It has been awhile since the last of these posts. But, I am still thinking and planning for the project out west.
Lately, I have been keeping track of the sun's movements as we get closer to the winter solstice. The sun now sets quite a bit south of the east-west line. The point of all this is to plan to use the sun to the best advantage for passive heating. Also, to avoid having the sun become a problem during the summer months.
It would seem a bit nutty to have a large glass window facing the south, since the sun can enter during the summer months. As this would heat things up considerably, which is not the idea during the hot summer. However, without a window facing the south, passive solar is out of the question. This requires something of a compromise.
The compromise would entail making a small room, which is blocked off from the rest of the cabin, and which will take all of the sun's heat during the summer and winter. In addition to blocking it off from the rest of the cabin, it will make sense to cover the window with a reflective device that can be easily removed and replaced as needed.
The latest idea for a cabin is to make 24 feet of glass windows all along the south side, and also 8 feet that wraps around the southwest corner and goes west. This would make the southwest side the warmest spot all year round. I can use that to advantage, or I would like to think I can take advantage of this fact.
In addition, there will be no overhang in the south. This seems crazy again, but after noting how the overhang blocks the sun during the winter months too, then to maximize the sunlight available would require such a plan. You need a lot of sun in a tight place in order to make it hot during the winter. In the summer, it will get overbearingly hot, but once again, this can be offset with reflective coverings.
How to collect rain? Wouldn't the rainwater collection create a shadow? Yes, it would. Therefore, the highest point will be south, and it will slope downward towards the north. The north end will have the rainwater collection barrels.
So, progress is being made, but it is rather slow. The schedule for arriving out there could be as early as this time next year. Before I go out there, I would like to make a trip in order to determine if certain ideas will work. I'd like to test my drill for making post holes, and I would like to know if I can make any money in El Paso for Uber. In order to do this, I may stay for a week or so. This might happen in late March or early April.
By that time, I will be closing in on five years of owning the property. Hard to believe it has been that long.
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