Off-Grid Homestead For Sale
The Economic down-turn has taken its toll on my ability to find adequate income given my background in the arts and I must move from my rural existence to a more urban environment in which I can find employment. The property is located in the Zuni Mountain/El Morro National Monument area of Northwestern New Mexico in the subdivision of Candy Kitchen in Cibola County.
A student and practitioner of Permaculture, the ten acres of northwest sloping land has been my ten year laboratory in the practice which has focused on the use of brush and earthen swales to control erosion and return rainwater and snow melt to the land itself. Over the ten years I've watched the meadows return to an abundant grassland and wildflower mix, while I've also been manicuring the overgrown forested parts of the property.
The two room cabin with sleeping loft is a sampler of earth-building techniques incorporating cob, straw-bale, glass bottle, broken glass, and earth bag construction. No well, I've developed a simple manual rainwater catchment system with hand-pump in the kitchen, utilizing a 1150 gallon cistern and 2000 gallon overflow pond adjacent to the cabin. The pond water provides supplemental irrigation for food crops in zone 1. The house is heated by both passive solar aspects as well as through a one-of-a-kind woodstove with a large surface for heating water and even for cooking. There is a simple pit greenhouse which provides food production into winter and allows for early starting of the growing season – I've harvested as early as February and well into December.
A simple 12 volt DC solar panel system operates the LED lighting and provides sufficient power for a DC DVD player, cell-phone and tablet recharging, and is easily upgradeable. The southeast greenhouse entry to the cabin also supplements the passive solar capacity while also providing ample space for produce starts and indoor plants such as ornamentals and herbs. Roads in the subdivision are dirt and gravel – most folks drive four wheel drive vehicles. Two convenience store type establishments are within five miles and the area's artistic and economic “center” about sixteen miles away. The cities of Gallup and Grants are both within 65 miles.
The homestead is regularly visited by elk and other local critters and is in a quiet back to nature environment. Local farmers' markets (two in the area) and “artistic community” are nearby. Located at 68 homestead Road, there are currently two other residents living on the mile and a half road not far from the junction with BIA 125 (Pine Hill Road).
Asking $50K. More photographs are located at my Google+ site: “balancegregory”. I believe the property is best suited for a sustainability-minded couple or family or retirees looking for an adventurous off-grid retirement (grid power lines run adjacent to the property and is operated by a co-op).
For further information I may be contacted at
balancegregory@gmail.com, 505.495.4499 or by snail mail at HC-61 box 1012 Ramah NM 87321.
