+off the grid modern

[fiest from the window]

looking to build a house off the grid (power) here in michigan.

any thoughts/examples around town?

for the last 5 yrs i have been paying off some property up near northport on lake michigan, and now i need to design a house that will fit the site.....coming from an architectural background and being a small developer out west has helped me come up with great designs and projects for other people but here in michigan modern design is not so well embraced....but the cost to build is cheap

is there alot of modern design here in grand rapids and up north? housing? i see eveyone is doing the condo thig downtown..

thoughts?

[dtown]

My uncle has a cabin near Mio thats off the grid. He has everything run on propane, even his water pump and refigerator. Its really cool.

GR has quite a few examples of modern buildings, but not so many modernist style home, as far as i know.

[numstead]

Some University of Michigan students participated in the 2005 Solar Decathalon in Washington DC

check out their website Miso*

[Kib]

You might take a peek at Wired Magazine's website.

I pulled this link kinda quick, but they often do stories on cutting edge architecture:

Wired Mag story on prefabs

Good luck...

[Kib]

Bump

If you're still looking for ideas, I saw this in the NY Times:

Tiny Houses

[Landscape1]

We have a cabin outside of Bitely that is off the grid. Our property is completely surrounded by Federal Forest which would have required an unbelievably expensive underground line.

We run on a combination of solar and propane -- the solar charges a bank of batteries that power the cabin and the propane powers the stove, fridge, some lights and most importantly the back-up generator! The technology is impressive but because we don't live there any small problem has become a larger problem.

There is actually quite a bit of alternative energy expertise in Grand Rapids because the now defunct Jordan College had a specialty program in alternatives (the Jordan Energy Institute). Many of the professors and students still live here and continue use their knowledge in the building trades.

I have looked at adding solar panels at my house as a secondary source of energy but even with the available tax credits there is a 10-plus year lag before you are getting a return on your investment.