SPRING SHOWCASE OF HOMES, Las Cruces, NM

Spend a day in Las Cruces, New Mexico! Plan to visit the 2011 Spring Showcase of Homes, April 29 - May 1 and May 6 - 8. You are personally invited to tour the finest homes in Las Cruces. 
The showcase of homes is a great way to meet local builders and see the style and quality of homes they build.  By touring the homes, you can get ideas that could help in the building/planning process of your new home! 

Meeting With Soledad Canyon Builders

The meeting with Soledad Canyon Builders- Pat Bellestri and Max Bellestri went very well.  What this company provides is all done very professionally.  Based on our conversation, the following are the beginning  steps involved in building a new home:

• Pre-Qualify with a mortgage institution to determine your budget
• Site visit to the property with the builder
• Designing Your Home based on the budget
• Finalize the plan for your new home
• Building Contract Process
• Upon approval from the mortgage lender, construction can begin

 These are some of the major steps involved.  Their company builds 
exterior rammed earth 18 inch thick walls.  The main windows of the house should face south in the winter for more heat.  The cost of your new home with Soledad Canyon Builders is an "open book".  The new home owner sees every invoice for every item that is going into your new home.  The builders will show how they build their rammed earth walls at the 2011 Spring Showcase of Homes, April 29 - May 1 and May 6 - 8.  The home is being constructed in  Picacho Hills, Las Cruces, NM at 1332 Saltillo Place.  Currently, the home has the basement walls and foundation getting ready for the construction of the rammed earth walls. 
The plan is to go to the site and watch how the process is done and even take pictures as the walls are being built.  There is a basement added to this home which is unique for this area.  It was easier to build a basement than to fill the area up with dirt in order to have a level area for building.  

Orientation/South Facing Windows

One of the things to consider when planning your home is to have your windows facing the south.  The article: Southern Facing Windows

"Passive solar buildings typically have many windows facing the south

Southern facing windows (southern solar glazing) are a vital component for a passive solar design and building."  This article was from "Green Passive Solar Magazine".   It discusses seasonal window considerations and building orientation.
The U.S. Department of Energy also has an article relating to this topic. Energy Savers: Passive Solar Window Design

Strawbale Homes in New Mexico

I decided that it would be good to research another method of home building. Here is a link to Strawbale Homes in New Mexico.  These 30 homes and buildings are located in New Mexico.  This website does also list homes throughout the United States and across the world. 

Steps to Building a House

In preparation to meeting with a builder at the end of this week, I decided to make my own list of “Steps to Building a House”. I started by finding several websites that I posted below. Before my meeting with a builder on Friday, April 8^th, I plan to have a list of steps and questions on what the builder does and what the homeowner can do to save on costs in building our home.

• Steps Involved in Building a House
• How House Construction Works
• Before You Build: 5 Steps to Your New Home
• NAHB Building Your Home
• Steps In Building a House
• How House Construction Works - Steps to Building a House
• Build Your Own Home
• The Steps of Building A Home
• Build Your Own House

New Mexico Solar Energy Association Information

The NMSEA has information on their website in regards to Solar Energy.

Solar Hot Water Systems Today

Passive Solar Guidelines

Buying Solar Energy Systems

Grid-Tied “Net-Metered” Photovoltaic (PV) Systems in New Mexico

Passive Solar Design Primer

DSIRE: New Mexico Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency

New Mexico Clean Energy Organizations:

• Rebuild New Mexico

• Regional Development Corporation

Building Codes and Regulations

Title 14 Housing and Construction Chapter 7, Part 3
NEW MEXICO RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CODE

Dona Ana County
Building Services Division

Building Permit Requirements For New Construction

Applicable Codes

Doña Ana County is unable to provide these documents online due to copyright restrictions. To view these codes, please stop by the Building Services Dept. at the Doña Ana County Government Center at 845 N. Motel Blvd., Las Cruces, N.M.

Looking for Current Techologies to Fit our Current Needs

Since we live in an environment that is conducive to solar and alternative energy, patrons are constantly looking for resources that fit the needs of our current technologies. Here are some more resources.

Home Sweet Earthship: This Building a Self-Sufficient Bio-House from Old Tires and Recycled Cans is an interesting article relating to homes built in Taos, New Mexico.

New Mexico Self Sufficient Home is a Facebook that is a fairly new site. An up and coming project.

Earthship Biotecture This website shows radically sustainable green buildings made of recycled materials utilizing tires, soda cans, and more.... This allows the home to be powered by the sun and the wind. catching water, treating sewage, heating and cooling ... They also have information about upcoming events and seminars.