Where do I want to build an off-grid house?
Site requirements
- Solar access. Must have good exposure to the sun, particularly in winter time. This means either a large site which allows control of what's to the south or, more likely, one on a roughly south facing slope (perhaps south east or south west).
- Large. The plot needs to be larger than that typical of a small house for a number of reasons: to make the build process simpler; to allow future food growing, addition of solar collectors, etc; and to ensure some buffering and privacy from those around.
- Height. I don't want to build on a site which would be adversely affected by sea-level rise. It seems to me that the indications are that global warming is likely to cause quite a lot more of this than the officially accepted IPCC and government figures would imply so I'm happy to leave those who do not think this to take the gamble of buying cheaper low-lying ground.
- Cheap. I don't have a lot of money to spend on a site.
- Pleasant. I expect to spend quite a large proportion of the rest of my life on the site. It needs to be a nice place to be and in a nice area to move around, preferably without too much use of a car. To me this means non-industrial with a low population density and some variety of views.
- Access. Access by car/van would be needed, particularly during construction though, apart possibly from fire service requirements, heavy vehicle access would be a convenience rather than an absolute requirement.
- Internet. A phone line is not required (voice over IP is sufficient) but some sort of reasonable broadband Internet connection is essential. I have a wireless connection in mind though I'd prefer not to fall back on the ultimate option of satellite (due to expense and long round-trip times).
Non-requirements
To get the combination of requirements listed above it is necessary to compromise on other points. It's worth being explicit about what these are:
- Services. Availability of services like electricity, water, gas and sewage would drive up the price of the site. I want to put the saving on site cost towards the (larger) cost of installing the off-grid systems needed to meet my more general aims.
- Flat site. While I'm not thinking of building half way up a cliff the chosen construction method would be suitable for a site which is difficult to level: e.g., somewhat sloping with only a thin layer of soil over hard rock.
- Access to towns or cities. Unlike some people, I don't need or want to be in cities much. A few visits a year are plenty for me so easy access is not important. In particular, I've worked at home for the last fifteen years or so and can't imagine trying to work in a large company or shared office building long-term again.
Conclusions
Somewhere on the west coast of Scotland looks likely.