I am a first time owner homebuilder. No experience...and certainly not my profession.

I live on a 500 acre eco-village, intentional community, called Hummingbird Community in the mountains of rural northern New Mexico where regenerative living, conscious evolution, co-creation and demonstrating a better way of living for future generations is core to our purpose. 

At 7600', our temperatures range from -20°F to 90°F.  Winds can be extremely strong at times.  The other side of the mountains is high desert.

The majority of our homes and community buildings are totally off-grid. The structures range in size from 3500 sq ft to 350 sq ft....from double wall insultated hydraulic pressed blocks to totally off-the-land mud huts.   Our intent is to model different forms of construction and building materials, all of which can be accessed as "green".  We have built our own roads, drilled wells, installed PV panels and solar hot water panels, hydronic heating, and more than needs to be addressed now.  Buying propane is our #1 utility expense (backup generators, cooking, on-demand heaters).

TerraMaya, the name given to my home, is a demonstration project as part of Hummingbird Living School and aligns with the values and mission of the community.  Individuals and groups are invited to explore this model of home building as another zero-energy home and sustainable living.

The 30' octogon shell is built on an R-20 rigid foam insulated concrete on-grade with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) with 10' tall 6" walls (R-42) and an 8" pyramid roof (R-54).  The exterior walls are mud plaster stucco (not color coated, yet) and interior walls are natural mud and Bioshield paint.  A nearby well provides water with an underground holding tank above the house that become a gravity fed system if needed.  Solar panels mounted on the roof of the utility/storage shed provide an abundance of electricity.  A 250gal. propane tank serves the house and a 100gal. propane tank placed behind the shed serves the back-up generator.  Grey and black water flow into a Watson Wick sewage system that will feed the plants planted above the tanks and help the cleaning of the water. A Rennai on-demand hot water heater works great.  

Inside there's a full kitchen with custom alder cabinetry, granite countertops, 24" commercial range/stove, large single stainless sink w/ Grohe fixtures, 27" Summit Pro energy efficient electric fridge, and more than enough storage and pantry for 2 people. The living/dining great room feels very spacious due to the mass of windows facing SSE-S-SSW and the 18' peak ceiling with an operable pyramid skylight.  The bedroom holds a king size bed, large closet and chest of drawers.  The bathroom has a custom granite top vanity with Moen fixtures and a large mirrored medicine cabinet above, a custom storage cabinet, a local river rock pan shower 4'x4' with energy effienct rainhead, glass block window in shower, operable awning window, and porcelain tile floor and shower walls. Doors to the bedroom and bathroom and 3/4 privacy glass to provide additional natural light.  A 300 sq ft loft covers the kitchen, bath and bedroom.  The loft is used as office, spare bedroom, library, out of season storage.

Floors are all floating hard bamboo with the exception of the bathroom. 

Floor space (690 sq ft) plus loft space provides 990 sq ft of functional floor space.

Windows are custom energy efficient Sierra Pacific.  There are four operable awning windows and one hinged window that provide control of outdoor air venting throughout the house.  All large windows are covered with custom Warm Window fabric roman shades. All other windows and door are protected with double cellular shades.  Managing windows and doors is essential to maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures.

Indoor temperatures range from 50°-75° without any additional source of heating or cooling.  

A beautiful Scan woodstove is the only source of heat other than radiant heat from the sun.  Firewood is collected off our dense forest land which aids our forestry management program.

The total cost for all infrastructure, house and shed has been approximately $120,000.  There were no loans or mortgages wanted.

There's a personal relationship with TerraMaya and myself.  We speak to each other....we listen to one another...about our wants and needs....and explore the possibilities around how we can support each other to be happy and healthy.

There have been 100's of people that have visited TerraMaya and benefited from the experiences we share. I'm happy to share what I've learned with anyone interested.

David Fischer, owner/builder

P.S  -  I don't have any documented performance claims, ratings or awards....and not really interested in getting them. If this eliminates me from being part of your community, then so be it.