Transferring Designs to the Ground

A couple of weeks ago, we broke out the chain saw and started to trim branches to make it easier to get stakes into the ground and visualize walls, windows, and doors. Adam and I placed stakes at the various corners of the house and guest house. From there, the next day I ran ribbon along the edges of the landscape walls weighted with rocks and put the last stakes at the corners of the garage and office. The result comes out something like the picture above. You can click on it for a larger image.

We like the way the stairs and ramp between the garage and house work out. We like the bend in the garage and the placement of water and power infrastructure behind a wall toward the front of the lot. We like the sunny patio and garden options on the south side of the house.

We found the the west end of the house was too close to the wash and, combined with our concerns for budget, we reworked the bathroom/closet area to shorten the house by 5'.

The mechanical room is also in that area and we did away with it completely for two reasons. First, we're not likely to have a furnace or boiler that take up that kind of space. Second, the grade drops off so much toward the wash that there can be a small walk-out basement under the bathroom/closet area. If we need a place for mechanical stuff, we can put it in there.

We're still considering options for space heat and water heat. The leading contenders include in-floor radiant heat where the heat is provided by a solar water heater with traditional gas water heater for backup. The water heaters would also supply domestic hot water needs. We've been warned that passive solar orientation combined with in-floor heat could overheat the floor in some situations. The manufacturer says that putting the temperature sensors in the floor (rather than a thermostat on the wall) alleviate that concern. The second option is to put gas wall heaters in each room (this is how the guest house and office will be heated). This is a less elegant option but cheaper and easier. Water heat would be provided by an on-demand water heater. Since these water heaters can be mounted on exterior walls, this option would eliminate the need for any dedicated mechanical space.

We're getting to the point where we will start determining our power needs in detail in order to get detailed cost estimates from the 18 solar power companies we now hear are working in our area. And we're bracing ourselves for the first cost estimate and beginning discussions with the county. The draftsman is putting dimensions on the drawings, the engineer is calculating cut and fill, and the builder is putting an estimate together. We're not in a hurry but things are proceeding apace. We still could have a permit by the end of summer. Or we could wait a little while for the house in Phoenix to be a little closer to being finished and ready to sell. The choice will probably hinge on how we can carve up the estimate.