Off Topic but had to share new house pictures..

This is our new ranch, BR Ranch Billy named it for us it will be a working chicken ranch someday.
I live where a lot of trailers and modular homes are and a stick built house is one that is built from the ground up. It is a Beautiful house on a cement foundation. It sits on 1.3 acres that is fully fenced in with a 6 ft high chain link. It is 2150 sq foot 3 bedroom 2 bath with a real garage. It is totally solar right now, I need the wind generator and have a lead on a 10,000 watt stand by generator. My neighbor hauls my water for 20 bucks a load, which is 750 gallons. The water tank is 2500 gallons. There is a shed, a solar room and some cement pads for Rv's on it as well. I am leasing it for a year to make sure Billy and I can survive, after that year I will be purchasing it for 30K. It is 11 miles from work, 3 miles on a dirt road. Neighbors are not really close to me, I would say a few acres between us. Billy will have a big room and I will finally have a guest room. My trailer I live in now would fit in the dining room and the kitchen of the new house..

Front of house

This message was edited Apr 14, 2011 9:36 AM

Kitchen looking from the front door

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View from Kitchen

Den Living room

Dining room to the right

From the corner of the property which will be the horse area shows the solar and water tank storage room

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Front porch View, thats what you will see when you come visiting... Right ZZ??

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MissJestr that looks wonderful! I had no idea you were moving; the house is gorgeous and looks like it's laid out beautifully. How much of your electricity will be supplied by solar panels? I'm assuming that you're not off the grid. Will there be a place for your horses?

I'll bet Billy is so proud of his new house!

Hey Green, I am Totally off the grid, the solar will supply all the electricity for the house with a stand by Generator just in case. Electricity is about 3 miles from the house so I think maybe in 10 years we can be wired, depends on how many people move out there.
I am figuring when I get the wind generator up the stand by generator will be in case of emergency. Since I live in Sunny Arizona I am figuring it maybe will be used when I need the air conditioning that is a huge unit on the top of the house. The house is well insulated, it was a 80 degree day outside and it was 62 inside with the wall that was facing the sun really cool to the touch. Billy LOVES the new place, it is a bigger room for him..

Looks ideal. Congratulations! Tell Billy hello from all of us.

Wow! You hit the jackpot with this house Girl! Wishing You and Billy well and Congratulations!

It sure is pretty and although right now when you are in the kitchen your voice echo's I am sure in no time it will be home...
Sunday is moving day, 5 trucks, 1 flat bed, 3 horse trailers, one will be used to move horses and once everything is unloaded its a BBQ and beer....

One of the guys I work with gave me a awesome house warming gift.. a 123 piece Huskey tool kit, 36 piece screwdriver set, and flashlight with attached ratchet and bits COOOL TOOL, box cutter and a can of fabulous blaster magnetic lubricant spray.... That is one gift that I will use I am thinking every day!!

It's gorgeous! Perfect place for you and Billy to make more happy memories! Congratulations!

OH My, Your friend gave you a wonderful practical Gift. I know you will really enjoy those tools!

MissJestr - looks like you will be living the dream I always wanted. Enjoy your new home, and keep us updated.

(The reason I never got to live this way? -- hubby refused to live in the middle of nowhere!) Grrrr!

how awesome MissJ. I bet Billy is counting the days in his sleep. I pray everything works out and you can buy the home

A good move indeed! Best of luck.

Thanks for sharing this with us! That is a really nice house and I do hope you will be successful with sun and wind for electric. I would really like to do that and get off the grid but I am not able to do that now. My house would have to be retrofitted. Expensive. Does it get very cold there? Here in Houston, it's the cooling electric bill that we dread, not the heating bill. I am so happy for you and your son. Happy Housewarming!!! Cam

It does get cold, but the wood burner will heat up the front rooms. For the bedroom I am looking into free standing propane heaters like I have in this place now, very efficient for little amount of propane. But I will work about that next fall. The heat will be interesting, maybe during our monsoon when it is humid. I am told that house does not get hot in the summer, we will see about that as well and there is a swamp cooler in the master bedroom that might cool off the bedrooms, and all the rooms have ceiling fans. There is always the horse water tank to cool us off.. LOL

I will rope off a little more than a quarter acre for the horses, 3 sides with the fencing, and one side with hot wire and a gate. Then they can get in the shade of the solar room until I can get the sheds for them put up.

Roseanne, it sounds like paradise. I had no idea this was in the works!

MissJ I love your new home. Wish I could send you some of my flowers for your new yard

I know Arizona gets up around 120 degrees at times in the summer. Can't imagine the heat.

