What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?
Off the grid Solar electric, the use of only eco-friendly cleaning products, compact fluorescent lighting, low flush toilet, clean, great tasting well water, clean air, low light pollution at night from commercial lighting, low noise pollution inside and outside the house, and abundant natural light. No synthetic chemical pesticides or herbicides used in yard or garden.Property Description
Home Description:
This home is three miles outside of Belfast, a quaint, coastal town. Belfast is located in mid-coast Maine on the beautiful Penobscot Bay, a half hour north of Camden and one hour from Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. The house is nestled in a wooded setting on 28 acres of forested land. It includes a year round stream running along 300 feet of the back property line with a hiking trail leading to it. Due to the rural setting, you can see a sky full of stars at night, including the Milky Way. In addition to the house there are two out-buildings for tools and storage, a wood shed, and established flower and organic vegetable gardens. Located in a great neighborhood, with a couple of neighbors who also live off the grid, and many who are interested in organic gardening and sustainable living. This home is situated in a quiet, safe and private location.
This is an off the grid property powered with photo-voltaic panels (see details below under “Power”). Hook up to the grid is possible if wanted, but we have lived here comfortably for five years. This home also has incredible passive solar capacity in the winter months. Energy conservation is maintained through energy efficient appliances, compact fluorescent lighting, and a healthy awareness of energy consumption. This is a year round home with all the amenities of modern living with a propane cook stove and refrigerator, wood-stove, propane heaters, a Rinnai on-demand hot water heater, and energy star Frigidaire washer and dryer. All appliances come with the house.
Power:
Six 115-watt Sun Wize photovoltaic panels feed a battery bank of 6 Surrette S460 batteries – (375 amp hours at 6 Volts each). The Xantrex 4000 Watt (Trace SW4024) inverter will surge to 10,000 watts (useful for power tools) and has an OutBack Power MX-60 Charge Controller.
We run everything including the washer, dryer, microwave, well pump, lights, ceiling fan, television, DVD player, stereo, laptop computer, and on a limited basis even power tools, from this system. We also have a propane Kohler- 25 HP generator that provides backup power when a string of cloudy days occurs or around the winter solstice when the sun is low in the sky for about a month. For those interested in modifying the system into a utility intertie, a power pod for the local grid exists across the road.
Construction/Water/Waste:
The main addition to this house was designed by a local architect and built by a local builder in 2003. It is a standard stick-built 2X6 wall and 2X10 roof construction built on a slab. Anderson windows are wood with aluminum covering. Exterior is cedar shingle siding. There is a 300 foot drilled well that supplies water to the kitchen, bathroom, and an outdoor faucet for the hose. The water is slightly acidic due to the pine forest surrounding the house and therefore there is a WaterSoft water filtration system. The water tastes wonderful and has been tested twice for contaminates and has been completely clean both times. The kitchen sink, bathroom sink, bathtub/shower, washer, and toilet are all plumbed to a septic tank and drain field in the back of the house. The house construction, well, and septic system were all designed and built by professionals and inspected and approved through the town planning board.
Layout and Appliances:
The house has an open-floor layout inside the main section which consists of a kitchen, living room, and small dining area, with a kitchen bar dividing the space. A first-floor bedroom with a large walk-in closet is on the east side of the living room and a large screened in porch is attached to the bedroom. There is a sleeping loft above the bedroom with plenty of head space and room for a queen size bed, dresser and night stand. The loft is accessed by a staircase adjacent to the dining room. There is an entryway in the middle of the house that joins the east and west wings of the house. The entry way has a front door and two coat closets. The west side of the house which was built previously, is currently a large artist studio on the first floor and a loft for storage accessed by stairs. The bathroom with bathtub/shower, sink, washer/dryer, linen closet, and toilet were installed when the main addition of the house was built in 2003.
A DC-controlled overhead ceiling fan in the living room serves to stimulate ventilation in both the winter and summer. A Rinnai tankless hot water heater provides hot water on demand to both the bathroom and kitchen. Other appliances include a Dutchwest woodstove, propane Diamond refrigerator and propane cooking stove, an Energy Star Frigidaire washing machine and dryer, and Empire propane heaters in the dining room, bathroom, and studio. The property is wired for standard 120 appliances and a land line telephone (cell phones work well in the house also).
For the Gardener:
In the front of the house are a variety of organic flower, herb, and vegetable garden beds. In terms of edibles we grow peas, green beans, carrots, beets, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, basil, parsley, and garlic. A mix of medicinal and culinary herbs such as echinacea, valerian, sage, basil, thyme, chives, lavender, and rosemary thrive in our gardens. To feed our spirits we grow maltese cross, coreopsis, chamomile, calendula, lambs ears, iris, hollyhock, lupine, and foxglove. There is also an apple tree and a blueberry bush in the front of the house beyond the garden beds. There is plenty of room for expansion of the current gardens.
Local Environs:
Belfast is located about half way up the coast of Maine, which is why this area is called mid-coast Maine. It is on the beautiful Penobscot Bay in the Gulf of Maine watershed. Belfast is known throughout the state for its wonderful Natural Food Coop where you can get organic produce, eggs, meat, wine and locally grown food year round. It also has a great café that is a regular meeting place for the multitude of social change organizations and activists that Belfast is also known for. During the summer months, the Belfast Farmer's Market sells fresh produce weekly on the waterfront.
Neighborhood Description
The property is very private yet easily accessible to town. This home is three miles outside of Belfast. The house is nestled in a wooded setting on 28 acres of forested land. It is a rural neighborhood, with neighbors who also live off the grid and are interested in organic gardening and sustainable living. This home is situated in a very quiet, safe and private location.Market Area
The property is located near Belfast (3 miles) and within easy driving distances to other towns in Maine such as: Camden (20 miles), Bar Harbor (58 miles), Augusta (47 miles), Bangor (34 miles), Rockland (30 miles) and Portland (100 miles).School District
Location of Home or Land
Rural
Elevation of Home
Sea Level
Air Quality
| Agriculture in Area | no |
| Industry in Area | no |
| Air Pollution in Area | no |
| Pesticide Free | yes |
| Fragrance Free | yes |
| Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
| Heating System | Solar - Passive |
| Cooling System | Passive Cooling |
| Ventilation System | Whole House Fan |
| Whole House Filtration | None |
| Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
| Energy System | Photovoltaic (PV) |
| Water System | Well |
| Wastewater System | Septic System |
Construction Information
| Exterior Finish | Shingles - Wood |
| Interior Finish | Gypsum Board - Sheet Rock |
| Interior Paint | Other |
| Floor Material | Wood - Laminated |
| Roof Material | Asphalt Composition Shingle |
| Window Material | Wood Dual Glazed |
| Insulation Material | Fiberglass |
Garage / Car Port
| Garage / Carport | no |
| Garage Type | attached |
Add to Favorites