Passive Solar House Plans
In the process of designing our sustainable homestead we've developed several different passive solar house plans. Passive solar building methods capitalize on the heat provided by the sun and reduce the need for heating with fossil fuels. We expect that passive solar building will help us to achieve energy independence.
- Plan for Our Sustainable Homestead
- We've drafted the first plan for our sustainable homestead! It will be located on 2.25 acres in the Painted Desert of Arizona. We plan to be completely off the grid, utilizing solar power and methane as our main sources of electicity and heat.
- Plan for Passive Solar Home and Garden - Version 1
- Our future home will have many features to reduce our power needs. The floor plan is designed to promote ventilation and to capitalize on passive heating and cooling opportunities. Outdoor landscaping will feature a patio with cacti planters, while our back yard will be cultivated as an orchard for food producing trees.
- Our Passive Solar House Plans - Version 2
- In the process of creating these passive solar house plans we considered many different building materials and construction methods. We came to the conclusion that despite their appeal, adobe and strawbale are simply not practical for our situation. This version of our passive solar house plan incorporates four building phases and relies primarily on locally available building materials.
- Passive Solar House Plans - Version 3
- In the third version of our passive solar house plans we have considered a slightly more complex structure. We've designed plans for a 2 story passive solar home that includes a cinder block basement and south facing clerestory windows. We've also included electrical details and construction notes for our house plans.
Greenhouse Construction is Underway!
Passive Solar Plans for Our Homestead Greenhouse
