Property Description
OFF THE GRID, House Made of Steel, 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with outbuildings on 1 acre lot in AZ high desert: Pomerene, AZ - 1 1/2 miles off l-10 and Benson. It has both 5 kW of AC solar power and 1 kW of DC solar power service in all rooms plus both active and passive solar acquisition and an electric car recharge station, water harvest units to collect roof water at each corner of the house and LP gas is on site. Solar is not rocket science. Handy solar technicians are there to solve any problems and are helpful with instructions for better service.
A 24'x24 fenced garden is set up with 9 square-foot garden 4'x4' units with 3 programmable drip-irrigation water controllers plus a manual tap for on-the-spot watering. Hoods draped over PVC frames in the winter form growing areas for summer veggies all winter long.
An 8'x8'x8' small farm-animal barn has one wall which opens out giving a pole barn. The other side has a 4'x4' panel that opens out to allow cross ventilation. It has 2 lofts for straw and hay. Also, it could be used as a storage unit. Others that size cost $80/month = $1,000 rental a year.
The 1 acre lot has a 1/2 acre 4' fence to secure small farm animals. I had a Great Pyrenes dog and never had to lock up my Pygmy goats at night for fear of predators.
The 2 bedroom/1 bath house is composed of a 64-year old high-end MH with wood paneling and oak cabinetry. All furniture is built in so bring your favorite bed and move in. An 8'x48' passive solar wing was site built (with an 8'x24 solarium with glass ceiling). Children would enjoy making this their bedroom to enjoy the night sky. There is space in the back of the house to add a 12'x48' Master Suite addition to make the structure a showplace. This would add a sitting room, bedroom with outside patio, bathroom with sunken Jacuzzi (which could sit on the ground) and MyLady's walk-in closet. The County requires permits for all major additions. I have done all with proper licensed people and all required permits. I meticulously saved all this paperwork as well as all receipts and manuals.
Pomerene sits on a huge lake with seismic activity 10,000 years ago totally sealed in place. University hydrologists say the supply will last beyond our lifetimes. When Arizona has all dried up, Pomerene will still have ample pristine water.
Most MH's siding is tin or plastic--mine is solid steel--as is the roof. This makes my home fireproof. Any neighbors fire sparks would not set it on fire.
The schools are A-one and Benson has a community college
Benson is a favorite for winter visitors who return each winter to enjoy the beautiful weather and touristy activities. It is 30 miles to famous Tombstone and there are 3 movie studio lots in the area. Benson is serviced by Amtrak, a small airport, Greyhound and a local bus service which comes right to your home for pickup. Benson is a city of 4,000 in the summer with most amenities. Pomerene sits high on a hill looking down into Benson, which is located in a basin which runs 60 miles to the Mexican border. Seven mountain ranges surround the basin and have snowcaps in the winter when the desert floor is warn it has magnificent views.
It is 30 miles to Tucson, which has a famous University and International Airport. A high mountain outside Tucson allows skiing in the winter and cool getaways in the summer. It is just 255 miles to Rocky Point, Mexico for water sports.
DISCLOSURES Each winter we get periods of non-sun for 3 consecutive days or more. Solar suffers under such conditions and you have to learn to budget your energy. Running the electric car recharger and the pellet stove, e.g-, overnight on such days will cause the energy to shut off at about 6 a.m. have installed a number of heating systems so there is always a backup. A new fix has come along which I installed. An LP gas generator attached to the inverter controller. When lack of energy is detected, it automatically kicks on the generator and then turns it off when sunlight has recharged the system.
The expensive part of solar is the cost of the batteries. They last only 7 years and cost $700 each. They are replaced merely due to age. A new system has been developed which uses no batteries. It takes sunlight and turns it directly into 120 volt AC. At dusk the system stops and switches power to the regular Off-the-Grid system (having spent the day recharging its batteries ready for nighttime use) So during the day you would use direct sunlight to meet your high energy needs.
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