Montezuma Cliff Dwelling

This region's inhabitants have been forced to innovate solutions to the challenges they faced here.

Modern offgrid home-builders are continuing this innovation today.


Petroglyphs along
Wet Beaver Creek

Contact:
4hills-at-hughes.net

bullety3
All of the resources you need to Live comfortably are available.
Many are free if you can catch, store, and conserve them.

Water and Power
watersun
The weather delivers plenty of water. Catch it and store it in large cisterns. If you know your family's daily water use you can design a roof and cistern to provide your family's annual needs. In a drought you can fall back on hauled water from local wells.

Solar energy is abundant. We have the best solar exposure of the lower 48 states. A reliable offgrid utility can depend on the sun for up to 80% of its generation. Rely on fossil fuels for back-up. An LP generator backs-up the system if the sun falters. LP gas is available at nearby vendors.



Home Siting and Design
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Views, ease of access, weather, and solar gain should influence your choice of homesite.

The best homesites in the high desert are on south and east-facing slopes. Plan to capture the sun's warmth on winter mornings. Hill-top sites are most prone to monsoon lightening and the persistent southwest winds.

In the summer it can be as much as 20 degrees cooler in the shade. Wide eaves can shade walls, windows and residents from the high-desert sun.



Waste Management
sunmar
Human waste poses a health problem that demands a septic solution. Coconino County permits composting toilets and greywater-reuse systems. Water can be scarce In the high desert so alternatives to flushing toilets make sense.

Organic wastes can be recycled by composting them and adding them to garden beds. Automotive fluids like motor oil can be dumped at any Checker Auto Parts store in Flagstaff. Local landfills and recycling centers in Williams and Flagstaff can take your domestic garbage.



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