I have a swamp cooler and prefer it. Only costs $20 a month to run. I've been told in places that are humid, like Houston, swamp coolers are useless. The new one I just bought is different from the others I've ever owned. It has a thing on top that fits in the window and can easily come off for winter. How cool is that? I may post a picture.

I wish I could get there before all the work is done! I dream of coffee on that porch with you.. While we watch Billy play with his goats.. LMBO

keep a notebook or journal of your adventure and update us here, when you have time. Cam

I really love the pic's, looks like real desert though to me. The house is very nice and very large. I'm so excited for you and Billy. Billy has promised me a bed in his room if we come down. ZZ's am I supposed to pick you up on the way down...Haystack

Don't forget to pick up some hay on the way down.

Whewww Busy day Green house it just fell into our lives, I checked and double checked and triple checked everything before I made the decision. I have lived on Solar before Billy, it is cool, but in a smaller house and a smaller system. I figure it is ment to be so we are going for it. When we drive up the sight all around is enough to take your breath away.
LFJ Today the temps were 74 here, and when I walked into the house at 5:30pm it was 60 degrees... It does get around 100 here, I am in Northern Arizona so it is a tad bit cooler.
Wren, the plan is to install water catchers on the roof to harvest the water for the chickens, dog and garden, wont have a garden this year, but next year I should have the water and the know how to conserve for the garden and we will plant flowers and trees. I did plant some Basil in the windowsill of the Kitchen today and am thinking I can get away with a small planter on the front porch, recycling the rinse water for the dishes to water them.
Mr Haystack, we will have two twin beds in Billy's room for when his brother spends the night and I have a guest room that will have a bed in it for Visitors... HINT HINT!!
Steadycam I am keeping a journal for Billy, I will pass the house down to him because he is the one who will be right beside me fixing,planning and living the dream...
Thank you for all the good wishes and I will keep posting pictures in this thread, since after all it will be a Working Chicken Ranch and I want you all to share in the process..

I am so happy for you Miss J, and so pleased to have you back on the forum.

Congrats MsJester!! Looks like a very nice place.

We lived in Kingman for about a year. I loved the mountains & Golden Valley, but there is NO PLACE like TEXAS. I'm glad to be home.
I wish you many happy days in your new place.

MsC

Thanks Pork and MrsC...
MrsC the house is outside of the airport going towards Vally Vista. Actually if you are on Rte 66 and you come upon mile marker 66 you can look over the tracks and see the house, but there was a Railroad accident and the railroad closed all the homemade trails that went under the tracks so I have to go thru the airport complex to get out there...

This is all going to be very exciting, and you and Billy have lots of fun projects ahead of you. Horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys, piglets, cowlets, WOHOOO, YIPIE YIyaah. Can't wait for the pic's. Last one to visit is the horse hiney...Hay

Roseane how long would a round bale last, just a ball park figure according to what you plan on having for livestock...? And how much will a round bale cost you down there?

This message was edited Apr 15, 2011 7:09 AM

Don't forget the goat Haystack! Billy needs a goat.. LOL I can't believe she missed that in my earlier post.. Poor thing is so busy and I sit here and give her a bad time. LOL

I am over the top excited for you Rosie.. The future is going to be bubbling with fun things to do.. even with all the work, I know it will be super fun!!

How far is the new house from your old one?

Miss J when you are ready I can send you some Heirloom Daff(they do not mind the heat as much as other) some Heirloom Amaryllis and some other stuff.

ZZ.... I swear You and Beadmom and Frans have jinks me. I will know tomorrow if we are the proud owners of 2 pygmy goats to take care of the weeds out there..
Hay I cant wait it is so awesome, my feet hurt from walking stretching and cleaning... It is awesome. I am not sure about how much a large bale will feed , I did some research awhile ago, I know they can weigh 500 to 2000 pounds and I know an ave bale is 75 to 100 pds. I am not quite sure how I would feed it and I am not sure how much one would cost.
Porkpal, My house now is in the hills, which is 14 miles away from my work. My new house is in the Valley and is only 11 miles from work.. I will miss the snow when the valley has the rain, but I think I can manage..
Wren do they talk a lot of water??I know that my porch gets afternoon sun, although not direct overhead it is shaded.

I didn't do it... (this time) I would have though..If I had the opportunity I'm sure.. :)

I'm so happy for you I can't wait to read what's next!!

Miss J your roof looks like it would be ideal for a water collection system. (Which, of course, is only as good as your rainfall...) Will you eventually get "city water" or can you put in a well?

Not a lot, the Daffs go dormant in the summer. I very rarely water any of them. Mine get some shade.