Why own an American mansion when you can own a castle! This amazing solar adobe home was built using durable home construction and alternative home building concepts such as solar and wind power and green construction materials. In an effort to enrich the soil, the garden also follows permaculture principles.

About three years ago one of my workers announced that he had found an earthworm while digging a hole to plant a tree. That may not sound like much but to me it was great news. Every year for four years I had mulched hundreds of straw bales over truckloads of horse manure in an effort to rebuild the badly eroded soil here on a sage covered mesa. While every year as the manure composted and a few more trees were planted, not always with much success, I witnessed the return of the grasses and new plants, birds and insects would appear but it was only when I found out about the worm that I felt that my efforts were finally bearing fruit. The reason I mention this is to point out that while I’ve managed to build a very special home here I’ve never lost sight of my goal to restore the damage done by overgrazing to what was once grassland a century ago.

I bought the land in January 2000, a few days after the Y2K scare and resolved to build a home that would be low impact environmentally. And as I said, I also resolved to build some topsoil and get things growing. I wanted to create a better habitat for the local flora and fauna, me included. I drilled a well and Solarray put in a stand alone P.V. system to power the pump and I began clearing sagebrush, spreading manure and mulching with straw. I also started planting trees and putting down flagstone paths. And in the evenings I turned to reading about construction. Finally in 2003 I felt ready to draw up some plans which turned out to look pretty much like this castle. Building began in July and I realized that despite the shelf of books I’d read I didn’t know much at all. Luckily I had a great crew and wasn’t too proud to ask questions and seek advice. I doubled up the P.V. array, beefed up the batteries and added a wind generator. Using the sun and the wind to power the tools we got going.

A couple of months later family members and my friend Kate the midwife held a blessing ceremony over the foundation in the rain and the mud before retiring to a local bar for margaritas. We had distributed some beautiful objects and minerals, many holding powerful personal meaning, in the foundation to be covered with concrete the next day. And so I had Kate attending at the birth of the castle. I prayed that the castle would always be welcoming. That it would be a sanctuary.

Adobe was the natural choice for a building material. It is local and traditional and with proper care lasts for centuries. Watching those mud brick walls slowly rising higher, seeing the castle growing, gave me immense satisfaction. It wasn’t just a home I was building, it was a sculpture, a work of art. After two years and thousands of decisions, artistic and otherwise,the castle was ready for occupancy. During the process I had shown my appreciation to the crew and they had attached themselves to the project working with diligence and love. Throughout those two years, more times than I can remember, laughter would break out in one area and spread spontaneously throughout the construction site. People enjoyed working here and it can be felt in the walls.

It’s easy to forget about the independent power system. There are more checks and balances than the U.S. Government. The battery bank has to be checked and topped up two or three times a year and the angle of the P.V. array adjusted with the changing seasons and that’s about it. Fool proof! And yet the benefits are enormous. Financially, the utility bills remind you every month about your savings, while watching the wind generator spinning lets you know that you’re doing your part to reduce greenhouse gasses! So enjoy looking at the photographs and feel free to contact me if you want any further information. Thanks!