intended to be a small highly self-sufficient horse ranch. Being completely off the grid, the house design has to encompass several sustaining systems :-

1. Heating is to be solar-passive, using natural sunlight to heat the house in winter, coupled with a high thermal mass to moderate house temperatures.

2. Power will be a solar cell, wind mill combination using batteries to store generated electricity.

3. Water systems are to be rain catchments, with reuse of water, 'GrayWater' systems used for toilets, washing machine etc. Sewage, 'Black Water' systems are to be designed to avoid leakage into the ground.

4. Construction is to be primarily from local resources. Slip form walls will use the stone from the mesa on the land. Vega timber will be from the forests from nearby  Pine Top.

5. The ranch must also support some half dozen horse with fodder and water.

6. Lastly parts of the land will be used for food production for the family.  

Of course all system will have to have backups, although the local grocery store will do for number 6 :)

This site also references external sources of information which will be identified by hypelinks like this one; (More info: sustainable house in Flagstaff 1.8Mb)

Constructive comments welcome at kevgibson@yahoo.com