A MAJOR CHANGE IN DIRECTION:
For reasons primarily related to Jim's health but also for financial reasons,
the Phypers family has moved permanently to Veracruz, Mexico.
PLEASE NOTE: Solar Haven has been sold.

We have maintained a blog about what life has been like for us in Mexico at:
blog.solarhaven.org

We also have made several short movies of our life in the small rural town
in Veracruz where we live. Please visit our channel
on YouTube to watch these movies:

http://www.youtube.com/user/solarhaven2

 

- This web site has been created entirely with solar and wind power -
(best viewed at 800 x 600 resolution - images will appear a little small at 1024 x 768)
- full screen image -


BUILDING PROJECTS - listen to our "theme song"
- new straw bale house
- 1200 sq. ft. greenhouse
- retrofitting our mobile home
- "this old shed"
- plastering with lime stucco
- straw bale storage room project
- making wall partitions with straw and clay
- installing radiant floor heating
- suggested plans for a small "starter" straw bale house


RENEWABLE ENERGY SYESTEMS
- solar electric (PV)
- rain water harvesting
- solar hot water
- hot water radiant heating system
- wind generator
- solar cooking


IDEAS
- realizing your own dreams
- GOOD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
- energy tips from Mindy
- SOME GREAT QUOTES


GRAB BAG
- wildlife pictures
- killer views
- PROBLEMS - PROBLEMS
- articles by Jim Phypers
- Jim's recorder music site
- Ghost Cat's home page

WHO WE ARE
- A LITTLE ABOUT US
- our three minutes on the soap box
- VOLUNTEERS - a picture gallery
- comments about Solar Haven
 - HELP KEEP THIS WEB SITE ON THE INTERNET



The Phypers Family
Tucson, Arizona


Jim and Mindy



"Ty" (German Shepherd-Great Dane mix - guessing)



"Commander Ghost"
Solar Haven Desert Pack Rat Patrol

Would I a house for happiness erect,
Nature alone should be my architect,
She'd build it more convenient than great,
And doubtless in the country choose her seat.
- Horace, 20 B.C.

Six years ago...
(and not exactly being spring chickens at ages 45 and 59)
we purchased four acres in the Sonoran Desert foothills west of Tucson.
There was no house and also no road or water or power,
but incomparable natural beauty, quiet, and peacefulness.


"On a clear day you can see forever..."

.

The first steps were to grade in a road, dig a septic system, and move in a mobile home as a temporary residence. Then we began working toward converting the mobile home into an energy efficient, attractive, and comfortable place to live.

We added...

- extra insulation to all the outside walls, the roof, and underneath the floors.
- we had the place completely stuccoed.
- we also built a front deck, carport, and storage shed...



- details of the insulating and stuccoing project -

- the polyurethane roofing project -


At the same time...
(err... it would have been better had we not tried to do everything at once),
we worked toward self-reliance and independence
from conventional utilities...

Solar Electric (PV) System


Wind Generator



Rain Water Harvesting



 




Solar Hot Water and Hydronic Heating System


"Yikes, here comes a bunch of materials to build the
GREENHOUSE"

("Who planned all these projects anyway?!")


A grand greenhouse emerges from the desert...
("It didn't look that big in the drawing...")


Take a break...

SOME GREAT QUOTES




After two years of...
blood (the usual cuts and scratches),
sweat (golly gee, it really does get hot in the desert),
and tears (of exhaustion and frustration and of joy),
we begin construction on a new and permanent home.

Built of bales of straw...

 

 

 

 

 




Click HERE for pictures of all phases of construction including:

- design details
- floor plan diagram
- a complete budget of what the house is costing


Perhaps the best part of all ...
is the remarkable beauty of our
Sonoran Desert home.


- killer views -


So many interesting neighbors

have introduced themselves.

- critter list and pictures -

SOLAR HAVEN MASTER PLAN
(how it all lays out on the ground)

PHASE 1: research - planning - buying land
PHASE 2: building our house - working toward energy independence
PHASE 3: organic gardening - raising animals (for eggs and perhaps for milk, for the valuable manure to use in the garden, and for companionship - but NEVER to kill and eat)




 

OUR FRIEND - THE SUN !

      1 - Generates electricity to light our house and run its many gadgets
      (stereo, computer, coffee maker, microwave, vacuum cleaner, power tools, etc.)

      2 -       Powers our S.L.C.D.D. ("Solar Linear Clothes Drying Device" -- patent pending)



      3 - Keeps the air warm in our greenhouse to grow vegetables and herbs year round

      4 - Heats water in our "Thermomax" Hot Water Heating Unit to provide all the domestic hot water we need and also all the water needed for the radiant heating system in the floors to heat our house

      5 - Cooks our food using a "Global SunOven"

      6 - Heats water in the portable "solar shower"

      7 - Our friend the Sun also saves us a lot of money each month because we have no electric bill and no gas bill.

       

      8 - And makes us happy!


Post script...

"For twelve years now we have been enjoying cooking our dinners with the
power of the sun..."

Visit Mindy's solar cooking web site:

 " Sun Ovens Are Wonderful"


At the end of the day, and in the morning too,
the Arizona desert puts on a show like nothing we have ever seen.


- enlarge -


Monsoon rain storms
during July and August are awesome.


- enlarge -




THANKS !
To the special folks who have helped with Solar Haven:

Ann and Ron Serandos, Joanie McNiece, Rick Frazier and Andiron, Warren Luzon at "Northern Arizona Wind and Sun", Rod Hyatt at "In Hot Water and Heating", John, Marilyn, Jason, and Roger at "Sun-Southwest", Art and Katherine Jacobson, Dennis Williams, Tina Monaghan and Jake, Rette and Rick, Lyndol Michael, Shay, Christine and Lacy, Ben and Maria, Kristen and Shannon, Paula Young, Manadeva, Mike McWilliams, Zack and Liz, Yoshi, Marsha and Sarina, Paul Huddy, Michael Smith, Tom, Janna, and Annette, Loreen McDonald, Wil and Mai, Clay Springer, Jan and Dee, Kara, Sam and Cassandra, Ajay and Bev Sutton, Amber, Steve and Ken, Owen, Penelope, Charlie Liu, Trish, Jordan, Josee, Dan, Simon

- pictures of everybody -

Copyright 2000-2006 by Jim Phypers



GUESTBOOK - thanks for visiting Solar Haven!

Your name (optional):

Where you live (country-state-city):

Comments (suggestions welcome):


A CALL FOR HELP...

TO KEEP SOLARHAVEN.ORG ON THE INTERNET.

Our web site has grown and grown in both size and popularity and is now receiving over 6000 hits per day with a bandwidth of over 8.0 GB per month. Since we are living on a small fixed income now and have used up the "nest egg" with which we came to Arizona, we could use a little help meeting server costs and keeping solarhaven.org on the Internet. A small donation would be much appreciated ($1 would be fine). At the same time you will be helping us in our mission to promote a simpler, saner, self-sufficient, and sustainable way of living on our troubled and endangered planet.

Donations can be made through PayPal and
will be shown as "solarhaven.org" on your credit card or bank debit card...

Thanks!

This Solar Haven site contains 90 separate web pages, over 450 photographs and diagrams, and considerable technical information. Try using the search engine below to find specific things you are looking for...

Google
Search WWW Search www.solarhaven.org